Rorschach watch evolves into futuristic LED version.

Posted on by

Design submitted by Sam from Germany.

Sam says: The Rorschach LED watch concept is a more technical approach to the topic of symmetric symbols. While the Rorschach Epaper watch looks to the past, the LED watch concept looks to the future.

I gave the numbers and the watch a sharp and edgy style and the symmetry does its own part to let the design get through your eyes right into your brain.

Again there are three different display modes. The normal mode shows the numbers with a simple reflection. In cryptic mode the segments extend until they meet another number. This isn’t done with every segment – there is a balance between the cryptic connections and remaining readability. Segments that end up in air either extend alot more or they recieve a dot just to add some variety to the display. More such dots could be used as indicators for date and alarm, similar to the Epaper watch. Once you mastered the cryptic display mode, you can proceed. In mental mode I am using the numbers from my Volt LED watch concept, where I kept away the middle segments of the digits. Mixing these numbers with the number style of the cryptic display mode creates very different displays throughout the day. The combination of added conncections and removed segments creates some nice confusing little artworks.

I’d wish this watch to have an animation mode, letting the display illuminate from time to time, showing off the mix of machine code and tribal symbols impressing present people with future stuff. But being off should still mean looking cool of course.

So this is the Rorschach LED watch concept.

44 thoughts on “Rorschach watch evolves into futuristic LED version.”

  1. Excellent! I love the new futuristic/tribal numerals.

    I can see you have gone into great detail to map out the individual segments needed to build every combination – impressive! I have tagged this as LCD/LED hybrid because I assume that would be the screen type. In which case it would be always-on in LCD & light up with LED similar to watches like Rogue or OTO. Was that your thinking?
    Alternatively, TFT screen might be a possibility.

    Like

    • Hi Toky! Thanks for posting and for leaving a comment!

      I thought about using LEDs. That would be quite an amount though but that wouldn’t stop me from dreaming hehe. A TFT… I thought it would be too expensive. But then the watch can be programmed with more than one display style. But a multiwatch is a different concept. Oh oh, a multiwatch with many fanbased displays. Maybe 0.5% commision then for each of them? Just thinking. LCD/LED like OTO sounds like an alternative. I’d wish a mirror LCD then. Or a negative LCD, having everything black except the numbers. But there is the risk of not being seen properly when the light’s not optimal. Always on is a big plus. Actually I like the effect of having an interesting shaped watch and then it gets lit up, like the Xtal. I also thought about epaper but here I wanted something different. Hm, many ways to translate the idea.

      Like

  3. I really wanted the rorschach but it didn’t have recharging capability and I didn’t have the dough…

    This looks absolutely fantastic, refreshing the rorschach but making it futuristic. I would pick it up in a heartbeat. Hope this becomes reality!

    Like

    • Thank you for the comment!

      The Rorschach lasts quite a while because it only spends energy when the display changes. If you use the sleeping mode when you sleep too, you save even more energy. The LED version should be rechargable if it where real.

      Like

  4. I have the black Rorschach and boy is it an attention getter. One of this new design will be all of that and more!!. Let’s hope it gets to production.

    Like

    • First I read “seeker” and not “getter” and thought aww, seeking is not getting. I’m glad it gets noticed ๐Ÿ™‚ Thanks for the comment!

      Like

  6. Looks awesome – alien and a little evil!

    I have the retro brown leather Rorschach, which is one of my favourite watches – I wear it almost every day. The only thing I don’t like about is that it is seriously difficult to adjust the time/ date/ alarm. Apart from this, it’s probably one of the best TF watches, IMO.

    Cheers, and good luck!
    5y

    Like

    • Oh ya, I see the evil part too now ^^

      Seeting the Rorschach takes a bit due to the refreshing of the display. Hopefully you don’t work in different timezones throughout the week ๐Ÿ˜‰ The Rorschach definitely stands out.

      Thanks a lot for the support DZ!

      Like

  7. Clean and stylish; check.

    Great display design; check.

    Makeable and wantable; check.

    Nothing new here then…=)

    Great work as always, Sam. My only real gripe is that the steel buckle doesn’t seem to fit the style of the rest of the watch, but that’s a detail.

    Somehow, though, making a variation on a watch that’s already been put into production seems either a little bit like showboating or slightly like cheating, I can’t quite decide which…=) Best of luck!

    Like

    • what anders said ^

      nicely presented, the 3D renders looks awesome. i look at the quality of the concept stages as being just as important as the actual watch. it shows effort levels and commitment to your own creation.

      i agree that the strap could do with matching the rest of the design. never the less its still a beautiful looking strap and it doesn’t affect the appeal.

      origianlly i thought Sam was the designer of the rorschach watch ๐Ÿ˜› i thought this was just a new version haha.

      Like

      • For the record; my comment wasn’t about the strap (which I think works very well), it’s only the buckle itself that I’m not quite friends with. IMHO, a flat black angular-look metal buckle echoing the case would be a better fit.

        Like

      • Hehe, maybe it becomes another version – the futuristic one. I’m not sure if I cause more confusion when I say, the Rorschach got made based on my concept ๐Ÿ™‚ Oh yeah, commitment is true. It took a while trying around before I thought this version is a worthy successor. Thank you Lewis for the constructive and nice comment!

        Like

    • Yah, I see what you mean about the buckle. Something black and edgy should be there. My mind was travelling when I made it ๐Ÿ™‚

      Oh we had some bloggers offering alternatives or improvements to existing watches. I’m just going a step further and say it’s the next generation. It’s so far away from the original, the original stays untouched. Showboating is fun when it comes unplanned. I’m not sure about the cheating ๐Ÿ˜›

      Thanks for the interesting comment and the support!

      Like

      • Don’t sweat it, nobody’s perfect…=)

        Rorschach: TNG? Hey, why not; it worked for Star Trek…=)

        Glad to see you’re not taking my comment too seriously, it wasn’t intended to be.

        Like

  8. I thought that Rorschach E-ink / E-paper was crazy but brilliant. However Rorschach LED is just totally insanely but extremely awesome. Hopefully this will make a excellent partner to the current E-ink / E-paper Version of Rorschach.

    Like

    • “Insane” is a welcome compliment here! “Partner” is a nice term, a coexistence sounds better than successor. Thanks for the insight Andrew!

      Like

  10. Very nice looking peice of kit, very stealthy even tho its looks quite chunky, fantastic images and presentation (as usual ๐Ÿ˜‰ ) My only issue is that it makes less conceptual sense than the original, the paper like theme made more sense as there was a link to the original inspiration. Would they have LED ink blots in the future to test crazy people? But then I think it looks awesome so franky who gives a rats behind? lol Nice work sir 5/Y ๐Ÿ˜€

    Like

    • Yes yes LED ink blots in the future!! I do see your point though. Making it epaper again would have been to close to the original. Maybe… oh wait! Epaper plus a color foil… hi Toky, colored epaper! Or letting the white parts be UV-active. That would illuminate them via blacklight. Things possible. Aside from this, this concept is an evolution so the sense can be hidden stronger ๐Ÿ˜‰ Pete, thanks for the honest and nice words and the support!

      Like

      • A quick thought: a ‘sandblasted’ plastic layer on top of the LEDs to diffuse the light a bit and make the display look more blotchy?

        Like

      • Same thought here! In the beginning I wanted the numbers to be blotchy. Also back then for the original Rorschach I experimented with blurring the numbers. For this particular watch design here, with the sharp edges, I chose the sharp and edgy style for the numers. If I’d picked a more soft and rubbery geometry (like the Collider / XtalV) the numbers really should somehow melt together.

        Like

      • I like the sharp and edgy numbers, they suit the futuristic and edgy look. We will assume in the future wasting trees by making paper is strickly forbidden and the Rorschach test has to be digital.
        The UV-active idea sounds nice, black-light backlignt and glowy numbers would be cool. ๐Ÿ˜€

        Like

  12. Excellent design Sam!! I feel like a nice smooth metal strap would be more suited to this (but thats just my own personal taste and in no way a criticism on your choice of leather strap. This would be great if you could change the colours also a la Adjust simply because all the colour choices look sweet!
    5Y

    Like

    • Oh color changing would be great too. Maybe that’s too expensive then. The amount of LEDs would be hard to handle already I believe. Toky also made a metal strap for the Rorschach because some people feel more like mmm leather and other more like ooo metal – would work too. Thanks for the compliment, the personal insight and the support!!

      Like

  13. Stunning, as usual. I never thought I’d want 2 versions of the same watch, but you’ve proved me wrong! I went for the white e-paper original, as I thought this looked the most appropriate (like paper), so a black futuristic version would be great too.
    I love the mental mode, but think the Rorschach look is retained better in the cryptic mode with the pattern connecting through all the numbers. Both look great though, so I’d probably use both.
    Not sure which I prefer, LCD always on or one to activate – I thought the former when I read the TF comments, but it would depend on the appearance of the watch when off.
    Definitely 5*/Y from me and I hope TF turn this one around as quickly as the original ๐Ÿ™‚

    Like

    • Hi Nev! Thanks for your thoughts – nice to read. ANd thanks for the support! I see what you mean about the mental mode, being a bit to fragmentary. I’m glad because I wished for more single little islands like when you have an ink splat. The original Rorschach idea is just a part of the concept this time. I felt like getting as much away as possible from the original while still showing, it evolved from it. Was quite a nice time experimenting. If LCD, it has to follow the… let me make up a new term… “2-meter-rule”. If the watch looks good in a distance of 2 meters, it’s great. Epaper, always sharp, always good contrast, always readable (if you know how, otherwise mind melting), always eyecatching. LED, when on, bam – eyes toasted โค When off, the watch alone has to be cool. LCD, tough. Can be good, can be unspectacular.

      Like

  14. Haben will!
    I really do like this concept and I wish it gets real! Unfortunately, it is quite expensive to import Tokyoflassh watches to Germany, but you should know about his as well, Samukun ๐Ÿ˜›
    It looks so modern (could be from TRON) and still has this antique flair of the rorschach v1!

    Like

    • Thanks for the comment Danos ^^ Yep, the Zollbehรถrde always wants to mess up with our purchases .__. I lke the Tron association hehe.

      Like

  16. I…
    Would buy this…

    This is an awesome design.
    I might have trouble trying to read the time though xD
    I think in my case it might be easier for me to read the time if the hours was read from the top left and the minutes were read from the bottom right.
    I don’t mind flexible straps but I really like the metallic bands

    Would you consider using solar panels around the outside of the led display for charging from light sources?
    I think that’d be a cool thing to put in.

    I definately want this to be created and I hope that they’ll have a light blue or turquoise up for light selection (or even be able to choose between multiple) and be able to choose between felixble strap and metal band ๐Ÿ˜€

    Best of luck getting this created

    Like

    • Oh and if this get’s created remind them to add some kind of battery low warning or something haha
      I heard that someone had issues with the Xtal and not knowing when to charge it. (ใ€ใ‚œใƒญใ‚œ)ใ€

      Like

    • Hi Camo, thank you for the comments!

      The deal with the number placement is, making it cryptic on purpose so the very first numbers should be unreadable. Buuuuuuut, with the LED layout up there, different modes with different number placements are possible, so everyone could pic one’s favorite.

      Yah, metal would rock ๐Ÿ™‚

      I had a solar-cell-all-around-the-wrist-concept once. If possible, yes please.

      If Toky makes the watch, the would take care of having multiple variations. Something to dream of.

      Implementing a battery status might be the most functional idea in ages hehe. Good one ^^

      Like

  17. I’m unsure about this one: I prefer the “always on screen” featured on the original but I like the red LED’s & the “random” animation idea. I like the lense.

    Like

Comments are closed.