"Alain Silberstein meets Breitling" - in the best possible way. These were the thoughts that a colleague and I had. Wonderful colors combining with a classic slide rule design. I love it already!
With all of the new watches being hurled out at us, this one has really caught my eye and imagination. Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls; allow me to introduce the
Klokers KLOK-01.
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| Courtesy of Klokers |
This is a watch that you will be able to purchase via a Kickstarter fundraiser that is set to launch in September.
It will be available in three different color themes -
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| Courtesy of Klokers |
YELLOW
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| Courtesy of Klokers |
GREY
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Courtesy of Klokers
INDIGO |
I am partial to the yellow myself ; )
As this is a brand new thing and I have no earlier reference to go by, here is the release just as I received it this AM -
Machines
to travel through time
Come back
with us through time, anytime from the 1970s all the way back to the 17th
century, when slide rules really did rule. Before the advent of cheap pocket
calculators, slide rules were the fastest method for working out complex
calculations.
klokers pays homage to this iconic,
form-follows-function instrument with the brand's first watch, the KLOK-01,
featuring three rotating disks displaying time along a vertical line and a
patented interchangeable bracelet system.
klokers watches are highly evocative,
triggering memories and personal stories from iconic objects of our past. They
are like time shuttles for the wrist, reviving timeless style elements and
channeling them into fresh, contemporary, playful timepieces respecting the
origins of their inspiration.
The KLOK-01 display is a graphical
representation of a slide rule using three rotating concentric rings to display
the time along a vertical red line. The rings — one each for hours, minutes,
and seconds — rotate at different speeds, making the whole dial a symphony of
motion.
An integrated magnifying lens in the crystal ensures high legibility when
reading the time. The 44 mm case is fabricated from a modern composite of
stainless steel and polymers for maximum strength and comfort.
klokers
watches easily, and securely, clip on and off a patented docking
"jewel" on the bracelet, allowing for interchangeability of watches
and bracelets to suit the owner's mood and fashion.
The bracelet
(KLOK-00) is also designed to be worn by itself.
KLOK-01 is
more than a watch: both the timepiece and bracelet are stylish, stand-alone
fashion accessories.
KLOK-01 is priced at $389 and will be officially launched by a
Kickstarter campaign in September 2015 in a numbered edition launch model of
200 pieces each in yellow, grey, and indigo.
You can stay up to date with our Kickstarter campaign and qualify for the $199,
40% discounted, numbered edition launch model by registering at
www.klokers.com
KLOK-01: the
watch
Inspiration
KLOK-01 is inspired by the slide rule, a once
ubiquitous calculating instrument. A slide rule is a mechanical analog computer usually
comprising three scales, one of which slides between the other two. The slide
rule was primarily used for multiplication and division, but it's also suitable
for calculating more complex functions such as roots, logarithms, and
trigonometry.
In a similar way, the dial of KLOK-01 is
composed of three circular disks — one each for the hours, minutes and seconds
— which rotate at different speeds to slide past each other.
Slide rules are available
in both linear and circular models (the latter being the inspiration for KLOK-01).
They were used extensively
until the 1970s, but became largely obsolete in the mid-҆70s with the arrival of cheap electronic calculators.
Technology
KLOK-01 is Swiss Made and features a high-tech
movement with a high-precision quartz movement. The rotating disk displays are
driven by high-efficiency, bi-directionally functioning Lavet micro-motors that
boast low power consumption.
These disks display the time on a vertical red
line at the top of the dial. An integrated magnifying lens in the crystal
ensures maximum legibility when reading the time.
The 44 mm
case of KLOK-01 is made from a composite metal polymer offering high strength
and low weight and ensuring that the timepiece fits comfortably on wrists of
all sizes. A pusher at 8 o'clock on the case band releases the watch from the
docking "jewel" for ease of changing watches and bracelets.
Docking
jewel for interchangeability
All of
klokers bracelets feature a patented docking "jewel" that enables
quick and easy interchangeability of watches and bracelets. The watch is
detached from the bracelet by a pusher on the case band at 8 o'clock.
Stand alone
bracelet
klokers
bracelets (KLOK-00) are designed to also be worn alone as attractive
accessories in their own right. With a wide range of colors, textures, and
materials available, the easily interchangeable bracelets ensure that your
klokers' bracelet and/or watch will always suit your mood and clothing.
Colors available in 2015 include
matte black leather, silky black leather, indigo leather, orange alcantara,
mouse-gray alcantara, and Newport yellow leather. Two new collections of
bracelets will be launched each year.
KLOK-01:
technical details
KLOK-01 is available in a numbered edition
Kickstarter launch model of 200 pieces each in yellow, grey, and indigo.
Functionality
Hours, minutes, and
seconds displayed by counterclockwise-rotating concentric disks. Docking jewel
enabling easily interchangeable straps.
Dial
Time display: three
concentric disks rotate to indicate the time along vertical red line at top of
dial. Seconds displayed in gray in the center, minutes in red, and hours in
black around the perimeter of the dial.
Case
Material: composite metal polymer
Dimensions: 44 mm diameter x 17 mm high
Water resistance: 30 m / 90’ / 3
atm
Docking jewel: pusher on case band
at 8 o'clock for quick release of case from docking jewel
Crystal: anti-reflect treated
transparent polymer with integrated magnifying lens for time display
Movement
Swiss Made Ronda movement
with Lavet micro-motors powering the indications
Bracelet
Docking jewel: quick release dock in
brushed, hypoallergenic-treated, 316L stainless steel
Bracelet: 22 mm, genuine leather,
designed to be worn with or without watch
Buckle: stainless steel pin
buckle
Colors available 2015: matte black
leather, silky black leather, indigo leather, orange alcantara, mouse-gray
alcantara, and Newport yellow leather
About klokers
In this era of being constantly switched on and permanently connected,
when everything appears to be not just rushing past us, but accelerating away,
klokers reclaims the time that escapes us. klokers designs and manufactures
machines that time travel through time.
Each klokers timepiece is inspired by an iconic object or instrument
with a design so powerful that it has left memories still embedded in the
collective unconsciousness of today. KLOK-01 recalls the slide rule, an analog
pocket computing instrument. klokers timepieces are not faux vintage, but
rather a bridge allowing us to travel through the past, the present, and the
future.
klokers’ founders
Nicolas
Boutherin, co-founder, president, and artistic director
From
creating cartoons to luxury goods, Nicolas built his career in various domains
such as communication, innovation, and media.
He has worked as art director and general manager in both start-ups like
InVisio and major corporations including Publicis, Canal +, and Arpin 1817.
A very
distinctive concept of telling the time took shape after long study and
research from work done by physicist Etienne Klein, sociologists Hartmut Rosa,
and Zygmunt Bauman, and author Daniele Del Giudice. An understanding of the
needs and desires of our contemporary lifestyles grew after he absorbed the
writings of author Richard Florida and the marketing analysis of Seth Godin.
One day, the
stars aligned and the klokers concept crystallized.
Richard Piras, co-founder
and CEO
After
fifteen years in technological innovation, electric vehicles, aeronautics, and
medical devices, Richard started reconsidering the appreciation of time and
contributed to pushing traditional watchmaking out of its comfort zone.
Richard has
had a lifelong fascination with celestial mechanics and starry skies. Time is
an important element of the universe, but until now no human being has been
able to define time without using the concept of time itself.
After more than ten years as an entrepreneur in the Swiss horological industry,
Richard met Nicolas Boutherin during a professional dinner. They discovered
that they shared the same human values and thoughts regarding a new concept in
watchmaking.
One day, the
stars aligned and the klokers concept became clear.
