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Thoughts and attitudes toward Kickstarter funded watch projects have shifted pretty dramatically over the years. It used to be incredibly common for microbrands to break on Kickstarter with community funded projects, and indeed some of our favorite brands trace their roots to a Kickstarter campaign. But as the saying goes, one bad apple spoils the bunch, and a very small percentage of opportunists, hype artists, or some combination thereof among the larger group of up and coming watch brands may have helped to contribute to an environment where skepticism about the motives of a brand prevailed over enthusiasm. There are still cool projects on Kickstarter, but it’s no longer the dedicated proving ground it once was, and it has increasingly become a platform for established brands to introduce products that might not fit into their normal catalog or release cycle.
And that’s how we find an unlikely Kickstarter campaign from the Italian brand D1 Milano. They’ve been around since 2013, so they’re hardly new to the watch enthusiast stage, yet find themselves on Kickstarter with a project that is a little outside their usual scope. The Impossible Watch is a collaboration with 3D artist Peter Tarka, and based on a retro-futuristic 3D composition by the artist that is being framed as “technically impossible in its original form.”
I’ll be honest here and say that I’m not sure how “impossible” this idea ever really could have been, as the watch itself is, when you strip it down to brass tacks, relatively straightforward. It’s a rectangular case made of aluminum with colorful dial options and what is essentially a regulator style time telling format. A trio of rotating discs correspond to hours, minutes, and seconds, plus we have a day of the week indicator consisting of seven apertures that are gradually filled in day by day. There’s also a digital readout of the time and date in the lower right corner of the dial that allows the wearer to see all of this information at a glance.
Regardless of possible or impossible the design actually is, it takes nothing away from its visual interest. This is a fun design that I think a lot of people are going to really enjoy (the project has already smashed through its funding goal, so these will be made), and feels pulled from a 1970s sci-fi aesthetic. It’s the kind of thing you could imagine existing on the set of Star Wars, which is certainly not completely original territory, but it’s fun to see another spin on the idea.
There are four variants in total, broken down into two “Studio Editions” and two “Color Editions”. The Studio Edition pieces are White Space and Orange Pulse, which feature white and orange accents, respectively, against a neutral silver dial space. The Color Editions are more adventurous. Black Orbit is giving me Halloween energy, with a blacked out case and bracelet and orange accents peeking through, while Green Dimension is a study in shades of green.
In terms of specs, the case measures 36mm in diameter and 12.55mm thick. The watch runs on what D1 Milano describes as a “custom developed digital movement” that was developed exclusively for this release. Retail pricing for the Studio Editions is set at $495, with the Color Editions coming in at $545. Early bird discounts are of course available for backers, as well as a variety of bundles that feature multiple watches.
More information can be found on the Kickstarter page here.
