Story

WHAT IS TIME?

From a scientific point of view, time is a physical quantity. Time is recorded and measured. In our society, it has become a quantity that determines the daily routine. The invention of time and its universal recognition has had a central influence on the developmentofhumanculture.

There is a point we call the present. This point seems to shift ceaselessly from the future to the past. It is this flowing of time that is so difficult to grasp. Only language makes time tangible. With it, humans communicate and construct time. QLOCKTWO aims to make the appropriation of time through language vivid.

THE REINVENTION OF TIME

It all started with a simple and ingenious idea: a time display that shows the time as it is spoken. For many years, the two artists Marco Biegert and Andreas Funk worked on this idea in their studio until they finally created the first QLOCKTWO in 2009, an object that fundamentally changed the way time is displayed.

The matrix of 110 apparently randomly arranged letters is the heart of the object. They are assembled into words by the illuminated surface and display the time in five-minute increments. The four luminous dots in the corners of the matrix complete the time display and ensure that the time is displayed to the minute.

FASCINATION QLOCKTWO

The QLOCKTWO immediately captivated its viewers: It was and still is the world‘s most personal form of time display. It shows the time in the native language, even in the form of dialects. Through its individual form of surface design, it expresses the individual taste of the owner. Due to its uniqueness, it is also installed in places where no time display would otherwise be seen.

FROM ART STUDIO TO MANUFACTORY

The great success and the increasing demand made changes indispensable. So it was decided to relocate the manufactory to the neighboring Straßdorf. The vacated premises could now be revived by the artists as an art studio.

PRESERVING THE ART OBJECT

In order to preserve the core as an art object even in a phase of strong growth, Biegert & Funk introduced the CREATOR‘S EDITION. From then on, their frontcovers were refined by artisans, exclusively numbered and provided with the signature of the two artists – making each object unique.

NATIONAL CULTURAL ASSET AND OBJECT OF APPLIED ART

QLOCKTWO brings the time display closer to people. It becomes a friendly companion instead of accelerating life as a hectic driver. It was this revolutionary approach that prompted the Württemberg State Museum in 2018 to add a barely eight-year-old piece of art to its own collection of significant timepieces. This elevated QLOCKTWO to the rank of a national cultural asset. In 2019, the next highlight already followed: through a scientific expertise, QLOCKTWO officially became an object of applied art.

QLOCKTWO IN A NEW DIMENSION

With QLOCKTWO 4TH DIMENSION, the two artists created a timepiece exclusively for the Expo 2020 in Dubai.

The artwork consists of the four layers: stainless steel, platinum, rose gold as well as ruthenium and embodies in its presence the three-dimensional space and time as the fourth dimension. When viewed head-on, time appears clear and unambiguous. If one changes the perspective to a steeper angle, time seems to gradually disappear – until it finally disappears completely.

MERGING TWO WORLDS OF LIFE: BMW|QLOCKTWO

In collaboration with BMW, QLOCKTWO is now also available worldwide as a widget in the BMW iX. This is the first time that our timepiece has set new standards in the field of horology as a digital display in automobiles - and heralds the increasing merging of previously separate worlds of life.

The future of mobility is autonomy. Because of the advent of self-driving vehicles, the car is evolving into a mobile living space. In combination with the artistic time display of QLOCKTWO, the iX becomes an exclusive place of contemplation, an extension of the interior design world. The digital QLOCKTWO will be available in the future for all vehicles with ID8 (BMW User Interface Generation 8).

IT IS ALWAYS NOW

We place great value on producing regionally, engaging locally and conserving resources. Our wooden bodies are manufactured in our joinery. The finishing of the fronts is done in cooperation with regional artisans. Our manufactury and our suppliers are an essential part of the region. For our packaging, we rely on recyclable resources and pure cardboard, thus saving more than five tons of plastic annually.

In our search for an ecological project with local significance, we became aware of orchard meadows. Their biodiversity makes them one of the most important ecosystems in our homeland. In cooperation with the municipal administration, we therefore took over the management of our own meadow orchards in 2020 for the preservation of local biodiversity.

For us, sustainability is not a trend, but an attitude and a principle for action. Because it is always NOW. For people, society and the environment.

A NEW SENSE OF TIME

At QLOCKTWO we work down to the smallest detail to create timepieces with artistic aspirations that fill rooms with their exceptionality, high quality and forward-looking design. The idea of living in the moment and consolidating this conscious experience through the design of time in words touches people. „Art is always created by feelings. Without feelings there is no art!“, says Andreas Funk and thus sums up what QLOCKTWO embodies: A NEW SENSE OF TIME.