Yanko Design - Form Beyond Function

Over the years we’ve covered all sorts of watches, vintage timepieces, minimalist wristwatches, smartwatches, aviator watches, unconventionally modern and luxurious Swiss timepieces, and even one with an actual meteorite dial! However, we haven’t done justice to one particularly stunning style of timepieces. The beautifully bare, skeleton watch.

There’s a certain raw appeal in skeleton watches. While most watches go all out in designing a beautiful dial, encrusting it with rare materials, the skeleton watch relies on a timepiece’s inner mechanical beauty to captivate the wearer. Much like how naked bikes have a gritty/exposed yet appealing allure, the Griffin Emblem Skeleton Automatic watch let’s the automatic Miyota movement on the inside shine through, showcasing its intricate movement in all its glory. The stainless steel casing around the movement sits atop it like a crown would on a king. Encrusted with rubies, the Griffin lion insignia, and lastly a sapphire crystal glass above it all, the watch has luxury along with a layered design that gives the watch a depth that you don’t see too often in other fine timepieces.

The Griffin Emblem watch comes with a unique serial number on it, allowing it to have an identity, and also an engraved name plate, allowing it to be an extension of your own identity. The plate can be customised with either your name, or the name of a special person, or even a birthdate or anniversary date. With a watch that has such an intimate, exposed character, a personal touch just elevates the experience, making the Griffin Emblem Skeleton Watch not just a timepiece to wear, but one to cherish!

Designer: Alain Recuze

Gotta love this triangular twist on the car! Called “Car2Go”, it’s more of a mobile exoskeleton that you can pop in and out of to get from point A to point B. Designed for urban spaces that are feeling the squeeze, it takes up very little space thanks to its ability to “stand up” when parked. In this position, it takes up only a slightly larger space than a large man. This means more room for parking and charging stations and, quite simply, more units available to share!

Designer: Chiaying Lu

If you’ve ever searched for a door handle, you know that despite the overwhelmingly wide selection of styles available, it can be extremely difficult to find one that speaks to your style! With the Ada handle, you can put the finishing touch on your door with a look that’s truly your own.

It’s uniquely framed to accommodate a customized insert made from your favorite fabric, wood, metal, or other material. You can even imprint a logo or name on the insert to define your space as your own! If you’re more into minimal, leave it empty and use it as is.

Designer: Volkan Doğan

Even Thor’s hammer, the Mjolinr, is breakable, but the Ottolock isn’t! While most bike locks or travel locks are made from metal (making them somewhat reliable, but bulky), the Ottolock uses one of the most light yet powerful polymers known to man. Kevlar. The same material used in bulletproof vests, the Kevlar framework of the Ottolock allows it to be lightweight, but virtually indestructible. No amounts of strength can break apart the Ottolock and even cutting tools like shears, or padlock breaking equipment can cut through metal, but not the Ottolock. In fact, here, watch this video of a blowtorch try to melt the Ottolock and fail miserably!

The simple and immortal Ottolock comes in 3 outdoorsy colors, rolls up and fits in your pocket, and weighs under 115 grams. With the ability to lock anything from cycles, to doors, to even your travel gear, the Ottolock is a robber’s worst nightmare!

Designer: OTTO DesignWorks

BUY IT HERE: $55

The Mono Humster concept car has an identity crisis. The construction has a distinct F1 flavor to it with the way the cockpit is designed, and the signature roll structure behind the driver. However, the front end of the car is much wider than traditional Formula 1 cars… in fact it looks to me as if the engine is actually in the front of the rather than behind the diver, as is the case in most F1 automobiles. The car aesthetic definitely looks like a functional hybrid, creating a bridge between hypercars and formula racecars. Either which way, it definitely looks like a mean machine!! Plus… are those rear view mirrors I see?!?

The concept car is a work of fiction, designed for the Humster 3D Car Design and Rendering Competition, 2016.

Designer: Kevin Boulton

According to studies, the risk of contracting Alzheimer’s disease by the time you’ve crossed 75 years of age is as high as 51% in America. There is no current cure for this terrible disease, but there are ways of preventing it or delaying it… if detected in advance.

The ever-amazing spectrometer (remember the phone that has x-ray vision?) proves to be extremely handy in scanning parts of the brain to detect early onset Alzheimer’s disease. The Alzheimer’s Band, envisioned by Brandon Lewandowski puts two spectrometers in a wearable headset that looks like a VR wearable for your brain. The spectrometers rest against your temple, scanning the brain tissue underneath it for anomalies. Imagine the potential for something as low-cost and effective as this being used to save lives! The future could have Alzheimer’s bands capable of detecting not just Alzheimer’s disease, but also cancer, psychological disorders, or even hemorrhage it its early stages, allowing people to prevent diseases rather than cure them!

Designer: Brandon Lewandowski