Anicorn Watches' "Hidden Time" collaborative chameleon

The third Kickstarter from Anicorn Watches marks the start of an ambitious new around-the-world collaborative journey. The “Trio of Time” campaign will take Anicorn co-founders Joe Kwan and Chris Chan to cities chosen by Kickstarter backers where the pair will collaborate with a local artist on a new timepiece. First stop: Seoul, South Korea.

Korean artist Jiwoong Jung created “Hidden Time” to “naturally hide passing time.” The hour hand is a rotating disc with a gradient that turns to reveal the white hour numerals printed on the glass above in Dinamo Typefaces “Favorit” font. Each hour appears as the dark end of the design passes under it, and slowly disappears as the gradient rotates back to white. A simple black or white stick marks the minutes.

Jung was inspired by the way a chameleon hides by matching its surroundings.

While the contrast between the white hours and the black background is probably very easy to see, there will be times when the minute hand disappears within the matching section of the hour disc. Some further contrast on the minute hand might have prevented that shortcoming.

The simple lug-less case is a unisex 39 mm. Powered by a decent Swiss Ronda Caliber 515 quartz, the Hidden Hour comes in three flavors: black, rose gold, and silver. The leather watch strap gives you three more options: midnight, coffee, and white, with Anicorn’s smart docking system for quick style swaps. The unique work of art is a relative bargain at $129 for super early birds. ttt-watches.com

Anicorn Watches Hidden Time

Price: $129USD (Super Early Bird)
Who’s it for? You’ve run out of places to put modern art.
Would I wear it? It’s a cool spin on time-telling and a bargain to have the perfect piece for my next artsy outing.

What I’d change? Prevent the minute handing from hiding with a bright pop of color.
Standout feature? Gradient hour disc hides the time it isn’t telling.

Tech Specs from Anicorn