Seiko shines a lightweight on conceptual Japanese watch design

Seiko’s Energy Design Venture 2024, the most recent iteration of its annual showcase, arrives at Japan Home London with a set of timepieces that query what a watch could be, in addition to reveal one thing of the inventive tradition that permeates the Japanese watch model.

The venture will present seven conceptual timepieces designed and realised by Seiko designers across the theme of ‘extremely specialised watches’. The venture started in 2001 as a approach of encouraging Seiko’s designers to seek out new methods to specific the weather of creativity and tradition that feed into the model’s venture design. Every year’s programme is centred round a special theme, with earlier incarnations together with ‘Tokyo’ and ‘Rebirth’. 

Seiko Energy Design Venture 2024: ‘extremely specialised watches’

‘The themes yearly could also be completely different, however there isn’t any change in our place concerning the beliefs we pursue by way of design. Occasions change; cities change; life adjustments; however as long as there are individuals, we intend at all times to supply up time that everybody is certain to like,’ says Tetsuro Maruyama, Seiko’s Design Middle normal supervisor.

This yr’s seven watches are splendidly numerous, shining a lightweight onto design considerations which can be basically Japanese of their focus – how you can make disguise and search truthful is the ambition of 1 watch, whereas others pay homage to sukiyaki (Japanese sizzling pot) and washi tape. One other, designed by Kiyotaka Sakai, asks what an actual Panda dial (normally only a white dial with black subdials) would seem like. 

In every case, what may appear a whimsical query is handled with severe consideration, because the reversible Ambidextrous watch by Kento Ito demonstrates, whereas the standout is a sundial for the wrist designed by Yu Ishihara (director of the Design Growth Staff) that considers each element and features a compass, spirit-level and could be set to account for the time of yr, latitude and longitude. 

The watches are on present till 20 June 2024, at Japan Home London. Designs from earlier years could be seen on seiko-design.com, which additionally showcases a radical design historical past that stretches again 140 years.