TEMPO
HIDING IN PLAIN SIGHT
This project began as a thought experiment, where I asked myself “what would my ideal watch look like?” I wanted to create a design that was uniquely situated at the intersection of utility and aesthetics. To me, this meant that the boldest design didn’t need to be the loudest. Approaching the problem with a “hiding in plain sight” mentality, my goal was to design and build a watch that both preserves the function of a time piece, but at the same time reveals its minor details upon closer inspection. Every single part, including the movement was modeled and rendered with considerations for the manufacturing capabilities of my campus maker space.
DEVELOPMENT
To accomplish a “hidden in plain sight” philosophy, I created a dial that passively directs the user’s attention. In the original design, the watch would have utilized a muted color palette that at a glance, would only allow you to read the time. Behind that would then be a fine wire mesh that both creates an industrial, utilitarian theme and obscures the mechanical movement from view. Upon closer inspection the mesh however, the mesh would then allow a more detailed view of the mechanical system driving the watch.
Considering the physical constraints of the movement however, only 1.1 mm of height was available for a dial face. So embracing the open, skeleton design of the movement, I instead incorporated a sense of openness into the design language. The new design would keep the movement unobstructed and visible but would instead use colors and contrast to direct the user’s gaze.
REFINEMENT
The original Tempo design utilized copper accents that were lifted off of the dial surface to create depth and muted contrast. However, manufacturing realities meant that this feature would be almost impossible to accomplish with available equipment. To fix this, the design was changed to two stacked plates with arms on the lower piece that would then be folded up and over to preserve the language of the initial dial.
Then focusing on the internals, the original design intent was to minimize any distracting elements that might direct the user’s gaze from the timekeeping hands. As a result, the case, strap, and crown were originally kept very simple and minimal. This turned out to be of detriment to the design however because the externals became almost too generic and allowed the movement to take attention away from the dial. I then experimented with case accents, braided straps, and anodized crowns and eventually found that a simple aluminum bronze ring inlay struck the perfect balance of form and function. The light yellow color is enough to catch a passing observer’s eye and the thin ring then frames and complements the striking blue hands. All together, the bezel works with the dial to pull attention away from the movement.
GALLERY
TEMPO designed by Joe Li / May-July 2019