Modern minimalism: i-toc watch and GIVEAWAY

"Design must always remember function otherwise it becomes art or sculpture. It may become beautiful art or sculpture but if the function is lost, forgotten or neglected the design has failed."

- Sean Zoega

I am feeling really happy today. Not only because the sun is shining, the sky is blue and I had my delicious cup of coffee in the morning, but also because I love receiving presents and surprises and today was one of those days. I opened the door and there was a postman holding a small box. It was my new watch sent to me by Sean Zoega, the designer of these beautiful unique creations.

Sean Zoega is an unorthodox designer who has managed to synthesise the supposedly opposing disciplines of engineering and design. Originally graduating as an electronics engineer, Sean quickly employed his skills in the areas of meta art providing music synthesizers to major artists of the time (Jean Michel Jarre, Hawkwind, Brian Eno etc.)

“The interplay of science and art has always for me been the critical stimulation of human creativity, be it the invention of colour pigments or dyes that change art and fashion forever or the synthesizer that has made possible new music with sounds that have never before existed in human experience."

Before the i-toc was born, Sean has been busy creating recording environments for international festivals such as Holders Season in Barbados to more orthodox recording studios for K-Klass and Ian Brown. He has also created audio/visual installations all over the world for large corporates such as Disney, Cable & Wireless, Wellcome Trust… even the NHS. His work on psychoacoustics also led to his developments in artificial intelligence which culminated in the HyperTeach AI learning engine.

“Through all my work with music, sound and visuals I came to realize I was always slicing time, applying textures (aural and visual) and then rebuilding the parts to create a coherent whole…art and design are all about time. This was what sparked my interest in redesigning the watch. This has taken over ten years of my life to develop and has culminated in the i-toc. The i-toc is simple, but it wasn’t easy."

I adore my new watch. Personally, I think this is one of those time pieces that won't go unnoticed. This gorgeous sample of minimalistic design has already been compared to EleeNo and Issey Miyake watches, but unlike its designery siblings does not cost a fortune.

It's unique, it makes you smile, it's unisex'y, it comes in 6 colours from classic black and grey to vibrant orange (that was my choice), red, blue and purple. The i-toc’s graduated circles present a more intuitive and beautiful way to view time, and the distinctive visual pattern is constantly changing and is super easy to read. Each colour is limited to 200 to 500 pieces, which makes the watch even more special and desirable.

If you are tempted and would like to see and read more, please visit the i-toc website.

So are you tempted yet? Then the best news are still to come because now one of my wonderful followers can actually receive an i-toc watch as a present from Sean Zoega himself! All you need to do is to visit his website to choose the colour and leave a comment here (don't forget to mention what colour you'd prefer). You have a week to enter. The competition closes on 30 September 2009 and the lucky winner will be announced on 2 October 2009.

If you don't win or prefer not to follow newfashiontodayblog ;) you can still buy your little treasure here and receive a 10% discount. The discount code will be sent to you via e-mail, so I'd appreciate it if you could take a couple of minutes to send me your e-mail address.

Good luck!

Images via www.i-toc.com

Timelessly yours: Michele Watches

A beautiful watch is like a piece of jewellery with added function. It's a true statement that reflects your personality and style.

The individuals who create the Michele Watches Collection strongly believe that each Michele Watch should express the cutting edge of fashion. Their international designers create unique product for a world market and strive to provide quality and value. Every step, from the drawing board to assembly to presentation, is completed with the most mindful attention to detail. It is Michele's belief that each loyal customers has learned to expect only the best from Michele Watches.

The history of the brand begins in Belgium in the 1940's with watchmaker Maurice Barouh's strong belief in quality and refinement. Watches were his expression of choice. His designs are a reflection of his beliefs in craftsmanship, styling and quality. Maurice ultimately passed his passion on to his son Jack.

Operating in the Latin American arena, Jack Barouh proceeded to gain fame as an individual with a keen eye for trends and a dedication to detail. Expressing his heritage, Jack proceeded to design "winners" time and again.

The creation of Michele Watches came with the birth of Jack and Rita's first child, Michele. At first, children's watches were produced; colorful bright pieces that were extremely well received. The success of this product line awakened an interest in building a brand. Miami Florida was chosen as the platform for the launch of Michele Watches and the "MW Collection". In the year 2000 the third generation of Barouh's joined the company, Michele, followed by Jeremy Barouh in 2002. The introduction of the "MW Collections" featuring the CSX-Diamond Chronographs proved to be the collection that would propel Michele Watches to fame in the USA. "American Time " magazine has called Michele "a watch market star!"

These days MW include nine stunning collections, from sporty "Sail collection" and modern "Coral" to joyful and very unique "Tropical paradise". A strong tradition of quality and design combined with a keen sense of detail and sophistication are the forces that have made Michele Watches a major player in the watch industry. It is with great pride that this tradition continues.

To view the entire collection and find your own special treasure, visit Michele watches.

All images via Michele watches.

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