Marc Newson’s limited edition hourglass is a mesmerising moment

sands of time

Few hourglasses come with a pedigree like this. Yes, it tells the time – 10 minutes per turn – but that’s where the similarity with all other hourglasses ends. Designed by design wunderkind Marc Newson, this 15cm-tall marvel is made of borosilicate glass, as clear and stronger than crystal. Approximately 1,249,996 ‘nanoballs’ – each 0.66mm in size made from solid stainless steel with a copper coating – occupy the space within.

An updated version of the hourglass Newson created for watch brand Ikepod, the new limited edition Hourglass for Hodinkee is individually handcrafted (and numbered). Shaping it correctly to leave a hole at precisely the right diameter to let a single nanoball through is the most challenging aspect, done so that the rhythm of the ‘grains’ spilling onto the glass below creates a most mesmerising cadence. With only a hundred examples made (US$12,000/RM51,500), this is certainly a unique way to watch time pass by.

Hodinkee