Maziar Mohit and Iman Kimiaei · CLIENT: I and M Design
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.
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
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