The Watchismo Times is now 'The Minutes' - Check it out!

Be sure to come check out our new blog at The Minutes where you'll find features like the following and much more!

DOES YOUR WATCH HAVE BALLS?

The  Van Cleef & Arpels 'Midnight Planetarium Poetic Complication' by watchmaker Christiaan van der Klaauw, is a hypnotic astronomical timepiece bearing a miniature solar system that you can wear on your wrist. Ok, maybe the title of this post is a tad crass but the fact is the watches below have the balls to use spheres of [...]

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the coolest wood watches EVER MADE

There is no denying mid-century design was particularly special for art, cars & furniture but also true for a variety of watch designs. It was a period of experimentation with minimalism, asymmetry and new materials which opened the door for the use of wood in timepieces. Introduced in the late fifties and [...]

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PUTTING SOME STEAM BACK INTO STEAMPUNK

This week, we're revisiting an old friend, Japanese Steampunk watchmaker, Sueyoshi Haruo (also referred to as Haruo Suekichi), featured nearly a decade ago on The Watchismo Times blog. Having created thousands of custom built Steampunk watches, all nearly one of a kind and with completely hilarious mechanical functions like flapping leather dragon wings to celebratory noisemakers and [...]

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WHAT'S THE COOLEST WATCH NEVER MADE?

Far ahead of its time, the 1958 Patek Philippe Cobra concept watch was doomed.  Destined to torment space-age vintage watch collectors like myself, this watch exists only as a one-off prototype designed by renowned avant garde watchmaker Louis Cottier eight years before his death in 1966.  Unique for its linear time display and [...]

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Prototype Patek Philippe Cobra Movement

ANDREW GRIMA'S UNUSUAL OMEGA & LED WATCHES 1969-76

Andrew Grima was a famous British mid-century modern jewelry designer, commissioned to create unusual one-of-a-kind watches for Omega and Pulsar in the 60's & early 70's. He was commissioned by Omega to create a highly aesthetic avant-garde collection called 'About Time'.  Grima was given a free hand and chose to stick to one principle: he would [...]

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ARE WATCHES ART?

If you ask us, we wholeheartedly believe there has been a new genre of art forming over the past twenty years within the very exclusive world of independent horology.  That said, it's more about motion and machines as the medium but nevertheless, there are some important collaborations that have occurred with watch brands and [...]

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THANK GOD IT'S SEVENFRIDAY

We've been watching  SEVENFRIDAY's growth in their fast & furious few years since inception...and we're hooked, especially the new collections & limited editions available in very small quantities. In pole position sits the  P3B/01 RACER, the newest from the original P Series. Undeniably forward thinking design up & down, inside and out. Hot on its heels is the [...]

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WHAT DOES TIME IN THE 4TH DIMENSION LOOK LIKE?

22 Design Studio's elegant '4th Dimension' Watches feature a staircase of high tension concrete for the dial. From its sculptural time display to the custom shaped brass hands and perfectly styled leather straps, every detail of this wristwatch has been designed to show the beauty of the raw materials. This unique timepiece's tanned leather and [...]

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New 4th Dimension Concrete Dial Watch by 22 Design Studio, the Harbour Edition

New 4th Dimension Watch: Harbour Edition The Harbour Model combines a dark gray concrete watch surface with a brushed stainless steel bezel, silver and blue hands, a polished stainless-steel crown, and a canglan leather band. This color combination exudes a subtle sophistication and elegantly complements formal wear. Materials: 316L Stainless Steel Case, High-density Concrete, Sapphire Glass Lens, MIYOTA movement, Leather Strap Case Measurement: Ø 42mm D 14mm

4TH DIMENSION URBAN CONCRETE WATCH   4TH DIMENSION HARBOUR CONCRETE WATCH

High Tension Concrete Dial   Custom Brass Watch Hands

4TH DIMENSION MIDNIGHT CONCRETE WATCH

Time divides and measures the progress of existence. A timepiece displays that time in three dimensions. With “4th Dimension Timepieces” , we bring these dimensions together with an original design. The timepieces’ concrete construction strongly proclaims its physicality while its design, in the shape of a spiral staircase, helps you envision the concept of time by its constantly evolving patterns of light and shade. These timepieces clearly tell the time while quietly engaging the viewer in the concepts of a 4th dimension.

4TH DIMENSION ORIGINAL CONCRETE WATCH

Maximilian Büsser & Friends - The Smelling Salts of the Watch World...Wake Up and Smell The Space Pirate!

We all know there are cool watches, classic watches and collectible watches -- but then you get to the world of Horological Machines -- in a class of their own.  If that doesn't make sense to you, MB&F watches are quite honestly the Umami, that savory taste you can't quite put your finger on but you know you gotta have it. Without naming names, you very well know what watches are sweet, sour, bitter and most definitely salty!  But what you don't know, that UMAMI is the taste that doesn't get old, it only gets better with each bite!

Horological Machine No.6 - now in limited "SV" editions, in sapphire crystal combined with streamlined red gold or platinum. The sapphire crystal alone requires 350 hours of careful machining and polishing, just for a single case - the equivalent of 2 months' worth of working days...

Learn more about this performance art piece . . . mbandf.com/machines/horological-machines/hm6

The New Limited Edition Mr. Jones King & Queen Mechanical Automatic Jump Hour Mystery Watches - Only 100 Made - Made In London

It's In The Cards The King & Queen Jump Hour Automatic This watch is based on the classic playing card characters of the King and Queen of Hearts. The watches feature hands of cards to depict the minutes while the hours literally jump into position in the Royal Breast. The use of the playing cards symbolizes the transitory nature of fortune - lucky streaks, while always welcome, are only as short lived as those runs of bad luck. The watch is a gentle reminder to keep your cards close to your chest, but to be bold and go all-in when fate has dealt you a winning hand! Check Out The King Check Out The Queen

Mr. Jones Limited Edition King Jump Hour Automatic - Made In London

Mr. Jones Limited Edition Queen Jump Hour Automatic - Made In London

The minutes are depicted as hand of cards, for the sake of clarity only 10 minute intervals are marked: There is a grey card-footprint on the dial to allow you to judge the minutes between the markers. You can see how far the leading or trailing edge of the cards is from the footprint shape to read the minutes:

Mechanical Movement

This watch is powered by an automatic mechanical movement. The watch is wound either by turning the winding crown on the left hand side of the case, or (more simply) by the everyday motion of your wrist. A weight on the mechanism rotates in response to normal movement and transfers this energy to winding up the mainpspring (if you hold the watch in your hand and gently rock it back and forth you can feel this weight moving).

M&Co. Watch Collection by the late & great designer Tibor Kalman

Waste Not A Moment New M&Co. Watches by Tibor Kalman The late Tibor Kalman, founder of M&Co. began his legendary relationship with time in 1983. In the spirit of the motto imprinted on the backside of the watches – “Waste Not a Moment.” Now available at Watchismo, just $135 each. See all M&Co. Watches

M&Co. 'PIE' Watch ($135) Who doesn’t need to carve out a piece of time? M&Co PIE Watch is the epitome of pure watch design. Originally designed in 1984 by M&Co Labs, the classic brass version of the Bodoni watch made for the PIE or Quarter watch. Creator Tibor Kalman’s witty take on time still cajoles a smile.

M&Co. 'Askew' Watch ($135) Your eyes do not deceive you with this now classic. There are timepieces with no numbers at all, so why not a watch with a free spirit? The irreverent Askew Watch from M&Co was created with the notion that as long as the familiar twelve was at the top it was immaterial where the rest of the numbers lie. Your eyes are not playing tricks on you! This watch is characteristic of Tibor Kalman, and his iconoclastic design firm. Clean graphics and dry humor merge in a high-quality product that beckons a second look!

M&Co 'Bodoni' Brass Watch' ($135) The Bodoni has long been recognized as an icon of simplistic and pure watch design. Originally designed in 1984, the classic all black version gave way to the brushed stainless steel version.

M&Co 'Onomatopoeia' Watch' ($135)

The term used to describe words whose pronunciations suggest their meaning (eg, meow, buzz).

Here symbols suggest the sound of the numbers:

3 = tree (three)

5 = hand (5 fingers)

9 = cat (9 lives)

12 = Eggs (dozen/12)

This Onomatopoeia watch M&Co is characteristic of Tibor Kalman, and his iconoclastic design firm. Clean graphics and dry humor merge in a high-quality product that beckons a second look

The HALOGRAPH Automatic by XERIC is Live on Kickstarter

KICKSTART This Mechanical Heart The HALOGRAPH is not an electronic gadget: it's a mechanical heirloom The Kickstarter Campaign Starts Now! We need your support to make this cool & affordable limited edition mechanical watch a reality and if you're quick, take advantage of the Early Bird rewards. The HALOGRAPH is super easy to read. As the Halo hands float over the dimensional, hemicycle time display arcs, they encircle the hour and minute of the current time. The inner arcs display the hours, the outer arcs displays the minutes. Like the chambers of a beating mechanical heart, the twin balance wheels pump life into this complex time machine. Seeing the action of a living machine on your wrist gives a thrill no electronic gadget can. We created the HALOGRAPH to be more elliptical than other mechanical watches, with a 5mm high double-curved domed-crystal and rounded forms throughout the design. This reflects our obsession with the infinite nature of time. PRE-ORDER YOUR HALOGRAPH HERE

XERIC HALOGRAPH Automatic Rosegold HLG-3018

Why choose a mechanical watch over a smartwatch today? A smartwatch starts to die as soon as its circuitry is activated, and its functional obsolescence starts as soon as it's off the assembly line. A mechanical watch will never be obsolete. It will always connect you in a meaningful way with this moment in time. With the HALOGRAPH Automatic, we think we've designed a v1.0 that 'nailed it' the first time, and will be as exceptional in form and function in hundreds of years as it is now.

XERIC HALOGRAPH Automatic Gunmetal HLG-3017

XERIC HALOGRAPH Automatic Black HLG-3014

XERIC HALOGRAPH Automatic Gold HLG-3020

XERIC HALOGRAPH Automatic Tan HLG-3015

XERIC HALOGRAPH Automatic Silver HLG-3016