By Chris Melchior.
Introduction
Welcome to UnconstrainedTime.
This blog post introduces our unusually unique watches, and summarizes:
- what we stand for as a brand,
- how we got to this point,
- how our brand relates to relevant fields,
- what makes us so unique,
- who we are,
- how we plan to develop and launch the brand, sharing that journey with you.
I’ll briefly touch on a lot of different topics in this initial blog post, then go into much greater detail about them in other posts (which will be linked from the relevant sections. Let us know if there’s anything I’ve said here that you want to know more about, and I’ll add the information when I can.
This blog post is about a 7 minute read. If you’d prefer the quick version (which you can read in less than a minute), see our About Us/Our Story page.
Before I get into all the details, since our brand is exceptionally aesthetics-focused . . . what do you think our current range of limited-edition watches?
I’d genuinely like to know what you think (comment below or on our social media).
What we stand for as a brand
It’s obvious from looking at our watches (above) that what we’re doing is different from other watch brands.
We are for the few who choose to celebrate their uniqueness, giving our customers the experience of something truly different, which definitely won’t look like every other watch on the market.
UnconstrainedTime’s radical innovation in creating a simple, minimal time-display with neutral styling, is a significant part of what allows our watch creations to focus primarily on freely chosen aesthetics and personal creative exploration. There’s a definition which applies to a focus on those things:
. . . art.
While the word is often misunderstood or deliberately misused (often by marketing), experts in the authentic definition of art agree on a set of factors which, together, determine whether something is art or not. I look at how some of those factors relate to UnconstrainedTime, on our homepage.
Our brand breaks free from the main factors that influence the aesthetics of almost all existing watches, which are engineering (whether mechanical engineering or recent digital influences) and fine jewellery. To state that more directly, our brand doesn’t originate at all in the traditions that nearly all other watch brands and microbrands are, both by choice and by inevitable sub-conscious influences, evolving from. (The reasons behind that, I’ll detail below). Our time-piece creations present a new starting point, rather than an evolution from existing traditions.
That radically different starting-point allows UnconstrainedTime watches to give our customers the experience of something truly unique, which definitely won’t look like every other watch on the market.
Our creations are visually exceptional, conceptually fascinating, and have an abundance of personality. It will be obvious to anyone who sees you wearing one, that an UnconstrainedTime watch is not mass-produced.
Most of our watches will be available as small limited-editions (or as one-off pieces), with the size of each edition reflecting estimated demand. Each watch will be made as a bespoke item, with the individual buyer choosing their personal preferences from various options (such as the metal the body/case is made from). The unlimited runs which are part of the philosophy of mass-production do not fit with the concepts of what we’re doing and how they relate to use of limited-editions in the fine art world etc.. For more on why some limited edition watches are loved, and others are hated, click here for our blog post about limited-editions.
When you order an UnconstrainedTime limited edition watch in your choice of metal, we make that individual bespoke watch according to your specifications, having the body/case of the watch cast by an artisan foundry. Each time-piece is assembled and finished by hand in the UK by a renowned watchmaker who assembles watches for many very well-regarded British microbrands.
We are a British Brand, and will tell you where each part of each of our watches is made, and specify the country of origin of any precious stones or exotic woods they incorporate. Note that most of the metals which will be used to cast our watches are recycled, so the exact origin of those parts is impossible to determine.
Each of our watches has the purchase protected by a unique secure blockchain certificate of ownership, similar to that used by some of the high-end fashion brands.
Our brand tends to evoke strong reactions, either an intense fascination or zero interest . . . like abstract paintings, some people are passionate about what we’re doing, but we’re definitely not for everyone. What we are doing is too far from accepted conventions for most people, and like anything new, will inevitably be somewhat controversial.
Working with other creators
Part of the concept of art is that it inspires and challenges others to explore new possibilities for themselves . . .
We invite collaborations (very different from conventional watch collaborations) with established artists (from fields including conceptual-art-jewellery, fine art, sculpture, ceramics etc.) to have them produce individual one-off UnconstrainedTime watches as part of their exploration of their own personal creative story and the concepts they are fascinated by.
And we have an open “design competition” (which is really about art, rather than design, of course), where anyone can submit creative ideas.
We are an open and transparent brand. As a microbrand, we encourage you to share and participate in the journey of our development, launch and growth.
Initially you will only be able to purchase our watches via our website. This allows us to offer our unique, individually made, hand-finished British designed watches at exceptionally competitive prices. We plan to get some watches, especially one-offs hand-created by our collaborators, exhibited for sale in fine art galleries, as the brand evolves
Our brand philosophy and small size allows us to be fully committed to offering excellent customer service as well as really listening to our fans.
How we got to this point
About 13 years before UnconstrainedTime launches its first watch, while traveling, I had a dream that showed me the essence of our simple, minimal time-display concept, and an interesting variety of different creative ideas that it facilitated. It was one of those dreams which are so fascinating that I woke briefly in a state of wonder and euphoria at the end of it. I remembered the concepts with great excitement when I woke the next morning, and played with some design ideas in my head over the following few weeks.
Exploring the fascinating implications for myself, I understood how this minimal time-display liberated the most of the space of the time-piece for the free creative expression and personal aesthetic-based exploration that I already loved in my experience in fine art and cutting-edge contemporary music.
There have been several other relatively minimal time-display concepts invented which are ring-shaped, but I’ve not seen any other time-pieces which use the resulting freedom to implement anything which meets the authentic definitions of art or even breaks free of the engineering and fine jewellery influences of conventional watchmaking.
Soon after that I developed a few creative ideas, had some 3D renders made by outsource workers, and loved the results. But I didn’t do much more than that, at the time.
The intervening years have allowed me to develop dramatically as a person, so . . .
In late 2023 I came back to the project, with passionate commitment to getting some of the watch creations developed into physical form and out into the world to be seen and appreciated. As often happens, as soon as I fully committed to that aim, everything fell into place to enable me to move forward with the project (more on that below).
For details on my creative journey as an artist (with some comments about my musical experience as well), see my artist page here.
I had six initial watches rendered realistically in 3D, some based on the old designs, some new, to show examples from the range of aesthetics and influences which our brand can relate to, and showing how most of our watches are available as bespoke orders in a variety of different materials. As the brand evolved towards the launch, I added a seventh watch, which we will be launching with. More details are here about how our watch brand was founded.
How our brand relates to relevant fields
Almost all of the influences on watch design aesthetics until 1972 (when the first digital watch appeared), were from mechanical engineering design and fine jewellery.
Most of the jewellery in the world today is fine jewellery (or the fashion/costume jewellery which imitates it with less expensive materials).
To somewhat over-generalize, fine jewellery is designed by committee, based on the mechanical criteria needed for mass-production, and valued because of the materials it uses (and the brand). Even when the piece is marketed (as some watches are, these days) as “being made by an individual, with artistic influences”, the majority of the real (subconscious) influences are still firmly rooted in mechanical design for mass-production.
In 1972 the digital 7-segment LED display was added as a new system of watch functionality, with some degree of space-age aesthetic influence coming along with it.
Even when a watch looks very different to most timepieces, and uses some different methods of functional engineering (like Devon Watches do), the underlying aesthetic influences are still mainly engineering for mass production, with minor influences from fine jewellery (or occasionally other areas).
Our radically minimal time-display relates to the most ancient origins of horology, when a day was first divided into 12 periods. While we are specifically creating watches, rather than bracelets, linking us to the profound and ongoing significance of time-telling in societies through the ages, we are, arguably, the first watch brand to be based on what can be seen as conceptual art jewellery, breaking free from the engineering and fine jewellery influences of conventional watchmaking.
Conceptual-art-jewellery.
By stark contrast with fine jewellery, what might be called conceptual-art-jewellery (there are various overlapping and somewhat vague terms used in this field), is fundamentally about an individual artist exploring conceptual areas, and their own personal journey, creating unique individual pieces.
Here are some examples of what I call conceptual-art-jewellery:
I’ve also written blog posts going into more detail on the history of watches and their aesthetic influences, a blog post specifically on art jewellery and watchmaking, here.
UnconstrainedTime is part of the fascinating evolution of the arts in general, relating to the development from fine jewellery (with its simple forms and highly polished surfaces) to art jewellery which includes use of much more complex forms and textures, which itself is part of the fascinating (although little known) revolution in the arts which resulted in abstract art and ambient music.
You’ll read more about how UnconstrainedTime relates to these areas, below.
Another relevant and rather interesting area is how the concept of uniqueness has changed through history. This now applies in the watch industry a lot more than it did a generation ago, with enthusiasts being very keen on innovation and consciously moving away from the sameness of mass-production. Uniqueness also relates to the fascinating question . . . are watches art?
Which leads us inevitably to the concept of . . .
Microbrands.
For anyone who doesn’t know, “microbrand watches are wristwatches produced by small, independent watch companies.” (Wikipedia).
The small size and independent nature of microbrands allows them to be much more innovative than the mainstream watch brands, as well as to offer unparalleled value for money. Some of their recent successes align with an industry where right now something truly new is what a lot of the enthusiasts are genuinely craving.
People also love having some personal influence on the brand, which is something that doesn’t happen with the big watch brands controlled by a board of directors focused on profits. If you have an idea for a design, a microbrand might listen to you . . . with UnconstrainedTime one way this can happen is explicit, with our open, ongoing design competition
And we definitely welcome more general feedback on our watches, as well . . . comment on this post, and/or our social media channels, below. Feedback from our fans will be a significant factor in the evolution of our brand, as we learn which of our time-piece creations are most popular, etc.
These areas combine and overlap, and the results are . . .
What makes UnconstrainedTime so unique
When I started creating the small-scale sculptures which became UnconstrainedTime, I didn’t know what a microbrand was, had no training in watch-design, and, to be honest, most conventional-looking watches didn’t appeal to my aesthetic interests.
My training and experience was in fine art, cutting-edge contemporary music, and the concepts they relate to.
It’s unlikely I would have been able to create these watches if I had trained as a watch designer. With such in-depth training, the community which has built up around such a specialism, with all the momentum of it’s long history behind it, comes with a lot of unquestioningly accepted “ways of doing things” (i.e. limitations).
To begin a conventional career in such a space, it’s essential to agree with the way things are, even if those much further along in their career development are allowed to push the boundaries slightly.
Most microbrands have been started by designers who are dedicated enthusiasts of existing watches, and/or trained in conventional watch design. So that’s the basis of their designs (partly subconscious, and all the stronger for it), as they explain on their websites.
Not that we’re saying there’s anything wrong with pushing the envelope of an existing tradition, of course. Some other microbrands produce undeniably beautiful and fascinating watches, and are rightly proud of their obvious relationship to the history of watch design and its functional influences. UnconstrainedTime just happens to have very a different basis, resulting in a new starting-point originating in free creativity and personal exploration, unrelated to conventional watchmaking with its obvious roots in engineering and fine jewellery.
It was only after I’d created UnconstrainedTime watches that I was happy to find out that what I’d manifested has a place in this era, aligning with the independence and creative freedoms of microbrands, the enthusiast’s desire for something genuinely unique, and conceptual-art-jewellery as a personal exploration of concepts and chosen aesthetics (which is the fine-art process).
Our brand arguably presents the first timepieces to be fundamentally based on freely chosen aesthetics rather than originating mainly from the influences implicit in engineering (whether mechanical design or digital time displays) and fine jewellery. I know that is a controversial statement . . . if you disagree, great . . . let’s talk about it . . . share your views in the comments below, or on our social-media channels. As a brand focused on creative exploration, we are fundamentally open to the unknown, and welcome a variety of influences from our fans, even when they are views which are different from our own. It will be exciting to see where this adventure leads us!
It’s hugely encouraging to me, in the development of UnonstrainedTime, how excited enthusiasts are to be getting in on the ground floor of something significant, like the watch and jewellery expert Evan Fry (more about him below), who is now a hugely valuable part of the UnconstrainedTime team.
Our watch creations each use very different aesthetic influences from each another, which is also unusual for a watch brand, but which makes sense with our philosophy of freely chosen creative exploration welcoming input from others as well as the creative obsessions of the founder.
Another first from UnconstrainedTime is that we are, as far as we know, launching with the first ever 3D fractal watch (detail above).There will only be one chance to invest in the first 3D fractal watch in existence, so make sure you subscribe to our Priority List for launch updates as well as getting priority access to behind-the-scenes secrets of our brand.
Who we are
I’m Chris Melchior, the founder of UnconstrainedTime.
Here’s some details about my experiences in the arts . . .
Chris was involved in the arts from an early age, picking up and attempting to play a violin before the age of 1, inspired by his father who played the violin on an amateur basis. Later he was awarded a county scholarship to the Royal College of Music (junior department). By the age of 18 was co-leader (principle) of the foremost youth orchestra in the UK.
Chris was awarded a First Class Honours Degree in Music with Visual Arts from a leading educational establishment in the UK, and is also a leading authority in advanced empirical spirituality.
He created music/soundFX for the computer game Carmageddon (“Game of the year” 1997), a best-selling range of watercolour greetings cards, and was co-founder (creating music and visuals) of a highly regarded production company “White Monkey Trip” specializing in contemporary dance performances at leading London venues.
He was proud to have attained a life-long ambition being one of the only creators in the world writing original dance music live on stage, with his project “Evolutions from the Void.”
Chris enjoys travel experiences, and science-fiction and fantasy novels and movies. He loves the act of creativity and has a deep fascination with the inspirations he gains from a wide variety of aesthetic experiences. More on Chris’s story here.
As soon as I genuinely decided to go ahead with this project, I got the usual serendipity which happens when you’re fully committed to, and thoroughly passionate about, something . . . the right people come along at the right time . . .
After ten years of not doing anything with this project, as soon as I really started to get into it, suddenly, “out of the blue” I got a message from an old school friend saying that his nephew, Evan Fry (left), a young but very knowledgeable watch enthusiast, wanted to look at my UnconstrainedTime watches.
He loved the brand and its concepts, and is now a hugely valuable part of the UnconstrainedTime team, and for him, being an important part of the development of an interesting new microbrand is, in his words: “a dream come true”.
How we plan to develop and launch the brand, sharing that journey with you
Here’s a comment by another microbrand founder: “From the first sketch to the final crowdfunding results, it took us one year. This is fast, as we needed to plan everything from scratch.” (Andrea Furlan, founder of the Furlan Marri microbrand), from this blog post:
We’re planning to do something even more unique . . . starting from scratch, with internal structure which has no basis in existing watch design, as a British solo-founder start-up. This will inevitably take some time to accomplish, with the design of the internal structures and electronic time-display having undergone several stages of evolution by the time I am writing this. See our launch schedule which I will continually update as our development evolves and clarifies.
We’re doing the best we can to launch relatively rapidly mainly because I am so excited about getting our watches manifested in physical form and out into the world!
Like many other microbrands, we will sell directly from our own website, enabling us to set up quickly and give better value to our customers. We are easily reachable on any of our social media platforms or by email. (See near the bottom of this page for details).
Launch preparations
We’ll be continually updating our brand launch schedule, as things develop.
One of the most important things we need to do is, of course, getting the word out to people who will like our watches, and getting feedback as part of our development . . .
You are already involved in influencing the direction of our brand . . .
Just by reading this page, and other pages on this website, you’ve helped influence our brand development, since we will use the statistics of which pages our visitors spend time on, to influence our decisions and the evolution of the brand. Why not take a more active role, and tell us what you think, in the comments to this or other blog posts, or on our social media . . . we’re a microbrand, so we can genuinely listen to your opinions.
We need you, whether you’re a microbrand enthusiast, a watch collector, someone who loves conceptual-art-jewellery or innovative artistic creativity, or someone who just appreciates cool new stuff without caring why it is the way it is. Whoever you are, if you are reading this, we would love your involvement in developing, launching and growing our brand.
To be successful, a start-up brand needs passionate fans (like Evan, who’s now a vital part of our team). We’re genuinely looking forward to your involvement in our journey . . . add your feedback below or on our social-media channels (links below).
Don’t miss our launch!
. . . make sure you subscribe to our Priority List, so you notifications by email when anything changes as well as getting early access to behinds-the-scenes brand secrets.
And, of course, if you know anyone else who might be interested n our brand, let them know!
So . . . as I asked near the beginning of this blog post . . . what do you think our current range of limited-edition watches? We really would love to know (tell us in the comments below or on our social-media channels).
Leave a Reply