Silver Jewelry Design · 2021
Nu Watch
by Maziar Mohit and Iman Kimiaei
- A' Design Award 2021 Silver Winner in Jewelry Design
- Awarded April 15, 2021
- CLIENT: I and M Design
- Estimated Number of Design Views: 29,371
- Verification code 34FFE663B8 · Verify this award
About Nu Watch
Nu is a wristwatch with a water-filled dial. The dial holds water collected from some of the world's most polluted water sources, sterilized by ultraviolet light. Clear acrylic hands are submerged in the water and remain almost invisible. Touching the steel case activates a light-emitting diode that illuminates the hands to show the time. The case is topped with domed sapphire glass, and the strap is made of cactus leather. The form follows the contour of a dew drop resting on a leaf. The blue colour refers to the pristine ocean.
Maziar Mohit's Nu Watch emerges from the contemporary tradition of timepieces conceived as wearable art objects, where the functional imperative of temporal measurement becomes a vehicle for aesthetic contemplation and personal expression. The work demonstrates sophisticated engagement with the tension between organic naturalism and geometric precision that has characterized distinguished design thinking from Art Nouveau through contemporary biomimetic approaches. The dial treatment, featuring swirling patterns reminiscent of geological formations, fluid dynamics, or celestial phenomena, transforms the conventional watch face into a meditative field that invites extended visual engagement rather than merely utilitarian glance. Technical accomplishment is evident in the seamless integration of the marbled visual field with the mechanical requirements of legible time-telling, the golden-tipped hands providing sufficient chromatic contrast against the deep blue-violet ground without disrupting the atmospheric unity of the composition. The material palette reveals thoughtful consideration of tactile and visual experience across multiple registers, from the smooth metallic precision of the case to the organic textural warmth of the strap, creating a sensory dialogue between industrial refinement and natural materiality. The chromatic scheme, anchored in the contemplative depths of ultramarine transitioning through violet, carries associations with twilight hours, oceanic depths, and cosmic vastness, positioning the object within symbolic territories of timelessness and infinite extension that poetically counterpoint its function as a temporal measuring device. One might consider how this work invites the wearer to experience time differently, perhaps as flowing current rather than mechanical increment, and whether such aesthetic choices transform our phenomenological relationship to temporality itself.
Press Kit
- Unique Properties
- The watch dial is filled with water collected from the world's dirtiest water sources.
Within the water-filled dial are the watch's clear acrylic hands (powered by a Swiss Quartz Movement). They stay almost invisible in the water until you touch the watch metal body (which acts as a touch-sensitive switch), then they come to life by directing a beam of light (from an LED) through them. They glow within the murky water to show the time. - Dimensions & Packaging
- Case diameter 38mm, thickness 12mm, strap width 20mm.
- Tags
- watch, minimal, timepiece, design, unconventional, water, environment,
- Production Technology
- Domed sapphire glass with an anti-reflective coating on both sides will top the watch 316L High-quality steel case. The strap will be made of all-natural, cruelty-free cactus leather with a magnetic clasp. The polluted water inside the dial will be sterilized using UV. Swiss Quartz Movement.
- Design Challenge
- The biggest challenge for us was to design a conversation piece that would elegantly convey our message. We want to talk about water pollution without actually talking about it.
- Project Duration
- The project started in December 2020 in Toronto and finished in February 2021 in Krakow.
- Operation Flow
- The watch's hands are made from clear acrylic, and they are submerged in water; the refractive index of clear acrylic is close to that of water, making the hands look almost invisible. To see the time, the user touches the watch metal body. The body acts as a touch-sensitive switch for the LED, located at the base of both watch hands; it will light up, illuminating the hands.
- Research
- We started with a simple question: How can we attract people's attention to a subject matter that they prefer to ignore? We did some research and talked to few experts in the fields of psychology and human behaviour. We found out that the best way to gain someone's attention is to arouse their curiosity. People tend to remember the answers better if they are the ones asking the questions. We designed Nu to be a conversation piece, an object to intrigue.
- Inspiration
- Nu was born out of our concern for the environment; we aimed to attract people's attention to water pollution and the fact that time is running out for all of us to do something about it.
The morning dew inspired Nu's design. Like a water droplet on top of a leaf, the watch sits on top of the strap; the body shape follows the droplet's contour, and the pristine ocean inspired the blue colour. - Image Credits
- Image #1 : 3D Artist Iman Kimiaei, NU Image 01, 2021
Image #2 : 3D Artist Iman Kimiaei, NU Image 02, 2021
Image #3 : 3D Artist Iman Kimiaei, NU Image 03, 2021
Image #4 : 3D Artist Iman Kimiaei, NU Image 04, 2021
Image #5 : 3D Artist Iman Kimiaei, NU Image 05, 2021