Hasta La Ideas

Stainless steel, ceramic, gold, titanium and plastic: these are the five materials that go into making the casing of nearly every watch on the planet, be it a Swatch, Rolex or Patek Philippe. A little repetitive, no?

Designer Dzmitry Samal evidently thought so and decided to break the mold, so to speak, by crafting a watch made from the same stuff that’s at the heart of our cities: concrete. Taking the urban theme one step further, Samal shaped the hands to resemble various tiny towers while also coupling the watch to a black rubber strap, imprinted on the inside with map-evocative pattern. Both case designs, one heptagonal and the other D-shaped, combine smooth outer edges with sharp geometric cuts and unusual symmetry that to achieve a rugged yet casual feel. And, unlike typical porous concrete, the watch wards off water to 5 ATM (50 meters), protecting the Swiss quartz chronograph movement that lies behind the sapphire crystal glass and concrete face.

With each of the 8 models limited to 100 or 150 production units, better move quick if you fancy strapping one to your wrist later this year (ships in November). Learn more at Dzmitry Samal’s website—starting at roughly $1200.

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