DESIGN NAME: M1 Timepiece
PRIMARY FUNCTION: Timepiece
INSPIRATION: At RVNDSGN, we are inspired by minimalism. What is the essence of a product? What is necessary, and what is not? We were captivated by the refractive optical properties of a simple glass filled with water, the glass seems to disappear. We took that inspiration and set out to design a timepiece in which the protective crystal disappears.
UNIQUE PROPERTIES / PROJECT DESCRIPTION: The M1 eschews hands in favor of dual-layered discs to display time. In a world of phones and smart watches, a watch is worn more for fashion than utility. With that in mind, we decided to pair down our dial to 15 minute increments like the response a person receives when asking the time; "It's quarter to 2". By positioning the discs directly under the edge-to-edge crystal, we use the optics inherent in sapphire to create the illusion the time is displayed right on the surface of the crystal.
OPERATION / FLOW / INTERACTION: We have partnered with Swiss manufacturers and suppliers to engineer a unique Swiss-Made timepiece. Operation is similar to any automatic watch. The movement never needs a battery, and winds itself as the user wears the watch. Time and date can be set with a flush mount crown.
PROJECT DURATION AND LOCATION: The M1 is the work of over a year of research, design, refinement, and development. Work started in 2016 and finished in February of 2018.
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PRODUCTION / REALIZATION TECHNOLOGY: Calibre: Swiss Sellita SW200-1 automatic movement / Power Reserve: 38 hrs. / 28,8000 bph, 4hz / 26 Jewels / Hacking and Quick Date Adjust / Complications: custom time and date display discs / Materials: sapphire crystal, stainless steel, PVD and DLC coating, genuine leather / Water resistance: 3atm.
SPECIFICATIONS / TECHNICAL PROPERTIES: 44 mm x 13 mm case dimensions. 22 mm hidden lug width. 22 mm wide tapered leather strap.
TAGS: Watch, Timepiece, Time, Sapphire, Steel, Leather
RESEARCH ABSTRACT: Throughout the design process, we wanted to develop a completely unique timepiece without having to design our own in-house movement. In-house movements can take years and millions of dollars to develop, so our strategy was to use a robust, popular, Swiss automatic movement, and design our language around that. Due to the Swatch Group owning and restricting distribution of ETA the most popular movement brand, we decided on the Sellita SW200-1, a Swiss equal to ETA. After that research and decision, the design was built around that movement.
CHALLENGE: Working with partners to realize the intended design as accurately as possible is always the biggest challenge. Relaying on partners engineering expertise is essential to realizing a successful design, and that can include some compromises. For the M1, the technical challenges of locating the display discs as close to the underside of the crystal as possible was the most challenging.
ADDED DATE: 2018-03-18 13:48:33
TEAM MEMBERS (1) : Zach Raven
IMAGE CREDITS: Image #1 : Zach Raven
Image #2 : Zach Raven
Image #3 : Zach Raven
Image #4 : Zach Raven
Image #5 : Zach Raven
Video Credits : Zach Raven
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