sou fujimoto designs moon-glazed sapphire crystal timepiece for citizen

sou fujimoto designs moon-glazed sapphire crystal timepiece for citizen
all images courtesy of citizen

citizen asked architect sou fujimoto to merge craftsmanship with timeless, simple design for the ‘L ambiluna’ watch for women. revealed at baselworld 2016, it ditches ostentatious details in favor of simplicity, reflecting fine watchmaking and challenges conventional definitions of luxury. 

‘time is invisible to the human eye,’ explains sou fujimoto. ‘that very invisibility gives time its infinite richness. light, too, has neither shape nor form. but in its flickering transience we feel time pass. can we mechanise time and make it visible, while still retaining its essential invisibility? can a watch give form to light and make us “feel” Time through its shimmering glow? in seeking to create a new way of “feeling” time, somewhere between the visible and the invisible, I delved deep into the nature of time and light, creating this watch, with its hands that move amid half-transparent light like subtle premonitions.’

the citizen ‘L ambiluna’

the word ‘ambiluna’ is derived from two elements – ambient and lunar. together they evoke natural influences for the moon-sapphire crystal used for the watch face. under the concept of absolute illumination, sou fujimoto combined two conflicting elements into the watch through the use of light and design. the sapphire glass surface is frosted on purpose so that the wearer does not so much read, but feel the time. each watch features ‘eco-drive’, citizen’s latest technology that powers using any light source. 

the case is constructed from ‘super titanium’, which uses citizen’s proprietary surface hardening technology resulting in a watch that is five times harder than stainless steel. the material is also lightweight and gentle on the skin.  the ‘L ambiluna’ will have the option of coming with two different straps – ‘nishijin’ and ‘urushi drop’. the ’nishijin’ is a delicate sheen material that complements the case design. ‘urushi drop’ is a unique bangle bracelet model with a traditional japenese lacqueriware. 

the ‘L ambiluna’ with the ‘urushi drop’ bangle bracelet