The world of watchmaking is diverse and rich, full of interesting concepts to discover. It is, after all, a world where a brand dedicated to deep water diving can sit next to a brand dedicated to supercars. As a designer, finding a design language that inspires him is important because it can help make his watches recognizable to collectors and also lead to some of the most interesting watches on the market.
For German independent watchmaker Matthias Kieser and his brand Kieser Design, the inspiration for the design of their first watch, the tragwerk.T, was easy to find in nature's patterns.
“I think nature is a beautiful source of inspiration,” Matthias said. “Nature is a genius. It provides intelligent, holistic solutions to complex engineering challenges. And the amazing thing is: it does it in the most aesthetic way! When you let your eyes wander in nature, you never get bored. There are always new little details to discover!”
In particular, Matthias turned to an often overlooked part of the animal planet, entomology - insects. When it came to creating the 42 mm diameter case, Matthias referred to dragonflies: “the insect's internal organs are ideally protected by the exoskeleton. Although it is very durable, the exoskeleton forms this filigree and lightweight body of the dragonfly”.
“This idea of a rugged but lightweight construction was carried over to the tragwerk.T. It provides maximum protection for the inner case and movement without burdening the user with extra weight on the wrist. The watch weighs only 47 grams without the strap.”.
A key aspect in the realization of this exoskeleton style case is the use of titanium. The robust, lightweight, hypoallergenic material makes it ideal for the intricate, skeletal shapes that Matthias hand-worked and perfected for each watch. In addition, it gives the case a dark charcoal grey color that blends well with the customizable dial.
And this dial is something special. Matthias said: “I was fascinated by how beautifully the light reflected off the dragonfly's crinkled eye. You never get bored looking at it. That's why I made over 250 honeycombs in the dial to achieve a similar effect. Each hexagon is milled individually in the titanium blanks. I use very sharp tools to achieve maximum reflection and make the dial as vibrant and shiny as the dragonfly's compound eyes.’.
In addition, thanks to the anodising process, it is available in purple, green, blue and orange. Theoretically, the full spectrum of the rainbow is possible. For a more subtle look, it can also be left in titanium carbon or have a black DLC coating.
Ultimately, tragwerk.T is an exercise in bionics, of which Matthias says: “I first learned about the bionics principle in my lectures at university. It basically means applying functional principles found in nature to technical problems. I love bionic concepts that push technical boundaries and that are at the same time aesthetically pleasing. The dragonfly is definitely just the beginning. I will definitely continue to make watches that are inspired by nature.”.
As for the future, “Kieser Design already has a very high degree of vertical integration. We manufacture most of the components for our watches in-house. However, I want to delve deeper into the future. There are already so many ideas in my head for movement modifications and unorthodox time indications, I just need the time to make them a reality.
A new watch model is already in the final testing phase. But for now, we are very busy fulfilling our customers” orders for the personalized tragwerk.T."
If you want to order one yourself, prices are on request and depending on individual customization. It is by no means a trivial investment, but know that you will have Matthias' individual and full attention. And considering the time he spends on things as delicate as the membrane of a dragonfly's wing, you know your watch is in safe hands.
Source: oracleoftime.com
