Do you remember how hard it was to learn to tell the time back in school? Not only did you have to deal with big and small hands, but you had to learn new concepts: Why are there two nine o’clocks? Wait, you’re telling me the day is divided into what, hours? What’s an hour?
It seems that today’s watch designers are either amnesiacs or sadists, as they insist we go through at least part of this pain, just to understand their fancy concepts. Exhibit A, the Solaris, from Olivier Demangel.
The Solaris is a beautiful watch, something like a Terminator skeleton crossed with the pulse-engine of a sci-fi space-fighter. It is also almost impossible to read, requiring an effort that even seasoned Tokyo Flash fans might be reluctant to put in.
The face is open, a circle with a cross in its center. Large purple LEDs around the edge indicate the hour. The same spots turn blue to show five minute intervals, and the single minutes are shown by lighting up the crossbars, one, two, three, four. In the very center is a solar panel to keep things ticking.
