On Kickstarter: Jacopo Dondi Watches

New brands are always exciting to find; hopefully they will have something original and different to offer that may not be seen elsewhere. The people behind Jacopo Dondi thought they had an original design for their first piece, and were quite surprised to find that it had been around for some time. The idea of having one hand to tell time around a 24 hour dial is not a new innovation, but it is also not a commonly seen design for a watch. After some consideration, the team decided that while not new, it was rare enough to continue with their one handed 24 hour watch.

The name of the brand, Jacopo Dondi, comes from research the owners did into one handed watches. Jacopo de’Dondi was a clock maker in the 1300’s who was commissioned to create a clock for the Torre Dell’Orologio in Italy. The original clock he built contained a one hand 24 hour dial design. Today a replica of the clock, built in 1423, still stands in the same place as the original, which was destroyed in a fire.

The team behind Jacopo Dondi are hoping their single handed watch will help people visualize not just the time, but where they are in their day. The mid-day point, 12 o’clock, is located at the top of the dial as is common for traditional 12 hour dials; of course that places midnight at the bottom of the dial. Jacopo Dondi feels this is a natural flow for the dial and could have an uplifting effect. Telling time on the watch is a simplified task: rather than down to the minute markers the time is marked more casually in ten minute increments. The hours are indicated by numerals 1 – 24 and markers for 10, 20, 30, 40 and 50 minutes past each hour. The 30 minute markers are given more emphasis.

The Jacopo Dondi will come in a few different variations all sharing the same specs. The dial is in either white or black and each can come on a leather strap or a rubber strap. The case itself is 316L stainless steel with measurements of 42mm in diameter, 8 mm thick, 20mm lugs and features a mineral crystal. The movement inside is the Swiss made Ronda 515.24h quartz movement.

The Jacopo Dondi Kickstarter is currently running, set to end Friday, August 12th, 2016 5:00 AM PDT. The goal the brand is seeking is $50,000 AUD ($37,362 USD). The price to get into this one hand, 24 hour watch starts at $140 AUD; approximately $105 USD. You can view the Kickstarter campaign or the Jacopo Dondi website for additional information.