Submariner

This simple stainless steel tool-watch was built and designed from the inside out.

Its outward appearance, which some might call 'design', was simply the result of everything it needed to contain to be useful for the task at hand.

A simple black dial with contrasting tritium markers for maximum readability. Dots on the hours, rectangles at three, six and nine, a single triangle at twelve. A waterproof case and screw-down crown enclose the durable, workhorse movement. The stainless steel bracelet and black rotating bezel hug the wrist and set the time for your daily dive into the Mediterranean. Nothing unnecessary, nothing frivolous, added for aesthetics alone. Just a carefully placed crown, for the informed observer's eye. How it's made, and what it's made of, is the design itself.

That, and iterations. Years of microscopic iterations, carried out with only perfection in mind. Allegedly, it takes Rolex more than a year to build one.

Why this post, in what's essentially an architectural journal? Because we couldn't explain our philosophy better than through this analogy. There's a thin line between over- and under-doing it and the beauty lives exactly on that line.

As the years went by, the lean original was replaced by a bigger 'wrist presence', case, crown, bezel and markers all bolder, without adding any intrinsic value. Some claim they were functional improvements. But really?

This 'design bloat' slowly creeping in reminds us to keep coming back to the drawing table, to refine, revise, cut and slice our daily design decisions.

Ad infinitum.

Photo & Credits: Submariner by Rolex SA, photography by Hodinkee.