British designer Jasper Morrison has created a 500 piece limited edition of the Punkt AC 01 alarm clock in aid of Japanese tsunami victims.
Priced at $246 (the tsunami struck at 02:46) all profits will go towards helping to rebuild the coastal fishing village of Maeami.
The red and white design represents the Japanese flag, and behind the simple facade you get a backlight, alarm and snooze function.
Find out more right here.
[thanks to @hodinkee for the tip off]
Here’s an interesting concept, courtesy of Yanko Design and designer Bor-Ru Huang.
Made to ensure you suck every last piece of juice out of your batteries you can fill each slot with a ‘used’ AA and the clock can tell you when the battery really is dead.
Press a button and those marked ‘red’ are dead!
It’s obviously not that much different than using one battery at a time, but I guess at least you have somewhere to store your old batteries: each one giving a final contribution the cause!
News of the Ronnie Wood and Bremont collaboration on a special clock series has been around for a while but this weekend’s SalonQP in London sees the official unveiling of these amazing custom models (check out the movement – wow!).
Based on the Bremont B1 Marine Clock – a real beast – Wood will hand-paint 14 pieces, both on the dial, and inside.
Here’s what the rocker had to say about the partnership:
“I am so happy to be involved with Bremont on this exciting adventure. I feel there will be a magnificent opportunity through my art to show what has influenced me throughout my life, which includes my water heritage, my well documented life in music and of course my abiding passion for horses. All of these reflections will gather together to be seen in this most British tradition. I have always loved my timepieces and now I have the opportunity to thoroughly indulge myself with Bremont.”
Giles English, the Bremont founder added:
“This is a unique collaboration where we have brought artesian clock-making and fine-art together to make a truly beautiful object. It is a huge privilege to be working with Ronnie, and he has brought a completely new prospective to our thinking about the clock, but also the ability to make each truly unique.“
The clock itself is designed and made in England.
Lengthy in production, less than fifteen are able to be produced in any one year.
It has been designed in-house and features three time zones, a 30 day power reserve, date and a 90 day chronograph.
Somewhat bizarrely it will also be fully waterproof.
Handy if your boat sinks, or you fancy a change from the normal divers watch I guess :-)
L’Epee sure do make some beautiful clocks!
[Press Release] The prestigious “Manufacture” of l’Epée clocks presents a more exclusive version of the successful models of “La Tour” collection: the clocks aficionados will appreciate this skeleton clock equipped with a spectacular Tourbillon.
The “ La Tour ” collection adopts the historic “ Less is more” motto of the famous Bauhaus Director Ludwig Mies Van der Rohe. On that minimalist and pure design, a very sophisticated Tourbillon device replaces the standard escapement. A closer look of that most sought Tourbillon complication is quite fascinating and displays its beauty and the spectacular “two swords” bridge that reminds us of the great history of l’Epée.
This special La Tour-Billon highlights the mechanical movement whose elegance is revealed through the cover glass.
In connection with its great tradition, l’Epée profiles itself as the Creator of Clocks with undeniable know-how in the development of high end mechanical movements.
La Tour-Billon with its limited edition of 12 pieces, is the living proof that l’Epée has been pursuing since 1839 its long tradition of horological innovations.
The prestigious brand l’Epée is part of the Swiza SA Manufacture that produces and distributes also the clocks’ brands Matthew Norman and Swiza.
Reference : 76.6588/121
• Movement: Exclusive 8-day mechanical movement, 18-jewel,
Swiss-Made
• Escapement : “Carrousel” type tourbillon with “2 swords” upper bridge
• Caliber : 1853 T
• Function: Hour- Minutes
• Decoration : « Côtes de Genève », Palladium-coated
• Cabinet : Metal base with Italian blown glass- transversal cut
• Rewinding : Manual with a design key
• Dimensions : Diam. 120 x H 148 mm
• Edition : Limited Edition of 12 pieces
Moving swiftly on, how about a bit of clock news?
It’s been a while since we saw one on here.
This is the hand-crafted ‘Les Heures Parisiennes’ from Matthew Norman (part of the Swiza SA group).
It features a mechanical 8-day movement called “Mouvement de Paris”.
Only 50 will be made.
Reference : 78.3579/104
• Movement: Exclusive 8-day mechanical movement called “Mouvement de Paris”, 11jewels, Swiss-Made
• Escapement : Horizontal
• Caliber : 1910
• Functions: Hour- Minutes, Strike Hours and ½ Hours
• Decoration : Polished, Palladium-coated
• Cabinet : Aluminum case with satin-finish, swiveling door with a mineral glass
• Rewinding : Manual with a traditional black key
• Dimensions : 217 x 200 x 110 mm
• Limited Edition of 50 pieces
Still time to get along to this one if you’re quick ..
[Press Release] 7 September 2011 – The world’s largest watch-and-clock trade event, the HKTDC Hong Kong Watch & Clock Fair, opened today, celebrating its 30th anniversary with a wide range of major brands and 700 exhibitors from 12 countries and regions taking part.
The fair, which runs until 11 September at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre (HKCEC), has organised 71 buying missions, including 2,859 buyers from 64 countries and regions.
The fair, organised by the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC), the Hong Kong Watch Manufacturers Association Ltd and the Federation of Hong Kong Watch Trades and Industries Ltd, features group pavilions from the Chinese mainland, South Korea and Taiwan, along with special zones for name-brand and limited-edition timepieces.
Special Zones
Brand Name Gallery welcomes 110 brands from around the world – a 20 per cent increase over last year. Brands participating include Cosmopolitan, EDWIN, ELLETIME Collections, FIYTA, Gemtique, Levi’s, Temporis and Alexis Garin, one of the few Swiss watchmakers still crafting skeleton watches by hand. In addition, Hong Kong’s Christie Wo is launching Chouette Teslar®, a new health-watch collection, and Japanese brand EDWIN is showcasing its Dragon & Phoenix limited-edition watches. Neolog of Germany is displaying a watch that won the 2010 Red Dot Design Award, while Hong Kong’s Romago features its patented “45o auto-active light-on” design watch.
Brand Name Gallery will be open to the public (12 and over) on the fair’s final day (11 September), giving exhibitors direct market feedback through sales promotions and publicity events.
The World Brand Piazza, sponsored by Prince Jewellery & Watch Company, features rare timepieces from 12 of the world’s top brands: A. Lange & Söhne, Audemars Piguet, Blancpain, Breguet, Chopard, Franck Muller, IWC, Jaeger-LeCoultre, Omega, Panerai, Piaget and Vacheron Constantin. Vacheron Constantin is showcasing its HK$76.8 million diamond watch. In addition, the world’s first cell phone with a tourbillion is also on display. Created by Celsius X VI II, it retails for HK$2.8 million.
The Pageant of Eternity zone returns with a selection of high-quality complete watches from such exhibitors as Comtech, Renley and Silcon.
Design Time
The fair also presents more than 25 special activities, including cocktail receptions, conferences, public seminars and watch fashion shows.
Later today, the Hong Kong International Watch Forum welcomes representatives from watch associations around the world to discuss the latest developments in the global watch industry. Tomorrow, the Asian Watch Conference will feature Jason Martin, designer from “new” Design.
Two public sessions will be held on 11 September, one by Christie Wo on the crossover between watches and fashion, the other by Simon Shia, on the “finest watches to watch.”
The winning pieces of the 28th Hong Kong Watch & Clock Design Competition are also being featured in the Hall 1C Concourse throughout the fair.
Watch Sales Ticking
The latest statistics show that Hong Kong is the world’s top import market for Swiss watch products. From January to July, imports from Switzerland totalled HK$19.3 billion, a 47 per cent increase over the same period last year.
Watch and clock exports in the first seven months of 2011 reached HK$36.4 billion, up 24 per cent, year-on-year.
Fair Website
http://www.hktdc.com/hkwatchfair
Admission Details
7-10 September: entry limited to trade visitors 18 and above (free admission)
11 September: Brand Name Gallery opens to public visitors 12 and over (free admission); some exhibitors will open for retail.
We haven’t had a Yanko Design concept around here for a while, so about this one – the ‘Smile Alarm Clock’?
Definitely not a product for those of us non-morning people: to turn off the alarm you need to present it with a smile.
I guess it definitely would force you to wake up!
Credit to the designers of this one – Kim Jungwoo, Ju Yongjun, Lee Jongmoo & Kim Taehwan.
Who would have thought – a Rolex clock, outside a Rolex shop?
This one is on Collins Street, Melbourne and – yes – the time was spot on :-)
My understanding of these promo clocks is that despite featuring the famous Rolex crown, they are powered by a Japanese quartz movement, and cost somewhere between $500-$1000, depending on the model.
This one would make a rather large wall clock :-)
It’s been a while but finally had a day that wasn’t washed out by either rain or insane amounts of work; upshot of which was having some time to get back to photo-hunting for the ‘Clocks In Public Places’ series.
This one was a bit of a surprise as I’ve walked past this corner on so many occasions but had clearly never looked up!
The clock is attached to an Agfa advertising hoarding, which is on the corner of Russell and Lonsdale Streets in Melbourne.
Non-functioning, it is marked as a ‘Whiteway’ clock. The dial markers are roman numerals.
A quick spot of Googling resulted in .. nothing at all about either the clock or the manufacturer.
Any ideas?
Jaeger-LeCoultre have let designer Marc Newson loose on one of their famed ‘Atmos’ clocks to create a one-off piece that will be auctioned on the 29th November, in Paris.
Whilst not officially part of the ‘Only Watch 2011‘ event (from what I could tell), the auction benefits the same charity: the Monaco Association against Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy.
Here’s the full press release:
[Press Release] The vintage watch market grown considerably in recent years, and ARTCURIAL Briest-Poulain-F.Tajan, the leading French auction house, is delighted to announce a historic sale to be held on 29 November 2011: Jaeger-LeCoultre Unique Auction.
Jaeger-LeCoultre is lending support to the event by providing an extract from the archives for every timepiece in the sale.
Among the sale highlights, Jaeger-LeCoultre presents the unique Atmos 561 by Marc Newson that will be sold in aid of charity, to the benefit of Monaco Association against Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy.
The association aims at collecting funds to finance research and improve the quality of life of the children, teenagers and young adults affected by the genetic illness that is characterized by a weakening of muscles and leads to lung and cardiac complications that become fatal with the onset of adulthood.
PUBLIC VIEWING :
MONTE CARLO: Hôtel Hermitage – 23-26 July 2011 (partial sale viewing)
GENEVA: 11-14 November 2011
PARIS: Hôtel Marcel-Dassault – 24-28 November 2011
