What and How:
My main project for the semester is the diver watch style wall clock. I have been very interested in mechanical watches for a while now and among all the styles of mechanical watches I dig the diver watches the most. Nowadays the watch market is not only filled with big name brands but also with small brands with interesting designs, so I always thought it would be fun if I can spend some time to design my own watch just like what the small watch brands are doing. Anyway, I decided to take the opportunity of the Aesthetics of Design class and make my own wall clock since the scale is bigger hence easier to make. Although it’s a clock I wanted it to have the aesthetics of a dive watch.
Initial design sketch:
The Solidworks model was then made based on the sketch.
The main parts of my wall clock include a dial, a quartz movement with hands, casing, and background LED lighting.
Dial:
I used a acrylic sheet for making the dial. The dial and the hour marks were laser cut at the ITLL. I spent $7 on the laser cutter course and $14 for the acrylic sheet at my local Home Depot.
Quartz movement:
Powered by 1 AA battery, got it from amazon.com. $8
Casing:
The casing was 3D printed at ITLL. The whole process took 11 hours. I got the 3D printing ink from my buddy Peilin Yang for free.
LED backlight:
String lights bought from amazon.com $10
Finally the assembly:
Link to presentation:
10 Comments. Leave new
You kept this very minimalist and it looks great! The LEDs could have lit up a bit more but it’s definitely hard to work with light through acrylic.
Your build looks nice an professional. Even though it is quite simple, the parts come together to form a good looking timepiece. Did you encounter any large problems during your project?
I love the way this came out. It looks very professional and really carries across the aesthetic of the diver hand watch that you were looking to replicate. It is very simple yet an elegant addition to a room. While I like the red casing, I think that it would even more take on that hand watch look if you reprinted the casing with a dial on the side and spray painted it either silver or gold.
cool project and very well presented. liked the leds as they added a cool element to the project. good job
Well Done! I liked the idea and the aesthetic you came up with! The clock with the LEDs looks great. I would hang it in somewhere far from a light source like a window.
This came out really well! I think a few more coats of paint would definitely help the light from bleeding through the face of the clock. It really looks good!
Shen, I liked seeing the assembly process and can’t wait to see this at expo. The finished product and video of the clock running was very cool.
I agree with Shalil, I think the LEDs add a really cool element that works well with your aesthetic. The final product looks really nice, despite the obstacles you had designing and manufacturing. Good job!
The final product turned out well and the aesthetic is well represented in it. I like the addition of the LEDs. It really makes the final product pop. Great job!
This is so neat! I’m excited to see what it looks like at Expo! I really like your minimalist aesthetic, with the simple rectangles and circles.