Kudos to Hyungsoo Kim for coming up with the idea and designing a watch for the visually impaired. They are equally appropriate for people who just want something tactile rather than visual.įrom our perspective, Eone watches are on an entirely different plane. Strap colours include black, tan, brown, yellow, crimson, and several shades of grey.Įone Bradley watches make an ideal gift for both the visually impaired and seniors who may have trouble looking at traditional watches due to cataracts or other visual problems. Cases are either black or titanium silver, with some in the latter category featuring white faces with contrasting hour indicators. Straps are either match or leather.įor the style conscious, Eone offers a variety of colours that can be mixed and matched. Case choices include stainless steel, titanium, and a hybrid case with both materials. But the Bradley is also tough and hard wearing. It is, thanks to a state-of-the-art quartz movement and solid mechanics. You would expect a watch like the Eone Bradley to be designed for accurate timekeeping. This is truly an all-in-one package for telling time regardless of your visual acuity. Not only is the Eone Bradley an outstanding timepiece for the visually impaired, but its design is thoughtful enough that sighted people actually love this brand too. With the Eone, you can discreetly get the time even if you are not visually impaired.Įone should be commended for what they've done here. The actual face of the watch includes raised indicators allowing you to actually feel the time. A second rotates along the outside edge to indicate the hour. One of the ball bearings rotates around the top of the watch to tell you the minutes. Eone replaces those hands with two ball bearings. The Eone Bradley is an amazing wristwatch that dispenses with the old analogue paradigm featuring an hour, minute, and second hands. Still, none of them compare to what Eone has done. Other watch manufacturers can brag about their revolutionary technology. This gave Kim an idea: visually impaired consumers need a wristwatch that doesn't draw attention to them They need a watch that is tactile. Kim had a visually impaired classmate who would whisper to a sighted friend asking for the time rather than interrupt a lecture with his talking watch. That is exactly what Eone inventor and founder Hyungsoo Kim discovered as a student at MIT. The regular retail model for this watch – when paired with a mesh stainless steel strap – goes for only $315 UDS.What would you do if your vision were impaired enough that you couldn't use a normal watch? You could choose to buy a digital watch with audio capabilities, but having your watch speak to you could be distracting in some environments. In fact, I think that specifically designing the watch for the visually impaired has made them even more aesthetically pleasing for the average consumer.Īdding to the appeal is that the Bradley is very affordable. While the idea behind these watches was intended to help out those with visual impairments, these watches do not sacrifice anything in the looks department. The 40mm titanium case is not large by any means, but it has sufficient surface area so that users can also get an accurate feel for the dial and thus be able to tell the time simply through touch. One track goes around the center of the watch face to indicate the minutes, while the other track goes around the outside circumference of the case to indicate the hour. Instead of hands, two magnetized ball bearings travel around the watch face in two recessed tracks. A triangular marker indicates 12, elongated lines mark 3, 6, and 9 o’clock, while shorter line segments make up the rest of the hour markers. It features raised hour markers with a smooth mirrored finish that allow the wearer to feel the time by touch. The watch is distinctly minimalist in design. The company’s signature timepiece, the Bradley is a sleek and modern timepiece that the wearer can both touch and see to tell time. They are forced to choose between imprecise and usually unstylish tactile watches, or instead opt for talking watches that tell the user – and everyone in the vicinity – what time it is.Īfter consultations with designers and individuals with vision impairments – and bankrolled by a highly successful crowd funding campaign - the Bradley was born. He first came up with the idea to develop a new watch when he realized that people that are visually impaired don’t have much choice in terms of ways to tell the time. The company was stared by Hyungsoo Kim, a graduate student at the highly respected Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Yes, their models look distinctly different from your average timepiece, but the venture has a nice social purpose behind it as well. The young company has developed a modern and affordable timepiece that the wearer can both touch and see to tell time.Įone is not your typical watchmaker.
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