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Many designers work hard to deliver the latest in top quality watches, but few stop to ask why we keep track of time in the first place. The team at What?, a Swiss company recently launched in Brooklyn has re-conceptualized the very essence of horology with their Stop the Time Watch collection. Working alongside a dedicated companion app, the smart watch has a unique red button next to its crown that allows you to “stop” time whenever a noteworthy moment has occurred in your life.
A Swiss company recently launched in Brooklyn has re-conceptualized the very essence of horology with their Stop the Time Watch collection.
Pressing this red button sends the timestamp to the app, which later lets you expand upon what happened with photos, notes, etc. so that you can remember down to the exact second what occurred. The face features behind a set of traditional watch hands an array of circles, which uses its e-Ink display to keep track of how many of the five moments per month you’ve used. It’s an idea out of right field that will probably raise some eyebrows and some questions (like what happens if you have more than five moments a month), but I think it starts an important conversation of what we want our watches to do for us as tools. Many people have debunked the usefulness of smart watches in the past few years, but the integration of new technology into old areas of design is always a fertile ground for discovery and innovation. And the playful attitude What? brings to the overstuffed field of watch makers is a breath of fresh air, and I hope the company continues finding new ways to reinvent the wheel. The Stop the Time Watch comes in four distinct styles, including a pocket watch variant, and features a reliable quartz movement to ensure you never miss a moment.
