TIME FROM VIENNA
The Vienna based international art trading company lichterloh and award-winning watch designer Fredi Brodmann - who moved to New York in 1987 - have created a wrist watch resembling the NORMALZEIT Cube Clock in memory of 1907, when the NORMALZEIT city clocks were first introduced. A limited edition of 1,907 watches has been produced, numbered from 0001 to 1,907 and was first presented to the American public at the recent New York International Contemporary Furniture Fair (ICFF) in May 2015.
LICHTERLOH CHASING DESIGN ICONS
In the 1990s, Dagmar Moser, Christof Stein and Philipp Markus Pernhaupt committed themselves to international design at lichterloh. The specialist team, which is also a member of the Wien Product group, has been trading well-known products, but also objects by entirely unknown designers ever since. Moreover, the trio has created its very own furniture line and has been focusing on Austrian Design. Lichterloh’s reputation of being at the right place and time in their quest for design originals has long preceeded them. The same rings true for the day, when the City of Vienna decided to demount and replace all Cube Clocks by new ones in 2007, lichterloh spontaneously purchased the clocks along with all mark rights. At the 20-Year anniversary of their business, in 2011, the team started putting the Vienna Cube Clock at the centre of attention again, e.g. as an interior design tool like a hip bar table. Now they have even gone a step further presenting a NORMALZEIT wrist watch.
WATCH DESIGNER WITH MORE THAN A TOUCH OF CULT
Lichterloh was assisted by award-winning watch designer Fredi Brodmann. Born in Vienna, the New Yorker has grown from a graphic designer and cartoonist into one of the US’ most wanted watch designers within three decades. Among his list of designs causing a stir are the watches for the US Military branches and an homage chronometer in Beatles fashion, on which the four boys from Liverpool stroll over an Abbey Road style clock face. The numbers were replaced by zebra crossings. His NORMALZEIT watch is a globally unique quality wrist watch from Austria.
IDEA BORN AT FAIR
The ICFF is one of the largest and most important fairs for furniture and living accessories with more than 500 design labels from 30 countries exhibiting. Already these figures make the ICFF a worthy stage for the world premiere of the NORMALZEIT wrist watch. However, it was actually also where the entire project idea was born: In 2014, lichterloh co-partner Christof Stein and designer Fredi Brodmann first met at the fair and the Vienna Cube Clock, which was displayed at the Wien Products/lichterloh stand, immediately caught Brodmann’s attention. The greeting from his Austrian birth place was ground-breaking for the wrist watch project.
Available at MoMA Design Store, WEMPE, AARON FABER GALLERY & NEUE GALERIE, New York City. MSRP $500.
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