Project Overview

The contemporary wristwatch is an amazing feat of engineering, yet it still relies exclusively on sight. The Bradley was created to resolve the challenge of checking the time for those who are vision impaired. Designed in collaboration with the blind, The Bradley allows you to touch and see to check time. Built of solid titanium, time is indicated by two ball bearings: one indicating minutes (top), and one indicating hours (side). These two ball bearings are connected with magnets to a watch movement beneath the watch face. Even if the ball bearings are displaced when touched, the magnets will move the ball bearings back to the correct time with a gentle shake of the wrist.

The Bradley is named after former Navy Officer and Paralympic Gold Medalist, Brad Snyder, who lost his vision from an IED explosion in Afghanistan. Through his actions, Brad is breaking the stereotypes and misconceptions people have towards the blind. He has inspired us with his determination, his work ethic, and most importantly, his attitude.

Like Brad, we’ve thought outside the box to come up with an innovative solution to a big problem. With its beautiful form and exceptional function, our tactile timepiece accommodates both sighted and vision impaired users equally. The Bradley is accessible to everyone, because telling time shouldn’t require sight.

Project Details

When we first set out to create a universal timepiece, we focused on functionality. We wanted to make a product that was accessible to the vision impaired, providing an alternative to the intrusive talking watches and fragile, inaccurate tactile watches currently available.

While talking with people who are vision impaired, we quickly realized that they were as concerned with fashion as they were with function. As we got more feedback from different user groups, we were surprised to find that sighted users were also interested in a timepiece that allowed them the freedom to both see and touch the time.

So in designing our tactile timepiece, we focused on beautiful form and exceptional function, creating an innovative design that maintains a minimalist, modern aesthetic. Staying true to our initial mission, our timepiece accommodates both sighted and vision impaired users equally.

How does our debut timepiece work? Rather than creating yet another wristwatch that requires the user to look at the face, we’ve come up with a creative alternative: a wrist accessory you can touch to determine the time. By touching the titanium face, you can feel the location of the two ball-bearings — and you’ll instantly know how much longer you have to endure that boring meeting.

That’s why we don’t call The Bradley a “watch.” We call it a timepiece because you can tell time without actually looking at—or watching—the face.

Since our work revolves around inclusive and socially conscious design, we wanted that core value to come across in our company name. Pronounced e (like the letter), one (like the number), our name Eone reflects our desire to serve everyone. Not only are our timepieces fashionable for everyone, they’re functional for everyone, too.

Good design should be inclusive, not exclusive. We want to show the watch market and the world that you don’t have to come up with a complicated techie product to be inclusive. By reimagining the basic wristwatch design, we’re demonstrating that simple products, which are often taken for granted, are important to us all and can account for the diverse needs of everyone.

View More Information

• x Website
• ` PDF