In the niche of time

Seiko's Power Design Project 2024 involves seven in-house designers, who imagined something completely different from their normal repertoire.

Masanori Kawamura works on the Prospex collection while Akira Yoshida is behind luxurious Grand Seiko models.

The Tokyo-based designers talked about their concept timepieces at the "Incredibly Specialized Watch Exhibition" recently held at Siam Paragon's Fashion Gallery Hall.

Kawamura revisited a classic children's game, which challenges players to remain silently hidden from a seeker regarded as "it" or "ogre" in Japan.

"Hide-and-seek is a game with a sense of adventure. The moment a player succeeds in outwitting the ogre, he or she experiences an unparalleled thrill. On the other hand, no one willingly takes on the role of the ogre, who's considered the villain in the game," he said.

A sly seeker may count at his or her own pace or peek through the fingers as the hiders scatter during the first minute. Kawamura equips the ogre with the Dedicated Hide-And-Seek Watch to ensure fair play of the 10-minute game.

"It's a 'hero' item for attracting a player to become a righteous ogre," he said.

Masanori Kawamura and the Dedicated Hide-And-Seek Watch.

His design comprises a top section with a lid that opens for one eye to view the 60-seconds counter. Simultaneously, the opened lid covers the other eye to prevent the seeker from peeking, while a sound mechanism plays a lively melody.

During the search, the ogre can keep count of caught players by turning a bezel on the closed lid and track the 10-minute time limit on an analogue display on the dial.

Kawamura's playful wristwear along with the six other designs are described as watches that 99% of people don't need. Those who want to prepare scrumptious sukiyakai, however, will indeed find Yoshida's design very useful.

"I contemplated -- while not being a chef or a culinary expert -- how could I make others relish the flavours of my favourite dish? Ultimately, I developed an item solely for the purpose of making the most delectable sukiyaki imaginable," said Yoshida.

Thinly-sliced beef and various vegetables are cooked with a mixture of soy sauce, sugar and mirin in a cast-iron pot to make the Japanese fare. Ningyocho Imahan restaurant provided a recipe that has been captured on the dial of the Sukiyaki Watch.

Akira Yoshida and the Sukiyaki Watch.

Gourmands can put ingredients, listed on the outer ring, into the pot and know when the sukiyaki is tabegoro, or good to eat, by following the directions of the hands.

Recalling an iron pot, the sturdy case is complemented by a strap made of leather from Kobe beef cattle while its lining as well as the left side of the dial's inner ring feature a marbled beef motif.

The other Japanese designers include Kotaro Usugami and Yugo Hibayashi, who respectively incorporated a pin cushion and a masking tape into their specialised watches.

Needles and pins can actually be inserted into the round- or floral-shaped sewing tool encircling the dial of the Patternmaker's Watch with a date window at 6 o'clock. The dial is marked with "Today, "Due Date" and the number of weeks while the flange indicates the date from 1 to 31. This helps schedule the dressmaking to meet the deadline. Shaped like the head of a pin, one crown operates the specialised function while the other one is used to set the time.

Hibayashi's design originated from placing a roll of masking tape on his watch. He then worked on accommodating the tape roll and how it can be attached and removed without taking off the strap for a hassle-free swap. Moreover, the masking tape can be used to decorate the unconventional timepiece.

Patternmaker's Watch.

Seiko's diverse line-up further includes the Pandagraph by Kiyotaka Sakai and Ambidextrous Watch by Kento Ito.

Instead of merely a black and white colour scheme, other characteristics of the giant panda have been embodied in Sakai's design. For instance, subdials evoke its droopy eyes while the case features black ears and its back recalls the rear side of the cute creature.

Ito found his inspiration at the bowling alley where, during a game, a friend switched wearing the watch from the left to the right wrist and bowled with the left hand. Like how the left and right brain associates with logical and intuitive thinking, he wondered how each hand influenced abilities and actions.

The angle of viewing changes when the Ambidextrous Watch is worn on the right or left wrist. This shift in perspective effects the colour of the dial, which magically appears white or black.

Yu Ishihara also exercised his creativity in the annual Power Design Project. The director of Seiko's design development team traced ancient timekeeping and sketched a wrist-worn sundial for the modern world.

Lifting the circular dial causes the conical case to rise up as a three-dimensional structure. A metal stick, housed in the open case, can be inserted into the centre of the dial for it to function as a gnomon, or projection rod, that indicates the time via its shadow.

Moreover, the miniature observatory is capable of tracking celestial movements with a high accuracy of 1.59 milliseconds per day.

Ishihara dedicates his design to "sunny men", who appreciate how the universe orchestrates the flow of time through the celestial body.