Tadao Ando brings a fruity minimalism to his first watch

Revered architect Tadao Ando has disseminated his minimalist vision throughout the world. The Japanese octogenarian has also spread his wings to sign off on small-scale projects, including watches. But save for a few exquisite dial designs for Bulgari and a collaboration with Seiko, the Cauny Ando is his first clean slate watch design.

Tadao Ando, born in 1941 in war-torn Osaka, is a remarkably self-taught architect and the quietly spoken doyen of Japanese minimalism. Ando is known for his intense focus on the interplay between light and simple geometric forms – often exhibiting scenographic lines, but how does this translate to the micro-scale of a watch?

This project was initiated by the revived manufacturer Cauny, a legacy Swiss brand now under Portuguese ownership with a collection called The Architects Of Time. Within this portfolio, we find MoMA-stocked watches designed by fellow Pritzker award winners Alvaro Siza and Rafael Moneo, among others, and now Tadao Ando. The watch itself requires careful headline composition as it is a pared-back design inspired by an apple.

Ando-san says: 'This watch reflects the spirit of the green apple – unripe, a little sour, yet full of promise. American Poet Samuel Ullman wrote that youth is not a period of life, but a state of mind: the courage to face difficulty without fear, the resilience to keep dreaming despite setbacks.' The poetically loaded ideas of Tadao Ando are manifested in two versions of what is a watch in its purest sense.

The Cauny Ando has the same clean-slate approach as the Ikepod, the line of Marc Newson-designed wristwear. Here, alongside the minimalism is exhibited the architect’s passionate approach and sense of balance.

From the small crown to the apple leaf-inspired minute hand, each element is a distilled version of the familiar, without sacrificing function for form. The Cauny Ando has a smooth 37.5 or 31.5mm case with a lugless, pebble-round design. A domed dial and sapphire crystal underlines the brand’s emphasis on a durable elegance, with a thin Swiss quartz movement ensuring an understated form that slips under a cuff. The Cauny Ando comes in two variations, with the deliciously fresh green version appearing as the most literal interpretation of Ando-san’s vision. For the more monochromatically inclined, the brushed steel version features a vertically brushed dial, riffing off Tadao Ando’s love of steel and concrete, paired with a stitched black leather strap.