Welcome to Talking Points, a series that looks at what makes certain products worth talking about, brought to you by Gear Patrol Studios.
For some, a watch can be a simple way to avoid looking at your smartphone. You can leave the house with the tick-tock confidence of knowing exactly what time it is, without battering your way through distracting alerts or notifications.
But for others, even a standard watch might be enough to pollute your uninterrupted leisure time. Luckily for those who really, truly believe in unplugging; Projects Watches has you covered.
The company’s new Albers Collection centers around three gorgeous watches that feature dials inspired by paintings, and are free of numerals. The result? Simple, sub-$200 timepieces that promise to never stress you out.
Projects WatchesThe Backstory
Projects Watches: In Collaboration with the Josef & Anni Albers Foundation
This collection marks an official partnership between Projects Watches and the Josef & Anni Albers Foundation. For those unfamiliar, Anni and Josef Albers were pioneering 20th century artists whose work, writing and teaching transformed the way that people see color, and the processes of making art.
The Albers were key contributors to the Bauhaus movement, and taught at the School of Bauhaus for over a decade. After leaving Germany they continued to teach at North Carolina’s Black Mountain College, before eventually moving to New York City. There, Anni became the very first woman (and the first textile artist) to have a solo exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art.
Considering the artists’ collective impact on history, the Josef & Anni Albers Foundation was the perfect partner for Projects Watches, which focuses on making “wearable works of art made for creators, by creators.”
The Gist
The Albers Collection: Three Beautiful Timepieces
The collection includes three watches: the Persistent, 1925 and Wide Light.
They were inspired by Josef Albers’ 1962 painting series, “Homage to the Square,” and Anni Albers’ “Wallhanging, 1925.”
The face of each watch interprets these works with a laser-cut stack of different colors that have been layered to create a 3D effect. For Persistent and Wide Light, small hour and minute hands have been added in white, with a second hand in green or pale blue.
For 1925, the team selected color blocks from the original tapestry to recreate, and use to tell the time. Red is used for the hours, blue for the minutes and yellow for the seconds.
Our POV
These Are the Kinds of Watches You Can Live Your Best Life In
Some collectors love a large, ultra-legible timepiece while others gravitate towards chunky metal bracelets and sparkling metal cases. Then there are those who will always love a simple, thoughtful watch.
So for those who need a piece they can pair with a more intentional outfit, or wear on a long, meandering walk, consider Projects Watches’ Albers Collection.
Inspired by artists, and made for artists, collectors and every kind of creative in between, these are the kinds of watches that make time slow down, and let you linger around the best parts of your day.
Price: $149 – $199