BigBang: A Timepiece Tribute to Steampunk

Fuqing Ye and Dongheng Wang's Innovative Watch Design Wins Silver A' Design Award

The BigBang watch breaks away from the traditional flat and monolithic design of watches, instead featuring a multi-layer overlapping design within the dial that presents a layered three-dimensional space. The incorporation of elements such as rudder-shaped hands, gear dials, and connecting rods is a tribute to the steampunk aesthetic.

What sets the BigBang watches apart is their unique black and gold dial with a hollow window on the right side. This innovative feature transforms the movement of the minute hand from a circular motion to a vertical motion, visually representing the passage of time. The 24-hour dial is large enough for easy reading, and the designers have strictly controlled the thickness, height, and length of each layer's hand, ensuring proper space and well-coordinated hands.

The realization of this design required meticulous attention to detail. The designers repeatedly adjusted the space-interspersed design of the multi-layer dial and hands, and the sapphire glass was coated on both sides to enhance the dial's transparency. The material's hardness is second only to diamond, providing robust protection for the dial. The Swiss Super-LumiNova luminous system ensures easy reading at night, and the watch's 50M water-resistance makes it suitable for daily use.

The design process was not without its challenges. The designers had to find a way to effectively express the passage of time, as the traditional circular motion didn't provide the desired impact. After trying various methods, they finally chose the masking method. Additionally, developing a reasonable interspersed multi-layer dial and hands required numerous tests and adjustments.

The BigBang watch was designed in China between October 2017 and April 2018, with the final design completed in April 2019. The watches were officially launched in the Chinese market in June 2019. The design was awarded Silver in the A' Jewelry, Eyewear, and Watch Design Award in 2021, a prestigious accolade rewarding top-of-the-line, creative, and professionally remarkable designs that illustrate outstanding expertise and innovation.