Thursday, January 27, 2011

Art du Temps: Amazing Wall Clock Design by Illi and Julien Ado Created for An Agency Called Design by 8

This wall clock is not a clock on the wall but the entire wall is a clock. It has the best Swiss watch technology and it is mechanical but the way it works is what makes it unique and amazing.  It is wonderful to just watch the clock function and tell the time when you ask. Putting together this elaborate clock is expensive but it will soon go in for commercial production and will not remain a mere concept prototype.



Art du Temps is a design by Illi and Julien Ado created for an agency called Design by 8. The design is basically rectangular board with lot of squares on it.  These squares move up and down to the beat of the second to show that the clock is working. The movement of the squares does not follow a pattern by but happens randomly. When you want to know the time you simply ask. You can do it with a remote device or through voice command.

What follows is the most interesting part.  The squares move around like a choreographed ballet and finally display a digital clock, but one that uses physical pieces. It is called “mechanical digital hours”. Now that the production plan for the clock is in place the price of the final product has been firmed and it will cost you around 90,000 Swiss francs. They will start taking orders from March 2011. The delivery of first pieces will start from fall/winter of 2011. The wait would be worth it.