Pocket-watch, wrist-watch, finger-watch? Is this the evolutionary path for time-telling devices? The team behind The Ring Clock hopes so, and has launched a crowdfunding campaign to bring the idea to market.
Despite this being an era where most of us are carrying a mobile phone, dedicated timepieces haven't died out. In fact, there appears to be a healthy demand out there for innovative, unusual and expensive watches and the Ring Clock is the latest to enter the fray.
As its name suggests, The Ring Clock is a watch that you wear as a ring rather than a bracelet. It was originally designed in 2011 by Gusztav Szikszai as part of a competition to create a product that was impossible to make now, but may be feasible in 10 years. Given that the The Ring Clock is becoming reality just two years later, it might already be ahead of its time.
The final product is a chunky stainless steel finger ring made up of an inner ring and an outer ring. The outer ring has three distinct bands on it; the top one has the 24-hour clock markings, the second has minute markings, and the third has dots showing the seconds ticking away.
The Ring Clock sits on your finger in an inert state until you spin the outside ring, at which point the time is revealed by the correct numbers lighting up with LEDs. This keeps battery use to a minimum, which, as the battery only lasts two hours before needing to be recharged via its Qi wireless power charger pad, is a good thing. The battery also only has a lifespan of three years, and is not replaceable.
The team behind the Ring Clock is seeking US$287,000 from crowdfunding advocates on Indiegogo to make the watch a reality. The basic pledge is $195 for a single Ring Clock, with $15 extra added for shipping outside the UK. Currently the designers say a conceptual model has been completed and if all goes well, the first batch will be delivered to backers in April 2014.
The video pitch for The Ring Clock can be seen below.
Source: Indiegogo
