Design submitted by Sam from Germany.
Sam says: “I sketched for an unusual analog watch and after days of experiments the idea for this watch developed.
I chose a traditional look for the watch because the display itself is unusual enough. There are four pairs of watch hands on the display. There are several display modes: Time zone mode (you can set four times, including the actual time) and Neutral mode (with a self created layout wich you like to wear on your wrist). The exact time telling occurs, when you press the button. Doing so, the eight hands rotate to a position in wich they form a digital number. Four digital numbers are shown one after the other, each with a duration of one second. After all four digits, the mode you left after pressing the button reappears.
To set the times, you need to pull the button, then rotate it. When setting the analog time for the top sub-watch, the other hands point to it, to tell you, where you are. After that you go to the other sub watches by pressing the button, then pulling again. The other sub-watches can only show variations of the top sub-watch in steps of 30 minutes (the minimum step, two time zones can vary from each other) to ease up setting. When setting the Neutral Mode pattern, you can do what you want to let the display look cool. When finished with all settings, you press the button one last time and you’re done. The watch has no light. But the watch hands are coated with a fluorescent material wich glows in the dark for some hours after switching off the light.
Anyone who likes it tame and traditional but stylish and fashionable might like this watch. It’s is a hybrid watch and therefore pretty different. The traditional look combined with an interesting display as well as the multiple-usage hands are outstanding.”
Tokyoflash Japan 
Sam is a masterpiece again! The numbers are amazing! Very stylish, easy to read. I can not imagine the clock movements, but if feasible, I want to wear this!
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Although I cannot see a way you could make the hands work like that, the design is awesome 🙂 Would probably have to be an animated LCD screen to work.
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As all your works, this is just INCREDIBLE, maybe you colud put a fluorescemt ring around the sphere to give it a little bit of colour, but it’s amazing. Bravisimo!!
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Thank you very much for your opinions and ratings! I do believe it can be done. It’s like four watches wich have to be able to perform quick moves. Technology isn’t new only the usage is 😀
Anmimated LCD screen: Hard to explain, but LCD isn’t that good for animations with small degree rotation animations. Oh wait 🙂 I’m still thinking last millenium. You meant a full color LCD like a TV uses. Well that could work. But the clue is the real mechanics wich have to act in that new way. For an LCD screen it would be a little too retro because such a display could do so much more.
Fluorescent ring: Oh yes, good input. At least a ring with the same material as the watch hands’ inner parts would be good. A little less empty display and a remarkable framing… I’ll make an image of that detail.
🙂
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This is stunning! this is flawless! But like Toys says, a ring around the case would be even better. Because this watch isn’t just simple, it is actually that simple that it gets almost blank… Are the clock hands illuminated in dark? It would be even better if those were lit up by LED, but with so tiny hands, I guess it isn’t room for it. I like the background to be matte black, as it is, but if like I mentioned earlier; a ring around it in steel or silverish color would look so much better!
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I got a question:
What is planned to happen if there are two simmilar numbers in a row? For example 13:33 or something like that. How could you signal the next Number? And how will the analog-mode work? Are theese different Time zones? Which time is the right one? Anyway, great concept, even though not my favourite one.
Tank from Austria
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Very interesting idea, Sam. I can see this appealing to the more mechanically minded. Great matte black. Incidentally, I think this could be implemented quite easily as a wall clock.
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Great Work Sam ! Very creative way to have multiple displays. I think Tokyoflash should sell more mechanical watches with unique movements like this one, but I understand that mechanical systems are more expensive to produce. In my opinion, this design may be quite hard to fabricate because of the 4 mecanisms and their particular movements.
It’s a very good design concept anyway !
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Hey there (again)
I just saw one problem with this concept; its quite simple, but also fatal if overlooked:
In the posission of “3” the two minute-hands of the bottom and the right watch would simply collide;
didn’t check for any other collissions, but there could be some more while moving. Well; i feel really bad for criticiseing you, but i only want to help you, soving the problems, to get your watches produced 😉
Tank from Austria
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Wow people thank you all for your words and your brainstorming! First of all, the version with a ring around the display:
http://www.abload.de/img/sam-jerichow-image-07-dag8.png.
I used the same materials as for the hands: chrome border with fluorescent filling. Looks more watch-y. Really nice, isn’t it?
@GEEK: The hands are glowing in the dark. I have some analog watches with fluorescent hands. That works alright. I had a version with an LED light hidden in the case border for the really really dark times. But I didn’t want to make this watch more complicated to make than it is already. If it is a piece of cake, I welcome it.
@Tank 1&2 :): Constructive critiques are definitely welcome! Sometimes another pair of eyes see more. About times like 13:33: When the same number appears again, the hands turn around 360° to indicate showing the next digit. Actually a short twitch would suffice, but a circle is more harmonic movement for the mechanics. As for the time zones: It is pretty easy. You set four individual times and you can decide wich one is the current time. You don’t even have to show the current time – totally free 😀 On the example it is the top sub-watch wich shows the current time. The setting of the digital time is a separate thing. About the collisions of hands: It cannot be seen on the images, but they don’t collide, they only visually overlap. The eight hands are lying on four different levels. Only opposite pairs of hands (top/bottom, left/right) wich would never seem to collide, are on the same level. Nearby hands have a sufficient vertical distance between them. Tank, you have been very observative 🙂 Grüße nach Österreich!
@Logan: Yeah, this time I liked it mechanically. You know it really good: Trying different things is fun 😉 You’re right, the size is the tricky part. Making it small is a matter of money “only”…
@ Ghengis: Mechanical watches will have a resurrection 😀 The hardness in being fabricated ends up in a higher price. If every point has been made clear and every flaw been eliminated, it would be cool if the price would be the only issue 🙂
Thanx again!
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I’ve been looking through the blog at all the designs, but I just wanted to post on this one to tell you how fantastic I think it is. The mixture of analog and digital looks great and I would absolutely buy this watch it if was produced. Excellent design.
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This is fantastic! Well thought out and unlike anything i’ve seen before! Just hope you can read it in a dark cinema!
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Dude this needs to be made asap I want one!!!
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absolutely love it!
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Thanks to the last four ones! I’m glad to provoke such reactions 😀
Merry Christmas and happy holidays to everyone!
Kind regards,
Sam from Germany
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o.o was that a hint to produce it? 😀
Saaaaaam! I really hope you have a life besides the watches, or at least I hope they make some of them!!! This watch is just brilliant! It looks traditional at first glance but you quickly see, it’s from the future! There are way more complicated watches out there, this is pretty easy in comparison (complicated compared with the led watches of course) Very strong idea! I love it! I read the comments and your answers. Seems you thought well about what you are showing us. As german country-fellow I tell you: Mach weiter so, ich kauf’s! 😀
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Love it. Would instantly buy it. Love the render with the florescent ring. I really hope this becomes a reality.
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I love this design and the idea and by the way it looks better with the ring, digits need pratice to be read though. And as Tank said how do you display the same digit twice in a row?
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I can see the influences for most of the suggestions on this site (including my own) but this is truely original. I am a big fan of mechanical watches and have never seen a design like this before! I really like the minimal design, I think I even prefer it without the ring as this highlights the unique way of telling the time. Very very special, well done Sam!
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@ grantskier: Thank you very much!
@ Gatsu: Akso thanks to you. As for the same digits in a row: I am suggesting a rull rotation of the watch hands to indicate the appearance of the next digit. If you have 11:11, the hands rotate 180° between the “1” positions. Yes more or less practice is needed. This is the Tokyoflash effect: you need to practice and when other people see your watch, they are confused and ask you about it.
@ James: Thanks alot for your input. Your reason for letting away the ring is very interesting. That’s a tough decision then: playing with the way how to guide the human eye. And yeah, no influences so far. Well the case and the technology is not screaming new, but the interpretation is and I’m glad people think it’s cool 🙂
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I would buy this watch in an instant. Amazing design, make this!
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Yesssss! So great!
Might need a little more of refinement so the long hands never touch each other but this design is truly Awesome! Something I would buy for sure!
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Hey thank you! Sounds nice 😀 The watch hands do not touch actually. Did you mean the visual overlapping maybe? All hands wich seem to touch lay on different heights. Minimal technology makes it possible 😉
@ Nicholas (above): Thanks alot!
@ Rakesh (below): Thank you too Rakesh. I cross my fingers 🙂 As for the alarm: I use my mobile phone for alarm, tehehe
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I’ll buy this watch any day. The reason I have so far not bought a Tokyo Flash watch is that the ones I like like the RPM watch don’t have an alarm. However, this one is just awesome! Hope you guys bring it to production soon.
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Sam, this is perfect.
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