air pressure gauges and mixing consoles inspire the design of otsuka lotec's watch no 8

"The right side of Otsuka Lotec's watch No 8 has a scale that runs from 00 to 60, which the designer calls the Minute Fader. A lever moves along the scale, counting up from zero to 60 minutes, so when it reaches 60, it sweeps back to zero in one motion. This is a retrograde mechanism whose return is controlled by a flywheel, which slows the snap and makes it deliberate."

"Designed by car designer turned independent watchmaker Jiro Katayama, the timepiece design comes with a rotating disk on the dial, which works as a jumping hour indicator. It moves faster than a standard hour hand and sits on one number, then at the top of each hour it snaps forward to the next one."

"There's also a seconds disk sits at the top of the dial of Otsuka Lotec's watch No 8. It rotates in one direction without stopping, so it completes one full revolution every 90 seconds. That is not a standard interval because most second indicators complete a revolution every 60 seconds, and this 90-second cycle is a design decision from Jiro Katayama, showcasing the Minute Fader arm passing through the space between those two layers as it moves."

Otsuka Lotec's No 8 is a timepiece designed by Jiro Katayama, a car designer turned independent watchmaker. The watch features a rotating disk that serves as a jumping hour indicator, moving faster than a standard hand and snapping forward each hour. The right side displays a Minute Fader scale from 00 to 60, with a lever that counts minutes and resets via a retrograde mechanism controlled by a flywheel. A seconds disk at the dial's top completes one revolution every 90 seconds, a deliberate design choice showcasing the Minute Fader's movement between dial layers. The case is stainless steel with satin finish, measuring 10.8mm thick, and features a wraparound sapphire crystal with anti-reflective coating.

Read at designboom | architecture & design magazine