QLOCKTWO® advocates telling time in words
Big things come from small beginnings, they say, and true enough, German designer duo Marco Biegert and Andreas Funk realised that an abandoned idea can get them global success
Friends since childhood – this is what Marco and Andreas are to each other. The two creative artists grew up together in a small town called Schwaebisch Gmünd in Germany, went to school together, and even put up the design firm BIEGERT & FUNK together in 1999. The emerging internet turned out to be the ideal booster and soon the company was offering web- and print-related services, design and advertising concepts, growing to 20 employees.
In 2009, alongside the day-to-day business that they do at the design firm Marco and Andreas committed to developing their long-time idea. Today, they are renowned as the award-winning inventors of the word clock QLOCKTWO® which runs under the principle of displaying time in words. In 2014, the QLOCKTWO® received four design awards, including the iF Product Design Award, the GOOD DESIGN Award and the Plus X Award for functionality and design.
The QLOCKTWO® started with a wall clock that displays the minutes between each five-minute interval – through four LEDs in the corners of the square clock. The design contains the words necessary to describe the hours and five-minute intervals. Now, the range has expanded to watches, a decorative table clock with alarm as well as the "QLOCKTWO® LARGE" that comes in an impressive size of 90 x 90 cm. The products are available in 19 languages including Chinese, Arabic, Swiss and French, as well as many colours and materials for the front plates up to fashionable rusted sheet steel or noble gold leaf. Upon special request, unique models with the time in words principle are manufactured, like the monumental 5 x 5 meter large and 5.5 tons heavy QLOCKTWO® "Gamundia" at the Schwäbisch Gmünd train station.
In his recent visit to Dubai, “Day & Night” magazine caught up with Marco Biegert at En Vogue, a famous interior design destination in Jumeirah that distributes the QLOCKTWO®, and he shared a few thoughts about the growing company.
What inspired the two of you in coming up with this fascinating idea?
Almost ten years ago, we thought it must be possible to display time with words. But like some idea, we just dismissed it. We constantly go back to the thought, though, and in 2009, we said we’re going to do it. It took us almost three years to develop since we were working with our design firm. Now, all of our employees are focused in the growing QLOCKTWO®.
How did you start your distribution globally?
Initially, it was a side project. We never intended to go big. But, a Swiss distributor who had long experience in watchmaking influenced us to go to Basel. At that time, I was not aware about Baselword. So after a few weeks, we packed our bags and went to the watch fair. The next year, we were given a small booth, and the rest was history.
How has been the feedback to the product especially the wristwatch?
The customers find it amazing because the principle of time in words doesn’t matter whether you put it on the wall, table or in your wrist. More than telling time, it becomes an accessory that tells time in a calmer way – there are no hands that hunt you through the day.
