SHOQ watch vibrates the time!

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Design submitted by Sam from Germany.

Sam says: I’m a fan of the vibration watch concept from Akinori Nemoto and I also like the Buzz watch from Tamás Pál. I would really like to have such a minimalistic and cool watch and this is my way to say it 🙂


First I thought about an easier vibration code. I decided for a 12-5-9 variant with a long vibration – meaning 5 and a short one ・ meaning 1. 12 is the biggest number in this system and it is –・・ (5+5+1+1). The longest code is used for the 9 which is -・・・・ (5+1+1+1+1). Actually you don’t sit there calculating, you will feel it… you have to. Time gets told like that: the hours first, then ten minute steps, and finally single minutes. Between each number is a pause. 12:59 is –・・ – -・・・・.  0 is nothing so there is a long pause. 10:06 is —   -・ then. Yes, it needs some concentration and it’s not suited for drunk people. It’s fun. You activate the watch by pressing a side of the case. Left is for date and right is for the time.

As for the look, I thought about having an optional LED response too, so the watch is not only fun for the wearer. A cool icon to represent this type of watch is an exclamation mark. This could flash when the time gets told. It might also be helpful in the first days to better sense the watch signals and get used to them. I think a tilt sensor, that lets the ! flash under a certain agitation would be uber cool. Key word: party! But maybe that’s too much.

So how to set such a watch? This is definitely the trickiest part. Nemoto-san made a good suggestion, letting the watch be radio controlled. An infrared connection to a smart phone would work too, maybe bluetooth opens up further options. Setting an alarm and animations can be easily done then.

Shoq is my reminiscence to the previous vibration watch concepts. I like the idea of getting the time told without looking at the watch. Let’s discuss about this, cause such a watch has to be made!

33 thoughts on “SHOQ watch vibrates the time!”

  1. Thank you Tokyoflash for posting this one. I hope we’ll have a productive discussion here cause is some way a displayless watch HAS to be made in my opinion.

    My best regards to Tamas and Akinori, who inspired me to make this concept.

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  2. Looks really nice, though the long vibration meaning 5 seems a little much. Could it be possible to change the amount based on user preference? For example, could I make the long buzz mean 3?

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    • Hmmmm user preference adaption would be the solution. This would end any discussion, hehehe. Very good idea!

      Letting – be 3 is actually pretty cool for these small numbers. Let’s try:

      1 •
      2 ••
      3 –
      4 -•
      5 -••
      6 —
      7 –•
      8 –••
      9 —
      10 —•
      11 —••
      12 —-

      Hm, not bad. Thank you for your constructive comment Lsk!

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  3. It’s really a great and useful piece of information. I am glad that you shared this helpful info with us. Please keep us up to date like this. Thanks for sharing.

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  4. I’m not into vibration watch, but I can’t hardly pass how the awesomeness of this design. Very simple and inspiring. Would lead to buy this if produced. Good luck Samuchin!

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  5. Would def confuse and suprise people at the same time when they ask to c the time. So many great designs lately I wouldnt know which one to wear if they all came into production!

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    • I know exacly what you mean 😀 It’s an awesome collection of ideas here. If Tf keep up their publication frequency, we can look forward to 10 more watches this year! For now congrats to Heather Sable for Stencil!

      Oh yeah, that’s what I liked about the old vibration ideas – time without looking. You just sit there, look at the flowers and then tell the time. Everyone looks at you like a bread then xD

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  6. I’m not into vibration watch, but I can’t pass how awesome the watch design look. It’s like gummy rubber and it can vibrate. Very stylish watch design that works for the blind so far Afaik. Good luck on this Samu-chin!

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  7. Hi Sam, there are more than three weeks, I sent a project to TF, with cligniotements of LED to tell time, “vibration free”, but the similarity to tell time is striking?
    Obviously 5 * and Yes.

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    • Great minds think alike 🙂 I’m glad you’re still in the game, I was wondering. The Shoq is already 11 weeks old and vibrated it’s way into this blog finally. Thank you Patrick for commenting and voting!

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  8. This is one is not really my cup of tea. But I can imagine there is a market, the visually impared and morse code geeks etc. I do however like the design and the presentation. So I give you 5 to support the design but no as it is not something i would buy for myself. Best of luck Sam!

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  10. Sam, I think it’s very amusing that your design doesn’t have a display (lol), but I think it would be handy to have one just so you can check that you got the time right. My concentration is terrible at times. Good luck with it. 😉

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    • Thank you Lloyd!

      Hm, a little display for a quick check would make setting the watch easier – agreed. Assuming, the display shows the right time of course 😉 It’s not a comfortable watch for every situation but quite a weird diversion for… special people hehehe.

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  11. An alternative option to the morse-code style encoding would be to have two vibrating motors, one on each side, to make it more efficient.

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    • Interesting idea.

      Let’s assume there are motors on each side (I assume top/bottom cause left/right can’t be distinguished that easily) it could help distinguishing the middle sequence (“5”) from the previous one (“12”) and the next one (“9”). This would increase the effectiveness for sure. But I’m not sure if doubling the motor price is economical. The watch is a torture anyway, hehehe. The single motor could vibrate in different frequencies though. Im not sure about the words but it can vibrate in a high and sharp way and in a lower more fluffy way. That could also be used to mark the middle sequence.

      Shannon Larrat, thanks for your input!

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  12. hi sam this is a very interesting concept, the morse like code is quite fine, it just need some learning to be used to.
    i am not convinced by the design, i think the exclamation mark could be removed, i will never buy it ( at least i hope i wont need to) but that said paradoxically i think there is a good market with people that will never see your watch, it could be very useful and appropriate for them.

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    • Good point about the exclamation mark. I would say, although the watch has no display, it still needs a face. I’m not sure if it has to be an exclamation mark but something striking that sells then. Maybe the light can go. People won’t buy an empty rubber band (assuming they are interested in such a watch). It has to tell something that makes other people wonder.

      I think the learning part is simple. There is no need to memorize the codes up there. Writing them down makes them look complicated. Just remember long is 5 and short is 1. The getting-used-to-it-part might take a bit longer. I can only imagine how it would feel. I would just count up while it’s vibrating and then know the time when it’s done. Just like the Denshoku, that shows the time in sequences too.

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  13. I like the idea, but I am afraid, that it would take too long to find out what time it is… if someone asks you what time it is and you stand there for 10 seconds feeling the code and figuring it out, I bet the other will go on and ask someone else with, well, a normal (in a bad sense (; ) watch.

    PS: Do you say “in a bad sense”? O.o

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    • Yepp, it’s not the most effective ones among the watches in the blog 😉 Let me point at the Denshoku watch as an example for a watch that is inconvenient to read in favor of the interesting look. The shoq takes a bit longer but it’s fun 🙂 That’s the deal: torture for fun lol.

      Look, the shoq is not a competition to other watches, it’s a diversion. You have dozens of time displays around you these days. If one is honest, one does’nt need another one. This brings watches to the level of fun and fashion, taking it away from the actual need of wrist watches.

      The last time I got asked for the time was… I cannot even remember. Hm, in a little village, when there is a rare situation in which the clock tower isn’t seen, then you might stand there for a little while to help that someone. But imagine, you stand there, hands on your back, you look in the sky and then you tell him the time. He would be amazed (if it’s a very very small village, he migh be shocked and accuse you for witchery). Alone for such situations, I think a vibration watch has a purpose to be.

      Koryu, thanks alot for the comment!

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  17. was thinking about this watch this morning, lying in bed before i opened my eyes.. if only ther was a way of telling the time without opening my eyes. i would like this for my bedtime watch (-_-)zzz 5*yeh

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