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XS Horizon 手表 by Dabi Robert

XS Horizon 手表 by Dabi Robert is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2023 A' Design Award 金奖 in 腕表设计 Competition Category.


金腕表· 2023

XS Horizon 手表

by Dabi Robert

Client: Ziiiro

A' Design Award 金奖 Winner in 腕表 Category

531,970

Verified Award Winner

Verify Award Status for #151219

Colors

The Design

About XS Horizon 手表

XS H​​orizo​​n 腕表采用不同的方式显示时间,旨在为该系列推出一款较小的男女皆宜的版本。为了可视化当前时刻并区分过去与未来,腕表采用了一条穿越时空的线条。过去以随着偏离现在而逐渐褪色的色调描绘,而未来则以黑暗代表。该项目的目标是打造一系列适合所有性别的紧凑型腕表。

The Recognition

About the A' Design Award 金奖

XS Horizon 手表是 A' Design Award 金奖得主,这是授予一流、绝妙而杰出设计的极为崇高的认可。金奖得主是极具创新、极富远见且璀璨夺目的创作,反映出其设计师的天才、智慧与才干。预计XS Horizon 手表将成为一项备受赞誉、引领潮流、气势恢宏的发明,带来前所未有的价值。这件赢得 A' Design Award 金奖的设计是一个壮观而受人敬重的项目,极大地造福并拓展艺术、科学、设计和技术的边界。XS Horizon 手表激起强烈的渴望,唤起激情,鼓励创造力,令我们着迷。

Behind the Design

Press Kit

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

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.
Dimensions & Packaging
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.
Tags
watch, wrist watch, ziiiro, time, xs, disc, horizon
Production 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.
Design 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.
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.
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.
Project Duration
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.
Operation Flow
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.
Team Members
Robert Dabi
Image Credits
Robert Dabi

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