Studio DWAS: it’s time to change time perception

A simple feeling that “we don’t have enough time”, triggered Studio DWAS in 2018 to design 2 timepieces with a simple message: moments matter.

Areas of work and free time are dissolving, which has a clear impact on our social lives. Buying happiness and the drive for status conflict with our need for free time and a healthy work-life balance. Burnout is no longer seen as an excuse to skip work but starts to be an accepted sickness.

The Japanese word Karōshi (過労死) can be translated literally as “overwork death”. The major medical causes of karōshi deaths are heart attack and stroke due to stress and a starvation diet.

Parents with kids are struggling to find a healthy balance between work and their private lives. People are becoming more conscious of their well-being. The amount of “dropouts” from society is rising, leaving behind their previous careers to focus on a simple life sacrificing income for more free time.

Time is a new luxury. It is time. Time to change how we think about time.

Microsoft started a trial project in Japan testing a four-day week with a surprising outcome. The productivity of their employees increased by 40%.

Modern companies offer kindergarten and laundry services knowing that this will reduce conflicts between employers and employees and effectively give the employees more time to focus on the job. A win-win situation.

Time starts to be an interesting topic for Artists, Designers, and poets and is increasingly seen in global trend reports.

Relax Clock by Studio DWAS

A good life for us means being able to enjoy every moment of it. To be able to dream, to let time pass, and to leave time for the unexpected. A good life for us means being able to free ourselves from time pressure, which we all know so well from our busy daily lives.

Would it not be great if time became stretchable, blurry, and undefined, to be able to enjoy the beautiful simplicity of a moment just a bit longer?

With our Relax Clock, we intentionally used an area of frosted glass that barely shows the time to remind people that they can relax best when they are unaware of time.

One unique feature of the 24-hour clock is a glass panel, which is divided into two sections with different surface treatments – clear and frosted. The clear part stands for the working time. The frosted part shows the indicator and numbers barely visible behind the frosted glass surface to remind you that time matters.

The relaxed clock will be part of the exhibition “Time” at Cube Design Museum Holland, from June to November 2020.

Relax Watch by Studio DWAS

We’ve also designed a hand watch with a similar concept. It is a minimal watch, made of the highest quality machined parts and the best available Japanese movement.

The top glass is beautifully blurred, giving you a moment of pause and intention when you need it the most. It reveals only the time you need to know – nothing more.

Both designs are time-made poetry – simple reminders that moments matter. They encourage people to think, pause and consider. Every moment you look for the time is more than just looking at a timepiece.

Take your time to rethink how you want to spend your time.