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THE WATCHISMO TIMES WATCH BLOG A reliquary of obscure timepieces from bygone eras as well as the cutting-edge watch designs of today.

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Mile Projects of Japan - Rays of Light "Good Afternoon Clock"

Mile Projects of Japan - Rays of Light From the Japan Design team Mile Projects comes this simple concept clock with rays of light for hands. The beams shine from thin holes in the inner bezel and appear to light the negative space dial (whatever the ring is hanging from).
Mile Projects of Japan - Rays of Light
Mile Projects from Japan via The Design Blog


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Japanese Oddvertisements of Seiko in the Early Eighties





A memoriam of dead rock stars and seiko watches...very strange indeed, especially when they show a pool for Brian Jones. I was totally expecting to see a toilet for Elvis. Their point? Maybe if they wore a Seiko, their time wouldn't have run out?? Video-->Link




A group of three commercials that include Mary Lou Retton creeping out a Doberman, A supercool car with hydrolic watch storage and lastly a commercial that can only be seen, not described. Video-->Link


Caffeinated watches! Video-->Link



Creepy sweating cracking mannequins. Video-->Link




Time-lapse decomposing watches. Video-->Link

See Also;
All Watch Commercials at The Watchismo Times-->Link

1933 Japanese Clockwork Car Runs 40 Miles a Winding

1933 Japanese Clockwork Car Runs 40 Miles a Winding
Taken from a 1933 issue of Modern Mechanix;

"Jap Clockspring Car Runs 40 mi a Winding

THE Japanese have never gained any notable degree of fame for their mechanical capabilities, but undoubtedly their reputations along this line will get vigorous boost by their invention of an automobile that runs by clockwork.

Very little mechanical data is available on the construction of the new car, but it is said to have British car dealers doing business in Japan somewhat worried. This would indicate that the machine is more than just a freak that originated in the mind of a visionary inventor.

Reports state that the car will run 40 miles at one winding. Further developments may see the invention of an eight-day machine. A Modern Mechanix and Inventions artist has caricatured the contraption above."


via Modern Mechanix "Yesterday's Tomorrow Today"

Related Modern Mechanix posts on The Watchismo Times-->Link


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1980s Japanese Transformers Watch Commercial


Video-->Link

1980s Japanese commercial for
Ultra Magnus, Galvatron, and Superion Transformer toy watches.



1981 Kronoforms Robot Watch Commercial
Video-->Link

Some (non-watch-related) toy robot commercials from 1961


The Robot Commando is here to help you! (1961)

Video-->Link



The Great Garloo! (1961)

Video-->Link

See Also;
Japanese Steampunk Watchmaker
1964 Gilbert James Bond Toy Gadget Watch
Vintage Kids Watches


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1980's Alienating Seiko Speedmaster by Giorgetto Giugiaro

1980's Alienating Seiko Speedmaster by Giorgetto GiugiaroIf you're asking yourself, what was that cool-ass watch Lieutenant Ripley wore in the 1986 movie Aliens, I have the answer for you. It was a Giugiaro designed Seiko Speedmaster Chronograph. Entirely unique by its vertical stopwatch pushers placed inside the asymmetrical case extension. Many of Giugiaro's other designs for Seiko between 1983-86 had asymmetric qualities and are shown below.

1980's Alienating Seiko Speedmaster by Giorgetto GiugiaroAnd for those of you who don't know Giorgio Giugiaro, he was one of the most important car designers of the 20th century. Credited with the "folded paper" car designs of the 1970s and 80s, he was responsible for such classics as the Lotus Esprit, De Lorean DMC 12, Maserati Merak, Bora, Quattroporte, BMW M1, and most interesting to learn, my first car, the Volkswagen Scirocco. See the rest of his resume here-->Link

Personally, I think he may have been influenced by the design of this watch that came out 12 years earlier-
->Link

1980's Alienating Seiko Speedmaster by Giorgetto GiugiaroAn appropriate future-from-the-eighties choice by James Cameron

1980's Alienating Seiko Speedmaster by Giorgetto GiugiaroIt took me a while to dig these up!

1980's Alienating Seiko Speedmaster by Giorgetto GiugiaroProof!

1980's Alienating Seiko Speedmaster by Giorgetto GiugiaroWhat bothers me the most is that I had one of these chronos and sold it prior to learning of its claim to fame.

1980's Alienating Seiko Speedmaster by Giorgetto GiugiaroAnother fantastic Seiko Speedmaster design by Giugiaro.

1980's Alienating Seiko Speedmaster by Giorgetto GiugiaroI must find one!

1980's Alienating Seiko Speedmaster by Giorgetto GiugiaroCheck out those four quadrant crown/pushers


1980's Alienating Seiko Speedmaster by Giorgetto GiugiaroAnother from the Speedmaster series
With the dial off-kilter rotated towards the wearer

1980's Alienating Seiko Speedmaster by Giorgetto GiugiaroAn asymmetric Giugiaro Speedmaster Diver

1980's Alienating Seiko Speedmaster by Giorgetto GiugiaroAn interesting digital design

Giorgetto Giugiaro Wikipedia Page-->Link
Giugiaro Design Website-->Link
ItalDesign Website-->Link

See Also;
John De Lorean's ill-fated wristwatch-->Link
Dashboard Clock History-->Link
Radiator Grille Watches
Audemars Piguet Maserati Millenary MC12
Kienzle Life 2002 Jump Hour
Azimuth Chrono Gauge Mecha
Paul Smith Dashboard Watch
Heuer Silverstone
Heuer Ford Chronosplit
Tag Heuer Monaco V4 Belt Drive Watch
Delorean Time DMC2 Wristwatch
Formex Shock Absorber Watch
Gerald Genta Arena Chrono Quattro Retro
Parmigiani Bugatti Engine Block Watch
Manometro
Dunhill Petrolhead
Richard Arbib
B.R.M. Birotor
Driver Watches

1980's Alienating Seiko Speedmaster by Giorgetto GiugiaroAnd speaking of Alien, the designer H.R. Giger had his part in a watch design for Swatch in the early nineties, see a sketch of his Crosswatch above. Watch blogger Ariel Adams of Ablogtoread details more from the 1993 exhibition here-->Link


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Translation Lost - Brad Pitt Japanese Rolex Commercial


Pitt Rolex Video-->Link

I hope they gave Mr. Pitt as thorough stage directions Bill Murray received in Lost In Translation (as shown below).


Lost In Translation Video-->Link "Mow Intensatay!"

See also;

1970s Timex Commercial Collection
1960s Timex
"Underwater Dating"
1978 Texas Instruments
1961 Bulova Accutron
Laser Beam Wristwatch
A New Age in Quartz
1940s Jam Handy for Hamilton
1970s Seiko Memory Bank
1940's Conquer by the Clock




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Seiko Moving Design Collection - The Discus

Seiko Moving Design Collection - The DiscusMore seventies inspired mechanical digital watches keep rotating into modern designs including this "Discus" - from the Seiko Moving Design Collection. Featuring a jumping hour display of spinning discs through a porthole viewer and all under a smoky transparent crystal. Powered by a mechanical automatic movement (Automatic 6R15B 23 Jewels with 6 beats per hour (21,600vph). Selling close to $900 outside the US.

Find out more at the Seiko Moving Design website here-->LINK

A review of the watch by Kong at Watchprosite.

See also;
Seiko Concept Lab - Power Design Project
All Seiko Related Posts
LIP Revival Seventies Mythic Spinning Discs
All Jump Hour Posts




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Clockwiser - Vinta Tilt & Homemade Kinetic Clocks

Japanese design company Vinta has created a wooden table clock that measures the time by rotating on its perfectly round bottom, tilting to one of two models that rotate once every hour or every minute.

Their description;
"We wanted to express the idea of "feeling the time", not "measuring the time". It can be shown from revolving slowly on its own axis once every hour with an ambiguous change in its inclination. And we used the preciseness of a Japanese craftman technique to make this delicate shape to revolve smoothly."

Product Link
Video Link

via Make




The website Instructables offers this step by step guide to making a cool kinetic op-art wall clock-->Link




Source via Make

Related Posts;
Klok Nixie Tube Clock
Vacheron Constantin Astronomic Clock
Seth Thomas Sethosphere
A Clockwork Orange
Aurora Clocks
Talking Voxclock
History of Car Clocks
Clockmaster of NYC
Panasonic See Thru Clock


Find & Compare Watches


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Vintage Solar Powered Watches - A Partly Cloudy History

Evolution of the Sundial


1. Synchronar - Conceived in the early sixties and first produced in 1968, the first Solar watch ever was invented by the reclusive inventor Roger Riehl. Solar panels on the top with a sideview LED display. Heavily debated within a microcosm of vintage watch collectors as the first digital watch ever. That distinction is commonly given to the 1970's Pulsar LED. 

2. Nepro - 1975 LED with raised display and backside solar panels.


3. Uranus - "This is one of the earliest LED watches in existence. It is one of the very earliest "wearable" wristwatches made by Uranus (approx. 1971) and one of only a few made (hugely expensive to build). It actually predates the Pulsar and launched Uranus into a patent fight with Hamilton (Uranus lost). The thing that makes this watch unique is that it does not use an LSI (large scale integrated chip) but instead is made up of discrete logic and driver chips using hundreds of wire bonds to connect them up. It is truly a packaging marvel. The display is only hours and minutes. The face is divided in half horizontally with the LED in the upper half, the lower half being composed of solar cells in a fan pattern to supplement the battery, all in a gold filled case." by Guy Ball


4. Sicura LCD - 1976 LCD with innovative solution of putting solar panels on the side of the watch.

Sicura Ad


5. Sicura Analog - 1978 Analog version of the same watch.



6. Junghans 'Mega Solar' - 1990's radio-controlled, PVD-coated wristwatch with solar cell, date and integrated radio receiver from one of the most accurate clocks in the world - the Caesium Time Base at Germany’s National Institute of Natural Engineering and Sciences.


7. Citizen Crystron - 1976 "This was the first solar-powered analog wristwatch. It conformed to the conventional design of most analog watches except for the four square gray panels that take up most of the face. This watch began Citizen’s long-term commitment to solar powered watches, which has culminated in the very successful Eco-Drive line of watches." by Soluhr


8. Calcron & Louis Erard Calculator Watches - Mid to late seventies solar calculator watches with side panels. The non-solar Calcron is believed to be the first ever wrist-calculator watch made as originally featured here-->Link


9. Cristalonic 'Solar Quartz' by GmbH - 1980's LCD with an asymmetric black plastic case.

Cristalonic Advertisements


10. Lorus - 1980's solar LCD. A division of Seiko.

Sadly, development of the modern light-powered watch, like the Citizen Eco-Drive, eliminated the need for innovative visual configurations as solar panels now absorb light through traditional watch dials. It was fun while it lasted...

Seiko Concept Lab - 'Power Design Project' by Naoto Fukasawa

'Dish' Rotating Parabolic Antenna Watch

The SEIKO Power Design Project, a horological laboratory for 'concept watches' headed by famed product designer Naoto Fukasawa. Every year since 2002, his lab has introduced ideas pushing innovation in form and function. Noted on the PDP website - "*The SEIKO Power Design Project is purely for design study, and is not on the assumption of actual production."

'Crownless-Rimless' Watch

'Origami' Watch


'Ivory' (Digital watch in bracelet, Watch case appears solid)

'Drop' Water Droplet Clock


'Reflection Board' Reflector Watch


'Polygon' Radio Wave Receptor Watch

'Mt Otakadoya' Radio Antenna Watch

'Flex' Electronic Base Sheet Watch

'Airplane Window' Watch

'Transparent' Watch

'Shadow' Watch

'Obtuse Angle' Watch

'Extrusion' Watch

'Bottle' Watch

'Lens' Watch

'Heavy Beauty' Watch

'3D Cloth' Watch

Water 'Ripples' Watch
Mile Projects of Japan - Rays of Light "Good Afternoon Clock"1933 Japanese Clockwork Car Runs 40 Miles a Winding1980's Alienating Seiko Speedmaster by Giorgetto GiugiaroSeiko Moving Design Collection - The DiscusClockwiser - Vinta Tilt & Homemade Kinetic ClocksVintage Solar Powered Watches - A Partly Cloudy History

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