Silver Jewelry Design · 2021
Bigbang Watch
by Fuqing Ye and Dongheng Wang
- A' Design Award 2021 Silver Winner in Jewelry Design
- Awarded April 15, 2021
- CLIENT: Agelocer
- Estimated Number of Design Views: 28,933
- Verification code 60CFAA9F34 · Verify this award
About Bigbang Watch
Bigbang is a mechanical wristwatch built around a multi-layer dial. The black and gold dial includes a hollow window on the right side, which shows the minute hand as a vertical movement instead of a circular one, expressing the passage of time. A 24-hour subdial with a double scale is large enough for easy reading and helps the wearer tell day from night. The thickness, height and hand length of each layer are closely controlled so that the hands remain well coordinated. The crown is placed between four and five o'clock for comfort.
Emerging from the intersection of mechanical heritage and contemporary design philosophy, this award-winning timepiece exemplifies the evolution of horological aesthetics in the twenty-first century. The Bigbang Watch by Agelocer demonstrates how traditional watchmaking values of precision, craftsmanship, and material excellence can be reinterpreted through bold architectural form language that speaks to contemporary sensibilities. The octagonal case geometry evokes historical precedents in cushion and tonneau case designs while asserting distinctly modern proportions and surface treatments that reference industrial design vocabularies. The skeletonized dial construction invites contemplation of the mechanical complexity that drives timekeeping, transforming functional necessity into aesthetic celebration. Rose gold-toned components create chromatic warmth within the predominantly cool palette, establishing visual hierarchy that guides attention toward the movement's beating heart. The dual-register dial organization demonstrates sophisticated information architecture, balancing primary time display with secondary complications in an asymmetrical arrangement that maintains compositional equilibrium through careful proportion and placement. Surface finish variations from brushed to polished demonstrate mastery of metalworking techniques, each treatment serving both functional and aesthetic purposes in defining form and catching light. The integration of black leather strapping with contrast stitching grounds the metallic precision of the case within organic material tradition, acknowledging that timepieces ultimately exist in relationship with human bodies and daily rituals. This work invites consideration of how mechanical objects acquire meaning beyond utility, becoming expressions of identity, aspiration, and appreciation for human ingenuity in conquering time's measurement.
Press Kit
- Unique Properties
- The BigBang watches feature a black and gold dial with a hollow window on the right side that transforms the movement of the minute hand from a circular motion to a vertical motion, with the impact of the passage of time. The 24-hour dial is large enough for easy reading. Designer strictly control the thickness, height and length of hand of each layer and reserve proper space. Designer repeatedly adjust the space-interspersed design of the multi-layer dial and hands, so the hands are well coordinated.
- Dimensions & Packaging
- Weight 123g, thickness 12mm, wearing length 165-220mm
- Tags
- Parallel space, steampunk, mechanical watch, watch, male watch
- Production Technology
- Designer strictly control the thickness, height and hand length of each layer and reserve proper space, and repeatedly adjust the space-interspersed design of the multi-layer dial and hands. The sapphire glass is coated on both sides to make the dial more transparent, and the hardness of the material is second only to diamond to protect the dial. The Swiss Super-LumiNova luminous system is recyclable to ensure night-time reading, and its 50M water-resistance can meet the daily use.
- Design Challenge
- Challenges in the design process:
1 How to effectively express the passage of time. The circular motion doesn’t have the shocking effect. We try the methods of leverage, dynamically coupling, etc., and finally choose the masking method.
2 How to develop a reasonable interspersed multi-layer dial and hands. After numerous tests and adjustments, we control the thickness, height and hand length of each layer and reserve proper space, and the hands are well coordinated. - Project Duration
- Designer started the project design in China in October 2017, and completed the final design in April 2018, to start the production of samples; in April 2019, designer determined the samples, and officially launched them in the markets in China in June 2019.
- Operation Flow
- In order to avoid the uncomfortable feeling caused by the crown against the back of the hand, the designer moves the crown between four and five o'clock. The hour hand of the watch is designed with a 24-hour small dial with a double scale. The minute hand is under the scale and matched with a hollow mechanical design. Users can clearly see the internal structure, with intuitive visual experiences, allowing users to distinguish day and night more easily.
- Research
- To improve the sensory experience of traditional watches, designer have conducted extensive research and customer interviews. Among the 500 valid samples, the strong demand is attractiveness, quality and cost performance. Designer consider customer needs, production time, budget, technical limits, business goals and other issues and integrate them into design factors. Designer break through the conventional approaches to bring a new direction to watches and control product costs to meet the needs of users.
- Inspiration
- Taking the parallel spatiotemporal steampunk world as an idea, the BigBang watches eschew the flat and monolithic design of traditional watches to create a more innovative mechanical dial. The multi-layer overlapping design within the dial presents a layered three-dimensional space. The incorporation of elements such as rudder-shaped hands, gear dials and connecting rods is Agelocer’s tribute to steampunk.
Colors of Bigbang Watch
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