The REAL Tick Tock: Jeweled Art from Watch Parts
NHK World Japan
Zero Waste Life
YouTube
Since ancient times, the Japanese have believed that a life force resides in all creations. – A Zero Waste Life.
In NHK’s series “A Zero Waste Life,” the Tick Tock Art of Ito Naofumi was featured, showing how a watch repair shop, during the pandemic, took old unusable watches, and created works of art – a rebirth of the watch in to a different work, and using creations that would have previously been discarded.
Ito Naofumi, second generation watch maker explains what happened and what has since reinvented the family business.
Used Again
What originally marked time, is no longer a watch. It’s broken, and then a new life is created. Like blowing new life into the parts. “Watches shouldn’t go to waste,” says Naofumi. “I feel that there are many beautiful components in watches. So it’s a waste to simply be thrown away.”
$400 to $2,000
The clockworks that are hidden inside the clock can be used and now placed into the spotlight. As Naofumi says, “So in a sense, they are still ticking.”
When Naofumi took over the watch repair business, it was obvious to him that the watches considered no longer useful to the client would be discarded. And there was no business in that. And business was suffering as people stayed home. Their watches became unnecessary.
So what to do? Naofumi challenged himself to recreate the store so people would choose to come visit.
“I kept thinking about what I should do.” Even if a single gear could survive from an unused watch, this could be something. Watch parts are too good to waste. “What if I turned it into a work of art?” And then customers would come back to look, to look at what their old watch had become.
“It’s abstract, so some people may not see it the way I do,” says Naofumi.
“It’s amazing how I want to make time tick again. I think it’s cool!”
He gives things new shape, giving them new meaning, giving them a new soul. “I think it’s called creating value. However, as a work of art, I think there is such a thing as simply being cool.”
Tap the image here to view the YouTube video of the NHK program!
“This is the crown of the watch. When I am hold it in my hand, I see it spinning.” He uses them as eyeballs, not only giving them new life and new meaning, it gives his inanimate objects new life.
“It’s a highlight,” says Naofumi. “It is still usable, and still has value.”
“If you can get that kind of awareness, to use everything again – zero waste – I think it’s interesting, especially for children.”
“For things that are no longer ‘usable,’ it is great when it gives you an opportunity to pay attention to it once again. I think so.”
