Fashion & Jewerly - 24 December 2021 - by Francesca M.

Rado watch with Li Edelkoort - Deceleration of Time

Art, Poetry & Elegance



Trend researcher Lidewij Edelkoort was named one of the most influential personalities in the fashion industry by TIME Magazine and Business of Fashion. She is considered one of the people who can significantly shape contemporary design and provide a vision of tomorrow's society. A watch designed by her is, of course, an absolutely desirable object of great significance.

Time is considered the greatest luxury of modern life. Li Edelkoort recognises in modern society a growing need for stillness and clarity, for authenticity and meaning, in general an increasing need to decelerate life. Together with Rado, she has created a watch that reflects this zeitgeist. 

Rado True Thinline Stillness, designed by Li Edelkoort.

The white dial under the frosted sapphire crystal and the white hour and minute hands. The design shatters the functionality of a watch. Reading it becomes a challenge that makes the wearer aware of the elapsed time and makes her question it.

©Rado

The Rado True Thinline Stillness is meant to invite its wearer to consciously take time. For every single moment and for a whole lifetime. "People take time to question the meaning of life and work, to reflect on retreat and simplicity, on commonality and complexity," says Li Edelkoort. 

The clock is the epitome of simplicity and reduction. It is poetic. It seems frozen in eternal beauty. It shatters the understanding of a watch as a functional companion, because in reality time can only be seen very indistinctly.

A new way of looking at time

"It is a strange watch. This watch is made so that you can't see time (so) well." To achieve this vague idea of time, the white dial is presented under a domed white sapphire crystal with a frosted effect and white hour and minute hands. This monochromatic white-on-white-on-white colour scheme results in an almost blurred view of the dial. This turns reading the time into a deliberately contemplative moment."

Li Edelkoort

Lii Edelkoort's prediction for the future

"People are finally ready to change their behaviour and free themselves from their shopping addiction. The industry will respond by streamlining design and making responsible, durable products. But that doesn't mean we will stop making beautiful things - quite the opposite. Less and better will be the focus, reduced and extraordinary, sustainable and intuitive." 

Why we love this watch:

A watch that is not helpful, yes, some people will not understand the meaning. And yes, there are watches that are more efficient, but this watch gives a moment of wonder and recognition - the watch embodies art and poetry. In addition, it is elegant and simple and as Coco Chanel said, "simplicity is the key to true elegance".

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Technical data

Rado works with durable, scratch-resistant materials and focuses on clear forms. The flowing forms of the True Thinline with scratch-resistant high-tech ceramic and the monobloc construction served as a model. Above the white dial is a white sapphire crystal with a matt effect. The monochrome look is completed by white hour and minute hands, a transparent Rado logo and a matching colour high-tech ceramic bracelet.

The ceramic case is 5 mm thick and 39 mm in diameter. The titanium case back has a sapphire crystal engraved with the words "STILLNESS Lidewij Edelkoort SINCE 2020". The watch case is made of recycled plastic and can be used as a travel case. It is accompanied by a card holder made of black cardboard. Instructions for use have been omitted in favour of a QR code.

About Lidewij Edelkoort 

Lidewij Edelkoort is a trend researcher, publicist, philanthropist, educator and exhibition curator. Her company Trend Union provides tools for designers, weavers and strategists in companies worldwide. Her Anti_Fashion Manifesto, published in 2015, caused a sensation, in which she revealed for the first time the changes and upheavals that characterise today's fashion industry. She is the Dean of Hybrid Design at Parsons School of Design in New York, for which she created the "Textile Master" and the New York Textile Month festival held every September. Edelkoort has been named one of the most influential figures in the fashion industry by TIME Magazine and Business of Fashion and is widely regarded as one of the people who are making a significant impact on contemporary design. Her thought-provoking, increasingly popular writings and podcasts show her growing importance as a design icon and environmental activist.

www.edelkoort.com 

Rado True Thinline Stillness, designed by Li Edelkoort - 2.020,00 €

©Rado

Find out more

www.rado.com