REAL TIME watch comes with rotating compass dials that resemble planetary movement
2023.07.12
REAL TIME WRISTWATCH PAYS HOMAGE TO SEXTANTS
REAL TIME wristwatch pays homage to analog timepiece design. Here, the minute hands are absent, and REAL TIME tells the hours and minutes through the two compass-styled dials that mirror the movement of the planets around the sun, a reminiscent of the navigational instrument sextant. The REAL TIME series marks the collaboration between Ukrainian-born designer Aleksej Iskos and the Ukrainian watch company ZAVOD, a dive into the history of using stars and sextants to calculate time and place in the past.
In fact, engraved on the back of REAL TIME watches, wearers find the names and coordinates of Dark Sky Reserves around the world, along with a star chart and the date and time of the annual meteor shower. For the six basic models, the design team has chosen six locations in different countries that are dear to members of the team. ‘For example, Uzhok Pass is in the Carpathian Mountains in Ukraine, our home country, while the Island of Møn is located in Denmark, where our designer lives,’ says the REAL TIME team.
TIMEPIECE DESIGN THAT ALLUDES TO PASSAGE OF TIME
For the REAL TIME design team – composed of Ukrainian-born designer Aleksej Iskos and the Ukrainian watch company ZAVOD – their ethos lies in looking at a watch as an instrument to tell and measure time. They source their materials from traditional instruments found in a scientist’s lab or a pilot’s cockpit, culminating in a pocket watch kind for their timepiece. Like a machine tool, the crown has a milled pattern that creates optimal friction while the leather straps feel comfortable and soft against the wrist.
The no-fuss design comes through as REAL TIME focuses more on the function of numbers to tell the time. The visual aesthethics, while may spring as secondary, is still at the forefront of the overall allure through the simplicity in the shape and by spotlighting the purity of materials as seen in the gold and silver models. ‘The two dials turn like planets around the sun. We think it gives a better feeling of the passage of time to see the minutes whirl and the hours slowly disappear from sight beneath the metal case,’ the design team says.
REAL TIME DEDICATES A SPECIAL MODEL TO UKRAINE
Beyond curating a pocket watch turned wrist timepiece for REAL TIME, the design team has dedicated its charcoal model to Ukraine. With the same mechanism and style as the other models, the special edition has a matte and brushed surface, a contrasting color that further underscores the white-backdropped dials of the timepiece. For the watch owners of all models, REAL TIME plans to set out with the delivery around December 2023.
‘We decided to make a special edition with the words WAR TIME on the back of the watch because there is a war in our country. Uzhok Pass is a beautiful mountain pass in Western Ukraine and the WAR TIME mark is only found on this watch model. The special edition comes with a military green fabric strap, and an additional leather or mesh strap in black can still be purchased,’ says REAL TIME.
A watch for cause, purchasing the limited-edition model means that the accumulated funds will go to the civilians affected by the war in Ukraine. They will support programs that are considered most relevant at the time of the transfer. Watch owners will be informed about the program benefitted by their watch and are expected to receive a report about the transfer and the fund purpose. ‘Let’s all hope that our next limited edition can be a PEACE TIME,’ says the REAL TIME team.
Project info:
Name: REAL TIME
Architect: Aleksej Iskos
Fashion House: ZAVOD
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▪ Source: designboom｜https://www.designboom.com/design/real-time-watch-aleksej-iskos-zavod-compass-dials-planets-07-02-2023/
▪ Words: Matthew Burgos
▪ Photography Credit: © ZAVOD
