The Tima Watch is a concept design by French designer Julien Bergignat. It utilizes an e-paper display for the digital and analog visual elements and the characters can be displayed on the curved surface of the watch. I love that the screen is high in contrast and displays less instead of more.
Watches like this will soon become a reality once there is mass adoption of e-paper. The non-bulky nature of electronic paper is making it a favorite with industrial designers. They can now push the limits with ultra minimal and sleek designs.
Interview with Julien Bergignat
It’s always interesting to hear what the movers and shakers in product design have to say about e-paper. I had the opportunity to talk to Julien Bergignat about this:
Q: Who are you? What is your background?
A: I’m a French industrial designer and I have studied design for about 7 years now. In 2004 I got my A-Level in Technical and Industrial Sciences and Applied Arts. During the three years there I studied Interior Design, Graphic Design, Product Design, & Plastics Arts.
Right after this I went to get my BTS, a two years state approved diploma in industrial design. Last year I entered “L’école de design Nantes Atlantique”, in a third year master’s degree in industrial design.
Currently, I work for PEGA Design and Engineering, a subsidiary of Asus Design, which opened its doors in 2008.
Q: Why did you choose e-paper for the Tima Watch?
A: I started working on Tima about two and a half years ago. I was in BTS, struggling with my school project, and trying to find something else to do. At this point in time e-paper was still a new idea. It was exciting to work on such a new technology, a technology which was aiming towards something less material and more ethereal. The great French designer P. Starck said “the 21st century will be immaterial.” We started to see this in designs like the iPod Nano and transparent furniture. While reflecting on this concept, I asked myself, what would be the most desirable watch for people in the next ten years or so? My answer was Tima. We live in a world where you have a clock on your phone, in your car, on your microwave. So why would people need a watch? I see design as a way to intervene unobtrusively in people’s lives and interact with them in a sensitive manner. When using technology people should feel something different, they should feel a connection. That’s why I decided on making this as minimalist as possible, keeping the functionality as simple as I could. Giving the user precise information and the choice and freedom on how they viewed the information was key to my design. I wanted people to play with it and have fun with it.
Life is a game!
Q: Historically, advances in design have been driven by the development of new materials. Are you seeing any trends related to designer interest and involvement with e-paper?
A: It’s true that major advances in design are often driven by technical advances (for example the Thonet Chair No. 14) and today technology is advancing very fast. Until a few years ago e-paper was still a dream for designers who had to meet the daily demands, which required technology that was less robust and more practical. Today’s forward-looking companies make electronics that push to integrate the cutting edge of technology. Not too long ago we watched a video of a folding screen on a mobile phone, so the future is approaching, and I would say that in the next five years this technology will be everywhere. I can’t imagine a company without it!
The only limit is the need to respond to environmental issues. Just because it’s smaller doesn’t make it any safer for the environment.
Q: Have you been impressed with any e-paper products currently out on the market?
A: Right now the design has provided simple solutions for complex problems. It’s still trying to replace regular paper, but in an electronic form. For me this is just the start, and a way of proving the viability of the technology. Two concept designs that interest me is the e-paper Snap bracelet from Chocolate Agency and the map we can see for only a few seconds in the movie Babylon AD. These are two designs that people can accept without issues, as they boil things down to the bare essentials.
concept design, e-ink, tima, watch
This is one stylish watch! I love the slick design!