Clocks I like

SBB Clocks

Recently I spent a week in Switzerland - and naturally I was thinking a lot about clocks. However, instead of luxury watch brands like Rolex, what I was focused on were the iconic Swiss railway clock.

A few examples of the clock face

I traveled the country quite a bit by rail, and I saw it everywhere. They were in the station, on the platform, and even on every display I could see inside the trains. They were big, small, analog and digital. I was captivated by stories of the clock. My Swiss friend told me the story of how Johnny Ive stole the design for the flat, redesigned iOS 7, a decision that later cost them over 22 million USD for licensing rights.

iOS 7 Clock app

My friend’s father told me that in the days before smartphones, people used to set their watches using train arrival times, because they were so reliable. But in fact, the only reason why the trains were so reliable was due to the standardization of time across the continent. Even now, the clock still looks ahead of its time, with its minimalist interface that shows no numbers or letters, only clean lines and three simple colors.

One quirk I found especially interesting was that the second hand completes it’s revolution in 58.5 seconds and pauses at the top, as if giving permission to the minute hand to make the next step forward. What started as a techincal quirk became iconic, and the modern Swiss clocks still keep that characteristic to this day.

JoshJoshJosh Lamp

My second inspirational clock is from ITP alum joshjoshjosh.net, who created a lamp who’s brightness corresponds to sunrise and sunset in his home country of New Zealand.

@joshjoshjosh.net There’s no sun like home #physicalcomputing #arduino #lamp #industrialdesign #bicrunga4eva #itp ♬ Listening for the Weather - Bic Runga

Seeing this for the first time made me think of both my feelings of homesickness in New York City, as well as the desire of humans for millennia to track the cycles of the sun. I think having such a physical reminder home would be very comforting, and it’s something that I find myself thinking of whenever I’m traveling and many time zones from people I care about.

My designs

idea 1

I would say this idea is kairos because it is individualistic and tied to something inherently fragile

idea 2

I would say this clock is chronos because once a bird is extinct it is extinct forever. Confronting the extinction of a species often makes people think about long-term, big picture consequences of our present actions.