TIME IN YOUR LANGUAGE...

The elegant ZEITMETER makes it possible to display the time in words, in various languages and on one metre in length. Completely made in Switzerland, this stylish invention is a tribute to both language and design. It is a wonderful piece of daily-life poetry, empowered by a reduction to the essential.

We carry the time with us constantly, on our wrist, in our mobile, on our laptop – but how do we actually perceive it? After years of tinkering and refining, the ZEITMETER was born: a watch that is utterly different and yet places the focus on the essentials.

Instead of using hands, like an analogue watch, or numbers, like the digital counterpart, the time is displayed in spoken language. The idea came to Adrian Hauser when his fatherin-law, the ‘Oertlipreis award’-winning Romanic language expert and linguist Chasper Pult, suggested creating a ‘Romanic clock’. Thus began the passion project.

In 2019, the first three prototypes in the Romanic dialects Vallader, Puter and Sursilvan were presented to the world. As the first

Romanic language/text clock on the market, this innovative design statement is a contribution to the preservation of the Romanic language, which is an important cultural asset of Switzerland.

The unmistakable, simple yet beautiful design comes from Cristoffel Bonorand, who developed it further to its current form with Adrian Hauser. Today, the elegant clock is also available in 12 languages – the typical phrases of each language are combined with silent precision displayed in a five-minute rhythm. Regardless of the language, the time is displayed without line breaks.

The ZEITMETER was not only developed in Switzerland but is also handmade there. This encapsulates 276 LED lights, 138 characters, an analogue-digital interior made with a 3D printer, and much more for each watch. This handcraft pays off – the result is an elegant and high-quality eye-catcher, now with cult status. www.zeitmeter.ch

AVAILABLE LANGUAGES:

• Rumantsch Vallader – LANSEL

• Rumauntsch Puter – CARATSCH

• Romontsch Sursilvan – MUOTH

• Rumantsch Surmiran – LOZZA

• Deutsch (West-/Ost-) – RILKE

• Züritüütsch – EGLI

• Bärndütsch – GFELLER

• Baseldytsch – BLASIUS

• Italiano – LEOPARDI

• Français – APOLLINAIRE

• English (British-/American-) – BROWNING

• Espagñol – EL MANCO

• Suomi – CANTH