Time That Matters

Concept

A timepiece which allows users to redefine the units of time based on what they deem significant. Instead of displaying a time that is only significant historically or socially, such as the common 12/24 hour clocks, or 12 month calendars, this clock only expresses time which is explicitly important relative to each user.

To do this, the duration of one full rotation of the clock’s hands can be precisely defined by the user, allowing for any time period, ranging from seconds, to minutes, to months, or even years.

Furthermore, the face is surfaced with chalkboard, or optionally whiteboard, and the diameter can also be chosen, allowing the user to annotate or decorate the clock as they desire. Through this clock, time can be expressed in a more significant way than it has ever been done before, because in this case, the only time that we see is the time that matters to us. 

Usage

The accompanying smartphone app allows for precise controls with no physical footprint. In order to keep the clock’s form as simple as possible and to yield the most easily accessible control interface, all time durations can be set using the accompanying smartphone app or with a local computer. This app will also display the exact time during the rotation and can be setup to have alarms at specific points in time.

Additionally, you can easily reset the clock and start a new rotational cycle remotely. Furthermore, you can choose to save the current cycle, pause, or run it in the background, and come back to it at a later time. 

Production

This clock is surfaced in either chalkboard or whiteboard and is available in a range of sizes. These clock prototypes were all produced with laser-cut acrylic, both for the face and hands, and were cut at an acrylic shop in Seoul. The clocks were then painted using matte black chalkboard paint for the faces and matte white paint for the hands and then fitted with standard clock mechanisms and assembled. In this case, the large clock is 60cm in diameter and the smaller clocks are both 28cm.

The large clock was prepared to demonstrate what the month of December might look like with this clock, while one of the smaller clocks shows a week, and the other shows the duration of a coffee break. [Winter 2013]