At Yanko Design, we believe in constantly innovating, creating, and evolving. It’s a philosophy that serves as a lifeline for us, and one of the results of this lifeline is the YD x KeyShot Inspiration Hub! The Inspiration Hub is our ‘ever-expanding encyclopedia’ of design work for you to participate in, to inspire designers, and to get inspired by. Created in collaboration with KeyShot, the Inspiration Hub is your one-stop space for inspiration where designers like you can submit your impressive designs and be awarded to stand out in the crowd and to inspire other like-minded designers.
To kickstart your journey and send some motivation your way, we’ve curated some of our favorite watch designs from the Inspiration Hub. These unique and uber-cool watches will motivate you to create something spectacular and submit the design, as a gateway to sharing it with the best of the design world. Additionally, we will also be picking our favorite Design of the Week, Design of the Month, and Design of the Year – every week, month, and year from the submissions on the Inspiration Hub. Keep an eye on our Instagram page and the Inspiration Hub to see if your design gets picked. Fingers crossed!
Click here to Download KeyShot Pro (Use Code ‘KSYANKOHUB’ during installation for a full Pro + KeyShotWeb trial) to take your sketch from concept to render!
1. Casabo’s Casio Concept
Casio’s reputation in the watch industry is impeccable, and it has impressed us with amazing timepieces amped with mind-blowing form and functionality through the years. Casio’s design language and philosophy have been well-cemented and easily identifiable by now. However, industrial designer Alex Casabo decided to play around with that, but only just a little. Alex Casabo’s stunning translucent watch render is defined by a transparent ice-like dial and a sturdy stark-blue strap. Hints of blue run through the uber-cool watch. Casabo has managed to retain the essence of Casio’s design language, with his own fresh twist.
2. Diesel Hybrid Watch
Elia Pirazzo designed this stunning Diesel hybrid watch to perfectly capture Diesel’s design language and philosophy through the means of a powerful icon. He picked up cues from the watches Diesel created during the 80s and created a contemporary and stylish timepiece that truly reflects Diesel’s vision. The brown leather strap and the navy blue dial deftly complement one another, producing a watch that will elevate the user’s confidence and sense of self.
3. Just Another Watch
Roger Bartra designed what he likes to call ‘Just another Watch’. This quirky little watch is simple and unassuming, and its very simplicity makes it stand out so beautifully. Bartra chose a bright yellow color for the look, and a stark white dial to complement it. The ‘Just another Watch’ lets the true elements of a watch simply shine through you, without any extra or unnecessary bells and tassels. The knobs and buttons on the watch are big and chonky, giving the watch a rather playful aesthetic.
4. Cheong’s Apple Watch Ultra 2022
The Apple Watch is probably one of the most popular smartwatches globally, and it’s not much of a shocker when you consider the number of people you see walking or jogging on the street with their Apple Watch wrapped around their wrists. Apple is constantly innovating on the go, and its Apple Watch Ultra was one of the latest addition to its arsenal of techy goodies. Industrial designer Tommy Cheong designed his version of the Apple Watch Ultra 2022. The watch was crafted with precise attention to detail, which is reflected in the intricate and colorful elements on the screen. He maintained the Ultra’s quintessential strap, hence preserving the look and feel factor of the original Apple Watch Ultra.
5. Focus
This stunning watch is defined by interesting bezels! While manufacturers are trying to banish bezels, Focus by Sam Beaney and Ed Burgess embraces them wholeheartedly. Taking inspiration from traffic signs, particularly the circular ones, the smartwatch uses thick bezels to increase the visual focus of the small screen in the middle. There are no other extra markings around that screen, be it a rotating bezel or even a crown.
6. The Vessel
Called the Vessel, this conceptual watch design by Andrea Mangone turns the charging upside-down. The smartwatch isn’t charged via a charging pad, but it has a charging module that attaches to the smartwatch even when you’re wearing it. It features a pebble-shaped battery that magnetically attaches itself to the face of the smartwatch. It doesn’t charge the smartwatch wirelessly, as you might assume but instead uses pogo pin contacts like those from the early days of smartwatches.
7. The Huawei Watch GT Cyber
Say hello to Huawei’s most ambitious and innovative smartwatch! The watch features a circular face and a detachable dial that pops out of the strap. This allows you to swap the outer body designs in no time. The majestic smartwatch comes with a wide range of straps, that you can switch between, giving your smartwatch the look you’re in the mood for – classy, minimalist, sports, or premium. The Huawei Watch GT Cyber allows you to log your workout with a variety of 100+ sports modes, and GPS tracking lets you keep tabs on your route.
8. Orb
Featuring a contoured watch face, Orb is a concept smartwatch that’s been equipped with all the important features you would expect from a watch – timekeeping, health tracking, real-life notifications, as well as video calling. It is designed by S2Victor Design Studio for people of all age groups since it has a rather optimized size. It’s not too big for users who are young, and nor is it too small for adults. The contoured watch face can be customized with any number of digital dials, but the inherent dial comes with a monochromatic hour and minute hands.
9. The Beads of Time
Say hello to the Beads of Time! This innovative and unusual wristwatch was inspired by an abacus, and it combines an abacus, a digital watch, and a day calendar. Designed by industrial designer Eshaan Kothari, the Beads of Time is the perfect culmination of tradition, technology, and timekeeping. If you’re looking to read the time, the ‘beads’ in the upper row have a value of 5, while the lower row beads are valued at 1. To read the time, all you need to do is see the position of the beads.
10. QLOCKTWO W
This watch by Biegert and Funk requires you to read the time…quite literally! The intriguing watch features a uniform grid of 110 letters. You press the button on its side, which causes some of the letters to light up, and tell you the time! It spells out the time for you. In 2019, the watch won the iF DESIGN AWARD for its unique design. It’s available in two different sizes, making it suitable for all wrist sizes.
Click here to Download KeyShot Pro (Use Code ‘KSYANKOHUB’ during installation for a full Pro + KeyShotWeb trial) to take your sketch from concept to render!