Après Music is Math, l’artiste russe Tatiana Plakhova a fait une série intitulée « Orbital Mechanics » dans laquelle elle retranscrit de manière très graphique des formes circulaires s’apparentant à des globes terrestres, atlas et au système solaire. Un série complète à découvrir dans la suite.
by HODINKEE Some seriously complicated watches have been unveiled recently—and we’re not just talking perpetual calendars and minute repeaters. We’re talking about entirely novel ways to count and tell time by utilizing new power systems, integrating liquids with mechanics and combining existing complications…
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United by one-track minds focused on horological innovation, MB&F and URWERK recently teamed up on a new experimental project to bend the boundaries of timepiece engineering. Project C3H5N3O9—the molecular formula for nitroglycerine, so Nitro for short—introduces the first fruit of its labor, Experiment ZR012, a limited-edition watch unlike anything…
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Rapid prototyping and Kevlar construction underscore a line of handmade skis
Based out of Park City, Utah RAMP Sports (AKA “Riders Artists Musicians Project”) has just released a line of skis using next-generation rapid prototyping and vacuum molding to create their boards. Their modern equipment has allowed them to create unique molds and build prototypes in record time by making…
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Herd your own laser-cut cardboard mechanical menagerie
Using the same tab-and-slot construction technique as classic balsa wood airplanes, Kinetic Creatures start as flat-packed, laser-cut cardboard and transform into the impressive mechanical Rory the Rhino, Geno the Giraffe or Elly the Elephant. The DIY animals were conceived by Portland, Oregon-based visual arts teacher Alyssa Hamel and industrial designer Lucas Ainsworth, who were interested in encouraging youth to “be builders, thinkers and inventors”. After four years of research and design, the duo are launching a Kickstarter campaign today with the goal of raising enough funds to make the project possible while keeping the production local and sustainable.
As a project with educational roots, Kinetic Creatures require hand assembly and move by either a hand-cranked wire handle or an optional electric gear kit. The intuitively-assembled kit consists of little more than laser-cut wooden gears and a battery-operated on/off switch that fits in the open back of each animal, showing off all the moving parts for a basic lesson in mechanics.
To learn more about the project or to support this clever blend of art and science head to the Kinetic Creatures’ Kickstarter. At this point donations are the only route to getting your own animal, so for $30 you can score your own Elly the Elephant or Rory the Rhino, while $40 buys Geno the Giraffe and $90 or more gets you all three critters for your own moving menagerie.
Swedish brands collaborate in watchmaking
Choosing for its name the acronym for “Transforming the Industry of Watches”, Stockholm-based TRIWA sets itself up as a plucky brand of self-proclaimed leaders in their field. The still relatively young brand has evolved from a plastic-dominated offering to a strong line of crisply designed, reasonably priced timepieces and this Spring, TRIWA debuts its latest model, an affordable up-market collaboration with Swedish haberdashery Herr Judit that marks the company’s first automatic-winding model.
Last year the company contacted Herr Judit founder Christian Quaglia to collaborate after seeing one of his previous joint efforts. “I didn’t really know much about TRIWA just that it did plastic watches in different colors,” explains Quaglia whose primary condition to the project was that the piece would have to be done properly if it was to be done at all.
“Eventually we met for a little chat and to discuss what they had in mind. I unveiled my idea—or, rather, outlined my personal demand—that we create a mechanical timepiece. A real watch, not battery driven as with TRIWA’s other previous offerings,” says Quaglia.
The parties started from scratch, and Quaglia worked closely with one of TRIWA’s designers to lift source material and images to give the watch its 1940s grounding and visual references. “The collaboration was much easier than I had feared and we soon began to realize our shared ideas really intuitively and naturally,” he says.
Together they created a distinct piece with a classic tortoise-like acetate face and modern stainless steel to prevent premature dating. The backplate is transparent to reveal the mechanical movement, which is shielded partially by a leather band from Tärnsjö—the same region responsible for the watch’s movement.
TRIWA & Herr Judit Automatic was released in a limited run, numbered 1-200 and available online for $375.
How a breed of obsessive mechanics and craftsmen are turning out vintage-inspired modern automobiles
The resurgence of handcrafted objects has spread from fashion to electronics to spirits—you can listen to vinyl LPs while wearing reissued Levi’s 1947 501s and sipping small-batch local bourbon in almost any city in America—but bespoke craft has largely eluded the auto industry. Sure, you can’t throw a rock in a mall parking lot without hitting a retro-inspired muscle car, and some manufacturers have made bolt-on aftermarket “customization” as easy as assembling an IKEA bookshelf, but theoretically, something can only be so unique when it’s being mass-produced for global distribution. On the other hand, vintage models give rise to safety concerns and lack the power of modern technology.
Thankfully, there is an emerging middle ground between the unique excitement of a vintage machine and the reliability of a modern one. More commonly seen in motorcycles that automobiles, a few small companies have emerged in the last few years to fill the gap. These 21st-century coachbuilders offer a product that is custom-built for each owner, a one-of-a-kind piece of drivable art for those who appreciate obsessive craftsmanship.
You’ve probably heard of the DeLorean Motor Company, maker of the legendary DMC-12. The original DMC folded in 1982, but a new DeLorean Motor Company was started in Texas in 1995 to support the 6,000 or so owners of the original cars. The new DeLorean has reached beyond just a parts clearinghouse—for around $60,000 they will build you a brand new deadstock DMC-12. You can keep it stock of course, but DeLorean will happily install satellite radio, iPod interfaces, GPS and Bluetooth for an additional cost. They also offer upgrades to the performance of the engine and suspension, which we’d recommend—the original DMC-12 managed a 0-60 time of about 10.5 seconds, just a bit slower than the 1991 Toyota Corolla. For those of you eager to drive the true car of the future, starting in 2013, customers will be able to order an all-electric version of the DMC-12. A perfect match for your Nike Mags.
If your tastes are more performance-based, and you already own a Porsche 911 in need of some modification, Singer Vehicle Design (SVD) has a proposition for you. Using Cosworth engines and new composite bodies from Aria, Singer re-imagines a customer’s existing 911 into a machine that looks iconic and actually outperforms its modern brethren. SVD collaborates directly with artisans, craftsmen and small manufacturers in Southern California to custom-build each car to the owner’s specifications and intended use.
The classic air-cooled engines can run from a sprightly 300hp touring model all the way up to a 4.0L, 400HP track monster. The interiors are refinished in new leather upholstery and beautifully minimal dashes that match the mechanical excellence under the hood. Bespoke quality comes at a cost, of course—SVD’s recreations will run from $190,000 to more than $300,000, and you still need to supply the original 964-body 911. And while Porsche purists might raise an eyebrow at a modern 911 that looks like it was built in 1971, you’ll be looking at them in your (hand-crafted) rear-view mirror.
By far the most intense of this new breed of bespoke auto craftsmen, ICON began as a Toyota LandCruiser restoration company that quickly shifted into an obsession with building more perfect versions of classic 4 x 4s like the Jeep CJ and Toyota FJ. In fact, ICON’s FJ44 is high on Cool Hunting’s list of vehicles we’d want during the Apocalypse.
The most exciting truck to come from ICON is their newest, the ICON Bronco, a faithful, if burly, reinterpretation of the cult-favorite 1966-77 Ford Broncos. ICON owner Jonathan Ward worked directly with Ford’s rockstar designer Camilo Pardo and Nike and Frog Design to re-imagine one of Ford’s most classic sport utility vehicles.
Utilizing an all-new reproduction Bronco bodyshell from Ford supplier Dynacorn, the ICON Bronco has the handsome good looks of the original, without being cloyingly retro. Under the hood, the Bronco is powered by Ford’s new 5.0L V8 that is currently in the 2012 Mustang GT, doubling the original’s 205HP. Other modern upgrades include a Parrot in-dash stereo running Android, military-grade LED lighting throughout, and a heavy-duty winch hidden in the front bumper. Everywhere you look you find obsessively rebuilt parts, like door lock knobs machined from solid aluminum instead of cheap plastic. About the only complaint we have is the loss of the original gauge design, but we’re nostalgic that way. For an exhaustive look at the making of the ICON Bronco, head over to Car Domain.
These newly reengineered vintage vehicles from DeLorean, Singer Vehicle Design and ICON are an obsessive, loving homage to the halcyon days of automobile production, and offer today’s independent driver exciting alternatives to the status quo of another all-wheel-drive supercar or mass-produced rockhopper. While none of these options come cheap, the amount of skill and labor that goes into making each one can justify the cost as buying more than just another car. Now that Ford is licensing full-body reproductions of their 1960s and ’70s Mustangs, we can only hope that this trend will continue to thrive.
A ceramic overhaul to the classic kitchen grinder
A lot of ingenuity is required to rework a classic. Swiss company Kuhn Rikon recently had in-house designer Philipp Beyeler take on the iconic pepper grinder to create a fun design object informed by contemporary materials and ergonomics. The ratchet mechanism is more intelligent than a traditional twist grinder, and there’s something to be said for a design that brings an element of playfulness to the mundane task of cracking pepper.
The grinder’s personality resembles that of a small creature—a detail that’s enhanced by the ratchet’s chirping sound. We received a green one, which offers a nice pop of color and feels contemporary, but there are more classic colors available to fit any kitchen’s scheme. Made from high-grade ceramic, the grinder can withstand the salt and moisture that erode a metal grinder over time. Ceramic also allows for high precision grinding from powdered dust to coarse chunks.
The Kuhn Rikon Ratchet Grinder is available from Amazon for $20.
City-inspired limited editions from America’s largest retailer of fine luxury watches
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Since its inception as a small family business more than 100 years ago, Tourneau has since established itself as the top purveyor of “the world’s finest selection of watches,” boasting a comprehensive range of luxury brands and styles from contemporary to classic, as well as the world’s largest selection of certified pre-owned watches. The venerable brand continues to forge into the future with the newest limited-edition timepieces of the Tourneau New York Collection.
At once modernistic and timeless, the TNY Collection embodies Tourneau’s expertise and knowledge in a clean contemporary design inspired by the company’s native NYC. The 24-piece collection includes three special editions, the Rush Hour, Bravest and Gotham. Each watch in the trio embodies the extraordinary characteristics of the beloved hub, from its endless hustle to the heroic firefighters who once saved it, to the dark energy of the city that never sleeps.
The all-black special editions each feature a large face with Superluminova luminescent hands and numerals in different colors—Rush Hour’s yellow hands nod to the constant stream of taxis, Bravest goes with fire-engine red and Gotham puts black on black to capture the city’s dynamic nights. They make a bold statement without seeming over the top, with an oversized dial and ultra-slim bezel to enhance the light aesthetic. Beneath their sleek surfaces, the watches rely on 100-percent Swiss-made mechanics with hand-wound movement and a 42-hour power reserve.
The dial on each piece is composed of two separate plates and finishes for the illusion of depth and volume and topped off with sapphire crystals and 24mm black rubber straps with DLC ardillion buckles. Despite the level of luxury, they’re built to withstand the rigor of everyday wear.
The TNY Collection is available exclusively through Tourneau with prices ranging from $1,250 up to $9,800. The special-edition Rush Hour, Bravest and Gotham retail for $2,950. For more information head to one of Tourneau’s 38 stores located across the U.S. or visit Tourneau online.
The throwback cafe racer turns heads and nails the curves along Mulholland
You know the feeling of finding the perfect suit? Any outfit that makes you more confident in everything you do—your steps a little crisper, your handshake a little firmer—is the kind of “feels good, looks good and you know it” experience I had riding the Moto Guzzi V7 Racer over the course of a late-September L.A. weekend.
The V7 Racer is a ode to the original red-frame V7 Sport Telaio Rosso, housing its legendary 90-degree V-twin engine inside the frame, a creation of famed engine designer Giulio Cesare Carcano. It harkens back to the days when racing wasn’t about fully-padded spacesuits and leaning so low your knees touch the ground. It’s a throwback, and design-minded riders are certainly going to love this bike. It’s flat-out beautiful.
Spoke wheels and subtle red metallics that criss-cross throughout the engine interior evoke vintage Grand Prix style and Steve McQueen cruising the streets of Monaco. The Italian V7 Racer has the same kind of wide appeal as the quintessentially-Italian film classic, “La Dolce Vita”—you’ll feel like Marcello Rubini on this thing. The Italian heritage is no accident. Moto Guzzi celebrates its 90th anniversary with the release of the limited-edition racer, which honors the timeless cool of the cafe racer style born from the 1960s European counterculture group, The Rockers, who would “record race” to reach 100 miles per hour before the song playing on the jukebox ended.
Myself, I had Los Angeles as my racetrack. After a morning ride across Hollywood, it was time see what was underneath the looks, and test it in the turns. I took it up to Mulholland Drive—one of my favorite rides for its 30 miles of uninterrupted turns, and a great place to try the speed, handling and brakes of any bike.
It certainly lived up to its racing bike legacy, shining on the curves. I’m over six feet and normally on a new bike, it takes me a few days to get really comfortable with leaning deep into the curve and letting the machine do the work for me as I gas through it. With the V7 racer, I never had that feeling. I was comfortable from the first time I leaned in, making for one of my best Mulholland rides ever. The V7 racer also felt good on a longer, 90-minute drive, carving quickly and easily down the coast from L.A. to Costa Mesa.
Packing just 744 CCs and 45-50 horsepower with a top speed listed at 120 miles per hour, the bike isn’t known for its power. It pops in lower gears but doesn’t have a lot of oomph in the high gears, and it just can’t compete with higher-performance engines. As the bike speeds into the triple digits, there tends to be some rattle in the foot pegs, but that’s just a guess—I would never actually go that fast.
That said, the relative lack of power didn’t interfere with my enjoyment. It’s a racer, meant to champion speed through efficiency and turns, not the long sprint. While some may question the absence of rattle and hum, I preferred the quieter aggressive purr.
This bike is a fantastic ride with good balance, size, power and suspension, as well as a classic cafe racer experience, thanks to the adjustable Bitubo shocks and the front Marzocchi fork. They have a give-and-take that seems to mesh with the road precisely when you need the support.
The handlebar position takes pressure off the wrists and keeps the rider naturally engaged, with the option of leaning forward or sitting more upright. Little flares on both sides of the gas canister fit comfortably against the knees, regardless of a rider’s height.
The number “7” markings on the bike are consistent across the line, a clear and immediate visual tie to the bike’s racing history, but likely one that will polarize riders when it comes to aesthetics. The cafe racer culture always leaned on customization, so I wouldn’t be surprised if people take to their garages to individualize their ride. It remains to be seen whether the company will allow for custom-ordered numbers down the road.
The bike marks somewhat of a renaissance for Moto Guzzi in the U.S. Starting at $9,790, the bike is a damn good buy—if you can get your hands on one. They’re only selling a few of these bad boys, so they’re bound to be a hot ticket. If you’re one of the lucky ones, you’ll get yourself the admiration of passersby, and a solid ride that should meet your expectations.
This is site is run by Sascha Endlicher, M.A., during ungodly late night hours. Wanna know more about him? Connect via Social Media by jumping to about.me/sascha.endlicher.
