LUMA-iD WATCH CONCEPT
by Mark Little
The LUMA Watch Concept; we undertook this project as a bit of a design exercise and because we love watches!
Specification:
- Unique star shaped cut glass
- 50mm overall width
- Valjoux 7750 Chronograph
- Water resistant to 100m
- Swiss made
- Hard coated stainless steel torx bolts
Sub Dials
Indices are angled at thirty degrees giving the watch face a dynamic look. The backing of these dials are radial cut metal plates.
Replaceable strap
Dark black Hermes leather outer featuring a pressed pattern with a softer dark grey leather inner.
Deployment buckle
PVD coated and made from stainless steel.
Bezel (separate part to case)
Hard ceramic coated stainless steel with a straight brushed finish.
Case
CNC machined PVD coated stainless steel with a matt finish.
Crown & Pushers
CNC machined from PVD coated stainless steel.
Numbers
Simply CNC machined straight out of the case, the cuts into the metal are very deep producing a subtle yet solid look.
Design Breakdown
We have never designed a watch before so we were excited to work on this project. Our first step was to look online and in the high street to see what designs were popular.
Our first impression was that round shaped bezels were the most popular, so in order to try something completely different we threw out the circle and came up with a striking yet solid looking shape. Cutting curved glass with this profile will not be easy, but the watch is a high end special piece so we feel that the difficulty would be justified.
Bezel Design
From very early on in our sketches we wanted the bezel design to look chunky (solid) but also sporty and dynamic. Looking further through the process shows exploration of this shape with more detail of how the bezel fits into the case. Another feature we knew we wanted was keeping the bezel as a separate part so it would really stand out and could feature a unique surface finish to the rest of the watch. The early stages of the 3D development had a lot of time spent playing with the size, curves and width to height ratios getting the look as we wanted it. The steel finished face that hugs the glass complements the bezel design and really highlights the watch’s unique shape.
Case Design
The case design is a clean and solid machined part giving the watch a rugged frame which everything bolts onto.
Crown & Pushers
These are simple and “over-sized” presenting a very solid and practical look, a feature that will help with operation even if wearing gloves.
Hands
The two-tone hands watch the style of the second dials and give the watch a dynamic look. We refined the hands towards the end of design process when we had most of the watch design completed.
Sub Dials
We tried to keep these simple and easy to read. Originally they looked quite flat so we added some cut-outs which give the sub dials more depth and detail that also matches with the other lines on the watch. This keeps the watch looking balanced with all of the features working together.
Strap
We originally drew three cut outs running along the top and bottom of the straps but after a few renders they seemed out of place with the lines on the rest of the watch. We decided to change the direction to horizontal lines that match the pattern of the sixty second dials. We think the strap looks sporty yet very solid. It also starts off thick and tapers down towards the back of the strap.