It’s all the rage to go retro… but sometimes we like to go ancient. Face it, everything about the sundial is cool. Has it ever occurred to you that you could wear one as a watch? Not only is this idea totally hip, but the watch runs on solar power, so there’s never any winding or battery wear.
Instructables user gkapriel came up with a new take on the timepieces that trace their origins back to the shadow clocks in ancient Egyptian astronomy and Babylonian astronomy, circa 1500 BC. Shadow clocks evolved further from there in the hands of the Greeks, who refined the technology into the sundial.
Now, with the Sundial Watch Collection, Instructables user gkapriel has taken refining the sundial to another level, combining it with a beautiful artistic design and 3D printing. This is more than just a shared design file for 3D printing. Gkapriel has come up with an entire collection of sundial watches for you to make. The result is stunning, and you may just decide you need all four styles.
“The Sundial Watch focuses your attention on light and shadow, developing a relationship with the sun and a more fluid perception of time,” according to gkapriel.
The collection features:
- The Adventurer
- The Classic
- The Sport
- The Traveler
The watch band and moving hinges, according to gkapriel, “were slightly offset with a gap, while the black text was Boolean subtracted from the solid watch body. This is important when preparing the file for a 3D print.”
Gkapriel used a resin-based Objet 3D printer, with each style featuring a flexible material in the watchband, and hard material for the watch body. If you don’t have a 3D printer, never fear as you can use a service like Shapeways to have your watches printed.
Do you know how to create or read a sundial? Are you going to download this design? Tell us about it in the 3D Printed Sundial Watch forum at 3DPB.com. Check out some more design views, and a video of the sundial watches in action, too!