Times Past

In the futuristic world of Japanese product design, watchmaker Haruo Suekichi is an unabashed Luddite. His handcrafted, one-of-a-kind timepieces hark back to the rudimentary mechanics of the Victorian era. Bulbous watch faces show hands ticktocking around miniature globes; others, crafted of delicate wiring, tremble like mechanical insects. One watch is designed to fit on a thumb, another to be strapped on easily by a one-armed man.

Borrowed from animé and manga, Suekichi's style is labeled "steampunk" and draws visual inspiration from a steam-powered epoch, when amateurs fashioned fabulous machines for all kinds of purposes. In a tucked-away workshop, that's exactly what Suekichi does — working with old parts, he crafts watches one might imagine being worn by characters in a Jules Verne novel. Some 6,000 have been sold in the past 12 years — a very respectable figure, considering the amount one unhurried artisan can produce, and a demonstration of Suekichi's ability to imagine everyday objects afresh.

For details of available models and store locations, contact Suekichi's Tokyo-based distributor on tel: (81-3) 3460 3223.