Un Blue 手錶 by Xuanying Jiang - Welly Merck

Un Blue 手錶 by Xuanying Jiang - Welly Merck is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2023 A' Design Award 銀獎 in 腕錶設計 Competition Category.

銀腕錶· 2023

Un Blue 手錶

by Xuanying Jiang - Welly Merck

Client: Welly Merck

A' Design Award 銀獎 Winner in 腕錶 Category

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Verified Award Winner

Verify Award Status for #142657

Visit Site View at A' Design Award Press Release Award Badge

Colors

The Design

About Un Blue 手錶

Un Blue係一款以和平為主題設計嘅手錶。錶殼採用三角形設計,以三角形嘅穩定性作為象徵。錶殼同玻璃傾斜5.5度,令錶盤正對視線,可以快速讀取時間。弧形藍寶石玻璃錶面令錶盤保持清晰並提供保護。呢款手錶防水深度達50米。矽膠錶帶由軍事裝備回收嘅塑膠複合廢料製成。另外亦提供可拆卸嘅反光塗層皮革錶帶。

The Recognition

About the A' Design Award 銀獎

Un Blue 手錶是 A' Design Award 銀獎得主，這是授予頂級、華美而令人印象深刻的設計的極為崇高的認可。銀獎得主是極其卓越、極具創造力的作品，展現出其設計師傑出的專業技能、才華與敏銳。預計Un Blue 手錶將成為一件出色的典範之作，兼具非凡的專業性與深刻的創新性。這件贏得 A' Design Award 銀獎的設計是一項備受矚目、令人欽佩的發明，造福並拓展藝術、科學、設計和技術的界限。Un Blue 手錶是一件令人羨慕的創作，它喚起渴望，帶來積極的情感，並激發驚嘆與讚嘆。

Behind the Design

Press Kit

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

Unique Properties: Break the tradition,express the theme of peace with the "stability" of the triangle,and create a triangular case. Environment friendly material selection. In recent years, plastic material is leading the transformation of military equipment and promoting the development of lightweight military applications,which will also produce relatively high quality plastic composite waste at the same time.We plan to recycle it and use it in the production of shockproof bezels, tapes or other parts of watch.
Dimensions & Packaging: SIZE:44.5*45.0mm(W*H), THICKNESS:14.2mm
STRAP LENGTH:165-220mm
CASE:Stainless steel bezel, case body and crown treated in black metal PVD. vertical brushed side wall.
STRAP:22.0*20.0mm
Tags: Gorp-core, City boy, Military Style, Camouflage Element, Hardcore, Mechanical Looking
Production Technology: The curved sapphire glass watch cover is used to make the dial more transparent. Its material hardness is second only to diamond, which ensures clear reading and provides excellent protection for the dial.
The Swiss Super-luminova luminous system can be recycled to ensure reading time at night, and it is water resistant up to 50M, which can meet users’ requirements for daily use. The Velcro leather strap can improve the convenience and portability of wearing it, and the reflective coating is printed on the surface of the leather strap to meet the needs of outdoor warnings at night.The silicone strap uses recycled armament waste.
Design Challenge: The production and grinding of the special-shaped "triangular" case, the inclination angle of the case and the technical realization for texture considerations are all challenges we encounter in the process of case production.
When calling for the recycling of military plastics and the experimental research and development of alternative silicone strap, we need to continuously improve the performance of new materials on the basis of the realization, and consider the comfort of wearing it.
Control costs. Considering the market, we must strictly control the cost during the research and development of UN Blue. The research and development process is relatively long, and only by controlling the use of materials and reducing processing costs can we ensure that the final product pricing is acceptable.
Research: During the design process of this product, we have conducted a long-term study on the users' watch reading behavior, and fully considered to improve the sensory experience when reading the watch. After a long term tracking test, and considering different habits of using the watch, the thickness and radian of the glass, and the refraction of the glass under natural light, the inclination angle of UN Blue’s case is finally designed. In the process of product proofing, we have made an optimal compromise due to certain budget and technical constraints from a market perspective. To be environmentally friendly, our decision to use armament waste also requires us to invest in research on the recycling of high-quality armament waste. During the initial acquisition and recycling process, as well as the subsequent reprocessing, we make those plastic composites have the desired properties of our products through trial and error.
Inspiration: The UN Blue was born of our concern about the world situation.We chose the United Nations peacekeeping force as the theme,extract elements from it, and pay tribute to those "Blue Helmet Warriors" who is far away from their homeland and family and preserve peace in the place ravaged by gunpowder smoke. We also break the traditional watch-case shape and use the "stability" of the triangle to symbolize peace,thus the design of UN-Blue's triangular case is born.
Project Duration: The project started its design in China in December 2020.
In May 2021, the first draft of the design was completed, and the revision stage started.
In September 2021, the design draft was confirmed. Further research and development was carried out and the sample production stage started.
In February 2022, the preliminary sample was released, and the design details were further improved according to the sample.
The project is still in progress, and the basic version is planned to be launched in December 2022.
While still looking for a suitable supplier to further improve the sample. The UN Blue will be sold as a limited edition.
Operation Flow: After a long term tracking test of watch reading habits, we found that the flat case and flat glass are inconvenient to read. The UN Blue optimizes this experience in its design by tilting the angle of the case and the glass by 5.5°, so that the dial is perpendicular to the line of sight, making it easier for users to quickly focus their eyes and read the time quickly. In order to be as convenient as possible for users, UN-Blue adopts a detachable watch strap design. The Velcro leather strap is light and comfortable, easy to take off and put on, showing a more functional style; the rubber strap is designed to be one-piece considering that it can fit the wrist and be comfortable to wear. At the same time, a zigzag design added on both sides of the strap is used to fit the the wrist and reduce the burden on the wrist, which makes it more wearable. The design of the see-through case back of the large view enhances the visualization of the mechanical movement, and users can intuitively feel the mechanical charm of its movement.
Team Members: Jiang Xuanying
Shang Jiazhuang
Zheng Junjun
Chen Zilong
Zhu Huang
Image Credits: Image #1:Creator Chen Zilong
Image #2:Creator Chen Zilong
Image #3:Creator Chen Zilong
Image #4:Creator Chen Zilong
Image #5:Creator Chen Zilong