The ‘Apple’ watch every designer will love (and hate)

I don’t know about you, but looking at this watch instantly stresses me out. The MacOS-like spinning beach ball couched inside a steal watchcase provokes a Pavlovian response produced by countless hours of lost work after Premiere or Photoshop had left me hanging till the inevitable Force Quit command.

Triggering your computer freeze PTSD was precisely the objective of designer Joe Kwan, cofounder of wacky watch company Anicorn Watches, which created the Spinning Beach Ball watch. “The intention behind the design is to provide a playful and lighthearted solution to a common issue faced by designers: the accidental loss of unsaved work,” Kwan tells me via email.

The watch is definitely a timepiece, but Kwan says it can also serve as a reminder to designers (to every creator, really) to save their work. “[It’s] a practical tool that designers can carry with them throughout their day, helping them stay organized and avoid potential setbacks,” he says.

The watch face’s spinning ball is protected by mineral glass. Behind it, a Japanese Miyota 2025 Quartz movement keeps it ticking. The case is crafted from 316L stainless steel, measuring 39.0mm in diameter and 9.0mm in height, with water resistance of up to 5ATM, which means it can go in a pool but don’t take it for a deep dive.

To get the infamous spinning beach ball effect, Kwan designed the face to attach to a rotating bearing. The ball face spins when you move your hand, without any power consumption. “When there is movement on the wrist or ‘shaking’ the watch, the ball starts to spin [on its own],” he says.

The Spinning Beach Ball watch is yet another entry in Anicorn’s The Trio of Time (TTT) series, which enlists renown designers, artists, and even MoMA, to create “diverse interpretations of time.” Despite its negative connotations, the spinning beach ball is meant to encourage wearers to contemplate time more positively. “Each swirl represents the anticipation of what lies ahead, reminding wearers to embrace the present while looking towards the future,” the website reads. Kwan says that the Spinning Beach Ball watch could serve as a “thoughtful gift for friends or colleagues who work in design-related fields.” Especially those who you don’t really like, I would add.

The Spinning Beach Ball watch is available for preorder now for $230 plus shipping, with delivery in November 2023.