The (optical) illusion of time

optical_watch_1

Time is relative, and flexible. According to Albert Einstein, “the dividing line between past, present, and future is an illusion”. Furthering that idea is Alessio Romano’s Optical watch, with its two hypnotic hand-dials that come with a parallel line graphic that is capable of telling you the time but also mesmerizing you in the process!

Romano was heavily influenced by the works of Op-Artists such as Victor Vasarely, Bridget Riley, and Richard Anuszkiewicz… his goal being to create an ever-changing optical illusion with the movement of the hour and minute hands. The result is Optical, a watch with a series of rotating parallel lines that create an ever-changing visual painting that can indicate the time to the nearest handful of minutes. In keeping with the artistic integrity of the watch’s face, the Optical comes with no number markings on the dial either, so as to create a sense of mystery and curiosity while telling the time. Just promise us you won’t look at it too long. It may put you in a trance!

Designer: Alessio Romano for Project Watches

Click Here to Visit Store

optical_watch_2

optical_watch_3

optical_watch_4

optical_watch_5

optical_watch_6

Click Here to Visit Store

The Overlap Watch is full of quirky minimalism

overlap_watch_1

With a watch-face that’s practically a minimalist artpiece, the Overlap by Alvaro Alvarez and Maria Lopez for Projects Watches quite literally makes it look like the watch band is entering the body and weaving right through the dial of the watch. Of course, with the lovely combination of black (band and body) along with the white face of the watch, you’ve got something that isn’t just unusual, it’s high-contrast too, which makes its unusual ‘overlap’ stand out from afar.

Even the hands on the watch evoke the feeling of overlap. Right at the center, you’ve got a small seconds dial that rotates mechanically like a gear, while the hour and minute hands at the rim of the watch look like two puzzle pieces that fit together when they align. The thicker hour symbol does a slow, methodical rotation around the rim, while the slimmer minute symbol does a full round every 60 minutes, overlapping graphically with the hour symbol 22 times in the entire day. A perfect watch for the quirky, minimalism lover!

Designers: Alvaro Alvarez & Maria Lopez for Projects Watches

Click Here to Visit Store

overlap_watch_2

overlap_watch_3

overlap_watch_4

overlap_watch_5

Click Here to Visit Store