Today's post details the complex minimalism of Ikepod and their Horizon for Only Watch.
Ikepod
The Ikepod story begins in 1986, the year Australian designer, Marc Newson. completed his first prototype wristwatch: "Watches were one of the first things I tried to design as a kid", Newson recalls. Eight years later, the designer joined forces with Swiss businessman Oliver Ike, forming a company to build upon the innovations of the POD watch and achieve new degrees of design intelligence and daring in the watch industry. IKEPOD launched numerous important and highly revered designs released in several collections over the years including the Seaslug, Isopode, Megapode, Manatee and Hemipode.Ikepod timepieces are renowned for both their extraordinary design and innovative mechanical functions.
In 2006 the company was revitalized by former distributor, Alexandre David and another shareholder. David had been in the watch industry to two decades and the first brand his company carried was the original Ikepod, building a strong base, particularly in France. His company almost folded from the fallout of the Ikepod collapse as the brand was the only brand in their client list. Then, the chance came to sell his distribution company and buy Ikepod.
Marc Newson has still had a level of involvement in the company, renewing some of his design concepts as well as designing the well known Ikepod "Hourlgass" which appeared in the 2011 Only Watch Auction. As collaborations become more and more frequent in the Swiss watch industry, Ikepod has begun working with street artist KAWS and Jeff Coons. Through collaborations such as these, and by utilizing the strikingly minimalist concepts that Ikepod is known for, the future looks bright the renewed company. Alexandre David has said "I think we disrupt a lot of norms in the watch industry. Ikepod has its own place and we do not really have too much competition because we aren’t like any other brand out there. Most watch companies pride themselves on who has the most complicated watches on the market. We pride ourselves on simple complications. When you look at our watches, they look extremely wearable with a flawless design, but they are actually very difficult to produce. Ikepod is at the crossroads of watchmaking and design."
An interesting side story. Oliver Ike, co-founder of the original Ikepod, (which owes part of it's name to him) has revived the A. Manzoni & Fils company. Founded in 1888, A. Manzoni & Fils produced precision mechanical movements for other Swiss watch brands until its closure in 1978. This year, via a Kickstarter campaign, the company, under it's new owner, Ike, plan to launch the Canopus Weekplanner designed by Ilkka Suppanen.
The video below highlights construction of the Ikepod Horizon KAWS edition.
Never one to limit himself within the confines of a
specific category of artistic expression, the latest KAWS collaboration
takes shapes with the street artist curating a custom-designed Ikepod
Horizon Wristwatch. Bringing together the Swiss watchmaker’s affinity
for contemporary and modern timepieces, the KAWS collaborative effort
sees the trademark Chomper teeth motif emblazoned across the black dial
with the dual lines of his “X” graphic comprising the hour and minute
hands. True to the original Horizon models, the watch features a 44mm
case and beautifully brushed bezel.
The Horizon
The Horizon No timepiece in the Ikepod collection exhibits the singular focus on the complexity of simplification more completely than the Ikepod Horizon. This simple 2 handed watch includes all of the brand’s most unique features including the round hemispheric case and the rubber bracelet that fits seamlessly into the case without lugs, clasping on the wrist without any buckle. The horizon has appealed to artists, designers and all those who appreciate a unique and iconoclastic approach to the wristwatch. It has taken the company years to perfect the roundness of the case, making the Ikepod Horizon look and feel like no other timepiece. The Horizon is for those who have the confidence to distinguish themselves by choosing a timepiece that is a true piece of contemporary design merged with the highest quality materials the Swiss watchmaking tradition can offer.
Catalogue description:
| Ikepod Horizon for Only Watch A fine and unique, titanium, self-winding wristwatch. Accompanied by a fitted box. | |
| C. Round, titanium, water resistant to 50m, sapphire crystal. D. Red, black hands. M. Cal. ETA 2892, rhodium-plated, fausses cotes decoration, 17 jewels, monometallic balance, shock absorber, self-compensating flat balance spring, micrometer regulator. | |
| Estimate: 5,000 EUR - 8,000 EUR |
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