Pentagram's Daniel Weil Designs A Clock For An Architect

Privately commissioned to create a gift for an architect, Daniel Weil created a one-of-a-kind clock that is both simple and complex. Reducing objects to their component parts has long fascinated Weil. The Radio in a Bag* he created for his degree show at the Royal College of Art three decades ago is an icon of 20th century industrial design. This clock is the latest demonstration of his interest in investigating not just how objects look, but how they work.




Constructed in ash and nickel-plated brass and silver, the clock is built of five separate elements. The numbers, both hours and minutes, are inscribed on the face and interior of a 9 3/4-inches diameter ring.




The mechanism for setting the time connects with the central mechanism with visible rubber belts.



A single AA battery provides power to the clock through visible power strips that are recessed in the assembly’s base. (Note the different screws that support the battery stand, keyed to the positive and negative poles of the power source.)



And, befitting the object’s recipient, the housing for the central mechanism takes the form of, literally, a house.




Daniel's sketches for the clock:






“Objects like clocks are both prosaic and profound,” says Weil. “Prosiac because of their ubiquity in everyday life, profound because of the mysterious nature of time itself. Time can be reduced to hours, minutes and seconds, just as a clock can be reduced to its component parts. This doesn’t explain time, but in a way simply exposes its mysterious essence.”

*

above: Daniel Weil. 'Radio in a bag', 1983. 28.5 x 20.6 c


above article and images via Pentagram

A Carousel Clock & New Animal Jewelry from Hao Shi Design

Known mostly for their whimsical jewelry lines of rings and necklaces which pair sterling silver with white 3D animals, hao shi design studio of Taiwan has just come out with a moving tabletop clock shaped like a carousel, The Merry Go Round X Clock, and new double rings, the Crocodile 2X ring and the Hippo 2X ring.



The jewelry.
rings:



Their newest additions are these Animal rings that fit over two fingers:

shop their ring collections here.

necklaces:

shop for their necklaces here.

The Merry-Go-Round Clock



As described by hoa shi design:
The Merry Go Round clock connects time and memory by Merry-Go-Round. “Happiness” is the immediate feeling; however, “the memory of happiness” will extend to the infinity as time goes by. We therefore insert the element of time in this carousel.



A boy's vigorous movement is the second hand. The minute hand symbolizes a mother, who company with her child continually.


above: the numbers on the pillars represent the time.

The hour hand is like a father who steadily guards his family. The close relationships and interactions between them convert into the flow of time.




price $140.00, buy the clock here.




all of the above items can be purchased at the haoshi online store here.

Aspiral Clocks From London. Telling Time With A Twist.

Custom made in London, these unusual wall clocks slowly rotate so that the ball sits on the ledge of the spiral. As the clock reaches 12:00, the ball drops into the hole, only to reappear and start again.

The clocks are available in various colors and patterns and can be shipped worldwide.



Some of the available colors and patterns:




Price is £350 or $540.00 USD
buy them here.

Never Heard Of Biegert & Funk? Then It's Time.

Biegert & Funk make one of the most beautifully designed clocks I have seen in awhile (and a cool matching iPhone app, too!).



The 45 squared (also called the QLOCKTWO) is a unique clock designed and handmade in Germany by Biegert & Funk, who also offer another clock, the Qlock 3.14, which you'll see later in this post.

The clock is marketed under two different names (the 45 squared at the London store fci and the QLOCKTWO at Biegert & Funk), but whatever you want to call it, it's a great looking timepiece.

Available as a wall mounted or tabletop version, without hands or numbers, the clock reveals the time, every 5 seconds, through glowing words that are selectively revealed by the cover placed upon it. The cover is not only available in five colors, as well as the newly released stainless steel version, but also in six different languages as well, allowing those all over the world the chance to own this extraordinarily designed clock.

(click on image to enlarge)


The front surface of the clock is made of polished synthetic glass and is supported by eight magnets, so the front surface can be replaced without visible attachments. When the clock is switched on, the chronometer adjusts itself to the split second and adapts the brightness of the characters to the ambient light.

Their newest addition is a Stainless Steel version:

Lime Green in Dutch:

Vanilla Sugar in Italian:

Cherry Cake Red in Spanish:

Black Ice Tea in German:

Frozen Blackberry in English:

Tabletop version in Russian:


All five colors (black, red, silvery-white, purple and lime green) and the stainless steel version are available in English, Dutch, German, Spanish, Russian and Italian.

The front cover replacements can be purchased separately, so you can have multiple colors or languages:

covers cost €95.00 EUR.

Even the cable extensions are thoughtful in their design, as they come in various colors:

clock cables cost €34.50.

How to read the clock:

No matter what color or what room, the clock looks fabulous in almost any interior:



technical specs:
* typographic time format in 5 minute intervals combined with four-minute dots
* Front: Acrylic glass polished edges, Body: Wood, four layers of lack
* DCF-77 time-signal receiver for to the second accurate time-telling without manual setting
* Automatic summer/winter daylight-savings time
* Light sensor for automatic adjustment to ambient light
* manual brightness control
* including wall brackets for mounting
* including massive acrylic glass holders for stand version
* Dimensions 450 x 450 x 20 mm, Weight approx. 4 kg
* International electricity supply 110V/220V, very low energy consumption (LED)
* handmade in Germany


And yes, there's an iPhone app too (English and German only):


get the iphone app at the itunes store.

QLOCKTWO is officially awarded the FORM#09 design award by German Crafts Association for its innovative design and functionality

At €900 EUR, it's not cheap, (stainless steel version is €1099.00 EUR) but then again, you're investing in a piece of art that functions as a clock. The clock is available from both the upscale and unique furniture and interior design company, fci and from the Biegert & Funk online store.

Qlock 3.14


Qlock 3.14 by Beigert & Funk is a much less expensive (€179.00 EUR) and less unique option, but is also available in various colors and languages. The round clock (love the name beause it is Pi and 'pie' is round) is battery operated and has a synthetic glass cover with metal hands.




Buy the Qlock 3.14 here.


Biegert & Funk GmbH & Co. KG
Goethestraße 29
73525 Schwäbisch Gmünd
Phone: +49 7171 104999 0
Fax: +49 7171 104999 22