5 Most Unique and Artistic Watches ever Created
Artisans and watchmakers have a time-hallowed bond. Through the ages, their collaboration has resulted in ingenious craftsmanship. Here is a collection of 5 unique watches designed and created by some of the world’s most talented watchmakers and artisans.
Midnight Planétarium Watch
The Midnight Planétarium watch is an impressive feat of engineering, technology, design, and artistic craftsmanship. The constellation of our solar system forms the backdrop of the dial. The Sun (Rose Gold) is at the center, and the tiny semi-precious stones revolving around it depict the planets: Mercury (Serpentine), Venus (Chloromelanite), Earth (Turquoise), Mars (Red Jasper), Jupiter (Blue Agate), and Saturn (Sugilite). Uranus and Neptune are not incorporated into the dial as full revolutions take 84 and 164 years, respectively. The Rose Gold shooting star symbolizes time. The beauty of this astronomical watch is that it precisely displays the real-time movement of the planets as they orbit the sun, right on your wrist. The wristwear is sheathed in 18-carat gold and features a range of semi-precious gems and stones. The creation of this luxurious masterpiece took 3 full years and 396 separate pieces.
Eye of the Storm — Faceless Watch
Created by a Chinese-born, German-based product designer Yiran Qian, Eye of the Storm — the Faceless Watch is a uber-cool, futuristic and exclusive timepiece. This watch rests on the wrist in all-black and only displays the time when required. The center of the watch is a void resembling the eye of the storm — the inspiration behind the concept. The designer says,
“A storm can be a violent, destructive natural catastrophe. But at the center of a swirling storm is a core of calm and quiet — the “eye of the storm.” This watch design was inspired by the eye of the storm. At its center is a void. The time moves around the void.”
Yiran Qian believes that reading the time on a watch doesn’t necessarily require the center part; just need to know where the hands of the clock are pointing. In this avant-garde watch, upon pressing a button on the side, the time is illuminated on the black outer frame around the central void; otherwise, the watch is entirely black. Although the design remains conceptual with no production being done, it is one of the simple yet elegant, revolutionary yet stunning, and the minimalist notion that saves a lot of material and labor — and worth mentioning in this list. This one-of-a-kind, sporty watch won the Red Dot 2010 Design Concept award.
Midnight Poetic Wish Watch
Probably Van Cleef & Arpels make the most stunning watches. They have unveiled another impressive and beautifully conceived Poetic Wish Watches. This incredibly unique concept was born of a love story and brainchild of Jean-Marc Wiederrecht of Agenhor.
Presented as a pair, the men’s watch shows a young man moving along the terrace of the towers of Notre Dame Cathedral at dusk. The hours are engraved on the terrace, and the young man moves according to the rhythm of Notre Dame’s ringing bells. The male figure and the shooting star (the messenger of the man’s wish) move in the direction of the Eiffel Tower, where his beloved stands. On the lady’s watch, the hours are indicated by a young woman on the Eiffel Tower, and the minutes are represented by a kite flying above the river Seine. Both the woman and the kite move toward the male figure on Notre Dame.
Although the entire idea is very charming and romantic, it took hundreds of hours of work to complete each of these timepieces. These miniature masterpieces are a testimony to the precise skills and artistic craftsmanship of the watchmakers.
Cornelius & Cie Tourbillon Dragon
The Dragon Gate Legend Watch, created by Cornelius & Cie, is a tourbillon watch made from Damascus steel and depicts an imperial dragon. This gorgeous watch is the brainchild of watch engraver Kees Engelbarts, the Dutch-born co-founder Coof rnelius & Cie, and adept in hand engraving and the art of Mokume-Gane.
The dragon on the dial is cut from solid gold, and to enhance the depth, it is coated with silver and oxidized. The case is water-resistant up to 30 -meters and is etched using a highly corrosive acid called “aqua regia.” Glare-proofed sapphire crystals are fitted to the watch’s top and bottom. Inside, it ticks a double-barrel movement and is cut out and engraved entirely by hand. The hours are based on the mechanical mechanism of A. Schild 690 with manual winding.
Angular Momentum’s Kuro Takamaki
Angular Momentum is known for its history of crafting loads of intriguing and elegant medallions and dials based on Urushi styles and traditional techniques. Urushi is closely knit to Japanese culture and refers to two types of artworks. The first one is a printing style that uses regular ink but resembles the thickness, blackness, and tri-dimensional impression of black lacquer. The second one is a painting crafted using real, actual lacquer.
Kuro Takamaki is one among the series of luxury watches with Urushi Lacquered dials. Its dial has a 20-layer black Urushi and guilloche patterns etched with a pair of finely polished blossoms and sparrows. A scratch-resistant sapphire crystal covers the dial, enclosed by a 42-millimeter steel case. The genuine black leather strap seamlessly matches the color of the dial. The crafters took 63 days to complete this watch which operates on a self-winding mechanical movement.
