Story
Story Vol.3
A Small Clock, A Meaningful Gift
This personal clock is the work of Riki Watanabe, one of Japan’s most celebrated designers. Featuring a relief-style dial and a substantial 7.2 cm depth, its groundbreaking design has been recognized as a masterpiece in the history of Japanese design.
A Small Clock, A Meaningful Gift
The Small Wall Clock by Riki Watanabe, First Released in 1970.
At a time when oversized, ornate wall clocks dominated the gift market, this compact and simple design stood apart as a true innovation. Its refined simplicity earned the admiration of architects and designers alike.
To revive a pioneer of Japan’s personal clocks, this iconic timepiece has been thoughtfully reinterpreted. It retains the charm of the original, from its size and relief-style numerals to its hand-stop mechanism, while benefiting from newly crafted molds and carefully refined design.
The result is the Small Clock: Riki Watanabe Model.
Meticulous Detail, Refined Aura
A Substantial Boby
The most distinctive feature of the Small Clock lies in its three-dimensional numerals. Cast in a single, integrated form, the raised relief creates graceful shadows and resonates with the clock’s substantial body. Although compact, it carries a striking presence.
A Soft Expression
Look closely, and you’ll see how the dial gently curves up to the glass. The relief details, from the index markings to the designer’s signature “Riki” and the carefully chosen numerals, combine with the cylindrical body and subtle rounded arcs throughout to soften the clock’s expression.
A dedicated stand, which was not part of the original 1970 release, has been added, thereby allowing the Small Clock to function beautifully as a tabletop piece in a variety of settings.
While sharp-edged designs can sometimes feel limiting in fit, the Small Clock has universal appeal, thus ensuring that it will be welcomed and cherished for years to come.
Even as our living spaces evolve to become whiter or brighter, the Small Clock will remain perfect at home.
When you hold the Small Clock in your hands and take in its refined aura, you may sense a colorful, elegant, retro-modern charm emanating from it.
Will you pause and listen to the story that the revived Small Clock has to tell?
Riki Watanabe
(1911–2013) Graduated from the Woodwork Department of Tokyo High Polytechnic School. After working as an assistant professor at Tokyo High Polytechnic School and as an assistant in the Forestry Department at Tokyo Imperial University (the existing Tokyo University), he established Japan’s first design office, the RIKI WATANABE Design Office, in 1949. His main focus was the establishment of the Interior Architect Department at Tokyo Molding University, Craft Center Japan, Japan Industrial Designer Association and Japan Designers Committee. He designed the interior decor at the Keio Plaza Hotel, Prince Hotel, etc. and furniture such as the “Himo-Isu (Rope chair)” and “Trii-stool”. Moreover, from wall clocks and watches to a public clock called “Hibiya pole clock” at Dai-ichi Life Holdings in Hibiya district, his work on clocks and watches became his lifework. He received the Milano Triennale Gold Medal in 1957, the Mainichi Industrial Design Prize, Shiju hosho(the Medal of Honor with Purple Ribbon), and many other awards/recognitions. In 2006, the “Riki Watanabe – Innovation of Living Design” exhibition was held at the National Museum of Modern Art.