KUWAI HANA

YUGEN 10-000 Watch Case

Watch Case for 10 Watches This is not merely a case for storing watches . It is a small architectural structure designed to hold time itself. Michel & Carigo aims to liberate art from its role as something to be merely admired and bring it into everyday life.

“YUGEN” is a category born from “UNDULATION.” The luster, undulations, flowing lines, and intricately overlapping shadows that appear on its surface were not designed as a uniform form from the outset. Its appearance constantly changes depending on where the light falls, the viewing angle, and the surrounding environment. We have translated this design philosophy into a single watch case.The silver case is marked by undulations that suggest something is constantly flowing through what should be a static material. In some areas, it resembles waves; in others, geological strata; and in still others, the skin of an unknown life form. However, there is no need to identify a specific shape within it.

This is because YUGEN is not concerned with clearly explaining “what something is,” but rather with evoking a sensation—one that has yet to be named—in the viewer’s consciousness. When you open the case, a world of deep black emerges, standing in stark contrast to the bold, dramatic design on the outside.

The interior is entirely lined with black crocodile leather and designed to hold ten watches, each in its own separate compartment. The warmth of the wood, the tranquility of the black leather, the subtle sheen of the metal fittings—and the metallic luster of the YUGEN logo adorning the exterior. Different textures coexist within a single box. A watch is a truly mysterious object.

We cannot see time itself. All we can see are the “traces of time” indicated by the movement of the hands and the changing numbers. YUGEN, too, does not directly depict the invisible; rather, it seeks to convey a sense of its existence through light, reflections, and the texture of materials. That is precisely why the act of placing a watch inside this case takes on a meaning that goes beyond mere storage.

Ten clocks.
Ten different times.
And one YUGEN that envelops them all.

What Michel & Carigo propose is not simply a combination of the two realms of “ART” and “PRODUCT.” Can a functional object become art without losing its function? And can art exist outside of museums and galleries, right within our everyday lives? This watch case is one answer to those questions.

No two pieces share the exact same expression. The contours etched into the surface and the light they reflect change with every passing moment. This uniqueness stands in direct contrast to the “uniformity” traditionally sought in industrial products. Rather than simply owning it, one spends time with it. While it serves as a case to protect the watch, it is also an object that continues to exist alongside time.

YUGEN 10-000 Watch Case

Bringing art into everyday life. Turning everyday life back into art.
What Michel & Carigo are creating exists in a place where those boundaries have vanished.