“O” – Issey Miyake Watch Project for Seiko Instruments | Tokujin Yoshioka Design

Tokujin Yoshioka has designed a new watch “O” Shape of Water – Transparent Time. Produced by ISSEY MIYAKE and developed by Seiko Instruments Inc., “O” was launched at the Basel World in Switzerland in March of 2011 in celebration of the 10th anniversary of the ISSEY MIYAKE watch project.

“O” has a meaning as “water” in French language, eau.

"O", image courtesy Tokujin Yoshioka

“O” is designed, aiming to go back to the origin of the watch. It is as if sculpted from water, and creates the scenery which only the time itself embraces the wrist of the wearer.

"O", image courtesy Tokujin Yoshioka

The smooth curvature of the transparent bangle leads our eyes to the mirror finish body, which reflects the scenes of the surroundings, and gradually blends into the environment as if disappearing the form of itself.

"O", image courtesy Tokujin Yoshioka

Using the transparent  special plastic material, “O” opens up a new direction in watch design with non-definitive form like water, which is as if freed from the concept of the materialism.

+ Tokujin Yoshioka‘s past project

Issey Miyake TO

I always find beauty in the backside of watches. When I saw the round metal, which functions to press the glass window, used in architecture, I imagined if it was possible to create a watch as if a lump of metal tells the time. I wanted to create a watch without a sign of present nor the future. I believe by designing the structure itself, not from form, I was able to create a watch based on a new concept, which you will feel fresh even after 10 years from now.

Tokujin Yoshioka

TO, produced by Issey Miyake and developed by Seiko Instruments Inc. was launched at the Basel World in Switzerland in March of 2005.

Issey Miyake TO, image courtesy Tokujin Yoshioka

In the process of making TO, there were two ideas of  digital watches. One of them were made by a chain of digital numbers, which holds functions of belt and numbers. Another one used the LED lights and were embedded in gaps of the belt. Floating numbers of LED light spectrum create illusion to the eyes.

Since these two ideas consume both time and cost for the technical reason, I decided to develop a new watch with a different concept.

Issey Miyake TO, image courtesy Tokujin Yoshioka

TO aimed to capture the beauty of the material itself as if it was sculpted from a lump of metal.

+ Designer: Tokujin Yoshioka | http://www.tokujin.com/

+ All images courtesy Tokujin Yoshioka