Press Release
XS Horizon Wrist Watch by Dabi Robert Wins the Golden A' Design Award in Watch Design
Dabi Robert honored for watch design by the international grand jury of the 2022 - 2023 A' Design Award & Competition
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
COMO, Italy, April 20, 2023 /DesignNewswire/ XS Horizon Wrist Watch by Dabi Robert, designed for Ziiiro, has been granted the Golden A' Design Award in the Watch Design category, A' Design Award & Competition has announced. The award was conferred within the 2022 - 2023 A' Design Award & Competition and was determined through blind peer review by an international grand jury panel of established academics, design professionals and press members, who evaluated anonymized entries against predetermined criteria.
The Golden A' Design Award Explained
The Gold A' Design Award is granted to designs that demonstrate a high level of innovation and a significant impact on their intended audience. Recognized as a major achievement by the A' Design Awards, these designs are characterized by their visionary approach and the exceptional skill of their creators. Winners of the Gold A' Design Award are noted for their ability to push the envelope in art, science, design, and technology, delivering solutions that not only meet but exceed expectations. These designs serve as benchmarks for excellence, encouraging further innovation and inspiring future generations of designers.
About XS Horizon Wrist Watch
The XS Horizon watch employs a different approach to show time and was created to introduce a smaller unisex version to the collection. To visualize the present moment and distinguish the past from the future, the watch uses a line moving through time space. The past is depicted with a color shade that gradually fades away as it deviates from the present, while the future is represented by darkness. The aim of the project was to create a range of compact wrist watches suitable for all genders.
About Dabi Robert
My name is Robert and I am based in Nuremberg, Germany. My story in a nutshell: Coming from a Graphic Design background, I set foot into product design while co-founding two watch brands in 2010. With friends in Hong Kong, we are still active world-wide. I have also worked for a Tech Startup Incubator, and since around 2017 my very passion is lighting design.
Award Record
With this recognition, Dabi Robert is a winner of 5 A' Design Awards. The awards were granted between the 2019 - 2020 and the 2022 - 2023 editions of the A' Design Award & Competition.
About the A' Watch Design Award
The A' Watch Design Award is an international watch design competition recognizing good watch designs by leading watch designers and manufacturers worldwide. It is organized within the A' Design Award & Competition and is open to watch designers, luxury goods manufacturers, industrial designers and product designers from all countries. Typical entries include chronographs, dive watches, dress watches, quartz watches, automatic watches and smartwatches. The awarded watch designs are published at https://designers.org/design-category/watch
About A' Design Award & Competition
Organized annually since 2008, A' Design Award & Competition is an international, juried design accolade. The competition is open to entries from all countries. The philanthropic mission of the A' Design Award is to advance society through good design, by recognizing and promoting superior products, projects and services that benefit society, and by creating a global awareness and appreciation for good design practices and principles. Nominations are peer reviewed and evaluated anonymously by an international grand jury panel of established academics, design professionals and press members against predetermined criteria such as functionality, ergonomics, engineering, presentation, innovation, usability, sustainability and technology, with score normalization applied to remove biases. Awards are conferred at Platinum, Gold, Silver, Bronze and Iron levels. Eligible laureates receive the A' Design Prize, which includes the award trophy, the certificate of design excellence, the hardcover yearbook, a lifetime license to use the A' Design Award winner logo, exhibition of awarded works, an invitation to the gala night and award ceremony in Italy, inclusion in the World Design Rankings and Designer Rankings, and public relations and publicity services. Registration, uploading a work and receiving a preliminary score are free of charge, and Professional and Digital Edition laureates are not contractually obliged to pay further fees to claim the A' Design Prize. More information is available at https://competition.adesignaward.com
Press Resources
- Winner Page: https://designers.org/151219
- A' Design Award Page: https://competition.adesignaward.com/151219
- Media Showcase: https://www.designnewsroom.com/!151219
- Laureate Profile: https://designers.org/d/275289
- Further Information from the Laureate: https://www.dabi.me
Media Contact
Giulia Ferrari, Press Office
Designers.Org
Via Leone Leoni 32, 22100 Como, Italy
press@designers.org
+39 031 4491953
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Fact Sheet
The Work
- Project
- XS Horizon Wrist Watch
- Function
- Wrist Watch
- Category
- Watch Design
- Discipline
- Industrial Design
- Industry
- Luxury and Fashion
- Colors
- Dark Slate Gray, Black, Dim Gray and Light Slate Gray
- Images
- 5
- Client
- Ziiiro
The Recognition
- Laureate
- Dabi Robert
- Country
- Germany
- Recognition
- Golden A' Design Award
- Edition
- 2022 - 2023
- Design ID
- #151219
Credits
- Team
- Robert Dabi
- Image Credits
- Robert Dabi
Design Details
- Unique Properties
- The XS Horizon is a unique wrist watch that offers a smaller unisex size to the brand's lineup. The watch uses a sharp line moving through time space to visualize the present moment while separating the past and future. The past is represented with a shade of color that fades into oblivion as it diverges from the present, while darkness symbolizes the unknown future.
- Inspiration
- The aim of the project was to create a range of compact wrist watches suitable for all genders and specifically anyone who desires a smaller watch. The dial design was inspired by an existing model using a disc and a regular hand, but for this version, it was modified to a new concept featuring two gradient-filled discs. This design not only aligns with the concept of past, present, and future but also produces a more uniform appearance.
- Research
- The brand ZIIIRO is all about unique ways of telling the time. We are aware that the purpose of a traditional wrist watch has evolved from time teller into a status symbol or accessory for expressing one's personality and fashion style. In order to figure out the fashion part, we exhibited at the Berlin fashion week 4 times, where we could get feedback from all over the world. After additional market research by making polls and looking at our customer base, we discovered that a large portion of our fans is affiliated to the creative industry. Since being creative is our credo, it shows that we are doing something right.
- Challenge
- Over the years, the brand often received the customer feedback that there is demand for a smaller watch. So Robert designed a new casing that is just three quarters the size of all our existing casings. The design is oriented at one of their best selling models, with a refined and flatter appearance. He also developed a new concept for the watch face, which resembles one of the existing models a little bit, but works different technically. For this new dial design, it was necessary to experiment with printing. Not only finding the right Pantone color hues, but also the right order of printing the layers and opacity.
- Realization and Technology
- Instead of using hands, the Japanese Miyota quartz movement drives two transparent synthetic discs, which are printed with multiple layers each. The order and opacity of each layer is important to ensure that the gradients are readable with every alignment. The watch casing and strap are made of 316l stainless steel, and pvd color is used for the rose gold and black models. Additionally, the strap features a quick change mechanism at the spring bar.
- Operation and Interaction
- Time can be set by pulling out and turning the crown. Time is indicated by two gradients: the one with the solid line shows the minutes, the other one underneath shows hours. To keep the visual appearance minimal, there are no markers. Setting the current time is done like on any traditional watch by turning the crown until the hour and minute hand reach the correct position. The watch strap can be easily removed and replaced by pulling the little lever to the side. The battery has a lifespan of about 2 years and can be replaced by twisting the case back counter clockwise.
- Project Duration and Location
- The project started in 2022 in Germany & Hong Kong. It took about half a year until we could finalize the product. It was soft-launched in our own shop im March 2023.
- Specifications
- This watch features a 316l stainless steel casing with a matte finish, available in Rose Gold or Black options with pvd color. The casing is 9.7mm thick and 31mm wide, with a twist-lock, matte-finished 316l stainless steel case back. The watch face consists of a solid gradient hour disc and a transparent gradient minute disc. The Milanese mesh strap is 16mm wide and comes with a tool-free quick change mechanism. The watch is powered by a Japanese Miyota 2026 quartz movement and has a hardened mineral crystal glass. The battery lasts approximately 2 years, and the watch is water-resistant up to 5 atm.
- Keywords
- watch, wrist watch, ziiiro, time, xs, disc, horizon
