Originally published on metropolis.co.jp on September 2009

Courtesy of Kyouei Design

If we lived in a big hipster warehouse like the one in Jean-Jacques Beineix’s Diva rather than a pokey little 1K apartment, this would totally be our timepiece of choice. Kyouei Design’s Water Clock eschews the standard trappings—you know, things like hands and numerical markings—in favor of a pair of balls, which are rotated by magnets housed in the ceramic base. Place a water-filled plate or cup on top and the balls will move slowly across the surface, magically spelling out the time (red for hours, white for minutes, natch). Not the most precise of instruments, perhaps, but if you wanted precision you’d get a Seiko, right?

Water Clock, ¥25,200. Available at select boutiques and via www.kyouei-ltd.co.jp.