After completion it dawned on me. This is just like glossy gel nails!

The design of this watch (SSQV014), gives it a glossy appearance like that of gel nails. But it was not created with the idea of “Let’s make something with a gel nail feel to it.” The objective was to design a watch unlike anything in the past that had a strong “glossy” and “radiant” look.

To achieve this, first of all the back surface of the translucent base, not the front surface, was coated pink, and on top of this was placed a thin, semi-translucent half-mirror. Then a very fine, uneven texture was added to the upper surface of the dial. Since the light is not reflected from a flat surface but from the uneven surface of the dial, even though the dial surface is, in fact, flat, it appears to have taken on a kind of roundness. It also helps add a feeling of depth. I had really wanted to have the upper surface in curved glass but this was difficult cost-wise, so I used this technique to create an effect that was similar.

The “gel nail” look was not the intended concept, but the finished product abounded in a gel nail-like gloss. Checking into it later, I realized that this structure of “inserting a color (in this case, pink) between highly translucent layers” was very similar to the gel nail approach.

The finishing process that enabled us to make something flat appear spherical no doubt strengthened the gel-nail-like feel. This is because the upper surface of a nail is not flat and has roundness to it. Small watches for women are close in size to fingernails. Various factors came together and this I think gave the watch a strong gel-nail-feel to it.

Aiming to create make-up to enhance the face’s natural features.

At the time when solar watches first appeared, designers were probably thinking, “How do we go about using translucent plastic to make dials that look metal-like?” But from that time on there was an extensive trial and error process, and today the approach is entirely different from then. Today’s approach is, “Let’s fascinate people by using the translucence and allure that only plastic can generate.” In other words, this is like make-up capable of optimizing the “personality you were born with (your natural face).”

It’s interesting to see that there are fashion trends for dial colors just as there are for cosmetics, and these are reflected in the designs. And I think there really are factors in common between what kind of cosmetics you like and what kind of watch dials you prefer. Watches are changed according to time, place and occasion. Just as it’s fun to get all made up and go out, putting on a luxurious watch makes you feel great. If you look at it this way, I think our watches are like our “second faces.” Our job is to figure out how to make that ever so important “face” evolve into something ever more beautiful.