celsius: leDIX

‘leDIX,’ designed by celsius x vi ii

‘leDIX,’ the inaugural creation of french company celsius x vi ii, is both clamshell flip cell phone and tourbillion timepiece, a functional ‘objet d’art’ that seeks, in the words of the designers, to ‘bring emotions back to communication.’ 

four years of research and development have gone into the piece, which costs 300,000 USD and is being produced in two limited edition runs of 18 and 28 pieces respectively.

the watch mechanism is visible on both sides of the open phone

the watch component is actually powered in part by the use of the phone. coined the remontage papillon (butterfly winding), the patented hinge adds with each opening and closing of the phone three hours to the timepiece’s power reserve.

as it is completely mechanical, the watch ticks quietly, offering to phone conversations a subtle backdrop and reminder of time’s passing.

side view of the closed phone

the metal-cased phone is made of brushed titanium, and the watch mechanism, visible on both sides, is equipped with shock absorbers. it represents the union of 600 mechanical parts, including 330 in the watch movement alone.

back of phone with battery

the phone itself comes equipped with a 3.2Mpix camera with flash, bluetooth technology, music and video streaming, and java and basic web browsing capabilities. a single charge of the phone provides over 3.5 hours of talking time, or 240 hours of power when in standby mode.

detail view of the timepiece mechanism

top: detail view of watch face bottom: detail view of watch mechanism