Nu Horologium bracchiale by Maziar Mohit and Iman Kimiaei

Nu Horologium bracchiale by Maziar Mohit and Iman Kimiaei is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2021 Praemium A' Design Award Argenteum in Designatio Ornamentorum Competition Category.

ArgentumOrnamenta· 2021

Nu Horologium bracchiale

by Maziar Mohit and Iman Kimiaei

Client: I and M Design

Praemium A' Design Award Argenteum Winner in Ornamenta Category

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Verified Award Winner

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View at A' Design Award Press Release Award Badge

Colors

The Design

About Nu Horologium bracchiale

Nu est horologium bracchiale cum orbe aqua repleto. Orbis aquam continet ex nonnullis mundi fontibus aquae maxime pollutis collectam, luce ultraviolacea sterilizatam. Indices acrylici pellucidi in aqua immersi sunt et paene invisibiles manent. Capsa ferrea tacta diodum lucem emittentem activat, quod indices illuminat ut tempus ostendat. Capsa vitro sapphirino tholiformi tegitur, et lorum ex corio cacti factum est. Forma lineamenta guttae roris in folio quiescentis sequitur. Color caeruleus oceanum intactum significat.

The Recognition

About the Praemium A' Design Award Argenteum

Nu Horologium bracchiale victor est Praemii A' Design Award Argenteum, honoris eximie amplissimi formis summi generis, pulchris et conspicuis dati. Victores Argenti opera valde splendida et creandi ingenio praedita sunt, quae praestantem peritiam, talentum et acumen auctorum suorum ostendunt. Exspectatur Nu Horologium bracchiale opus mirabile, exemplare, valde professionale et penitus novum fore. Haec forma Argento victa inventum notabile et admiratum est, quod ad fines artis, scientiae, formandi rationis et technologiae promovendos confert. Nu Horologium bracchiale creatio est, quam multi invident, quae cupiditates excitat, sensus bonos affert et admirationem miraculumque movet.

Behind the Design

Press Kit

Credits, team members and technical details provided by the designer.

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.
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.
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.
Team Members: Maziar Mohit
Iman Kimiaei
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