You’ve never seen a watch like this one, because a watch like this has never been attempted before.

Partly because the technology behind the design would have been impossible just a few years ago, but even putting that concern aside, the concept itself is so different from what we’re used to thinking of when we think wristwatch, that it actually carries all the merit – technology be damned.

“A storm can be a violent, destructive natural catastrophe. But at the centre of a swirling storm is a core of calm and quiet – the “eye of the storm.” This watch design was inspired by the eye of the storm. At its centre is a void. The time moves around the void.”

That’s how Yiran Qian, designer of the ‘Eye of the storm’ watch, sees the inspiration behind it. The balance between the minimalistic, fully black shape, and the shocking but calming void at its center does indeed remind of a storm, and it won him the ‘design concept 2010’ red dot award. It also makes one wonder how contemplating a naturally violent and overpowering event would culminate in such peaceful design.

But how does it actually display time? A button, when pressed, illuminates the frame – which in this case is the whole body of the watch – with two lines. Short and stocky for the hour hand, long and thin for the minute line.

Elegant, beautiful, and saves a lot of material and labor.