konstantin grcic designs hexagonal ROKU watch for issey miyake

issey miyake watch has teamed up with renowned german designer konstantin grcic on roku, a minimalist timepiece that stands out with its hexagonal shape. ‘ROKU draws upon the correlation between two geometries: a hexagon and a circle,’ says grcic. ‘the six-sided watch case relates to the 12 hours chronometry. the round dial resembles the circular movement of time. two strong shapes that interplay with each other. just like the notion of time: the continuous passing of hours/minutes/seconds on the one hand, the punctuation of certain events on the other.’

ROKU by konstantin grcic for issey miyake watch features a sleek, timeless design. available in black and silver, its minimalist appearance is enhanced once you start carefully examining its details. first, the hexagonal shape recalls different nature elements like a honeycomb or snow crystals, both recalling time and detail. then, the dial’s circle which expresses the flow of passing time and finally the triangular indices and hands which indicate precision.

‘in the japanese culture, form is often charged with symbolic meaning,’ grcic continues. ‘when I proposed my design for a hexagonal watch, we had long discussions about its reasoning. I have to admit that my decision for the hexagon was a rather subjective choice, a shape that fitted my idea of the watch. to retrace a deeper meaning into the design brought me closer to an understanding of the japanese mentality.’

‘I see ROKU as a unisex watch that will attract males and females alike,’ he concludes. ‘I expect that those, who choose to be wearing the watch, do it for two reasons: first, because they like the object, or rather think that the object suits them. and second, because it is a good watch. users will appreciate the careful considerations that went into the manufacturing and functionality of the watch. for me, ROKU merges elegance and beauty with pure function.’

project info:

name: roku

type: timepiece

designed by: konstantin grcic

designed for: issey miyake

glass material: hardlex
case size: outside diameter: 39.7mm x 41.7mm, thickness: 8.9 mm
caliber: vj21
functions: indication (hour/minute/second)
accuracy: ±20 seconds/month
battery life: approximately 3 years sb-ag（sr621sw）
water resistance: 5 bar