KUWAI HANA

WATCH CASE YUGEN 3-000

This is a case designed to hold three watches. At the same time, it is also a small sculpture. The surface is not covered by a silver-like coating, but by a layer created from genuine silver. Countless lines run across this silver surface. In some places, they curve gently; in others, they intersect sharply; and in still others, they form deep valleys that swallow the light. It is not a uniform mirror finish. Nor is it a completely rough surface.

By allowing areas that strongly reflect light and areas that sink into shadow to coexist on a single surface, silver transforms from a mere “color” into an entity that embraces light itself. With every change in viewing angle, areas that were once bright grow dark, and lines that lay in darkness suddenly glow.

An object that should be stationary begins to move as the viewer moves.

This embodies the philosophy of UNDULATION. The “undulation” that UNDULATION has explored is not merely about depicting the shape of waves. It encompasses light, time, matter, and human perception. Things in existence do not possess a single, fixed form; rather, they constantly reveal different facets depending on their relationship with their surroundings. Michel & Carigo have translated this concept into products for everyday use. The result is this YUGEN WATCH CASE.

YUGEN—Mystical Subtlety.

Rather than revealing everything clearly, it is about making the viewer sense something unseen lying beyond what is visible. On the surface of the silver, there are neither specific landscapes nor predetermined images. Yet, some may see waves. Others may see the wind.Others might see rock faces, geological strata, or even traces of some unknown life form. However, there is no need to pin these perceptions down to a single meaning. This is because what YUGEN seeks to create is not an “answer,” but rather the space for interpretation that arises within the viewer.

And when you open the lid, this object transforms into a tool for protecting three watches. Closed, it’s art. Open, it’s a product. But there’s no need to separate the two. Michel & Carigo’s goal isn’t simply to “bring” art into everyday life.

To create a state in which art is present within everyday life from the very beginning.

It’s not something you can only encounter by going to an art museum, nor is it something you appreciate only on special occasions.

In the morning, when I choose my watch.
At night, when I put that watch back.
When I casually walk past the display case.

Each time this happens, the silver reflects the surrounding light, revealing a different expression. The very act of using it transforms into the act of viewing the artwork. And within each of the three clocks, a different time accumulates.

Where I wore it.
Time spent with someone.
A day I’ll never forget.

Outside the vessel that holds those three moments in time, the silver captures only the light of that instant, constantly creating new images. A clock that marks the past and silver that continuously reflects the light of the present. These two elements come together inside a single small box.

YUGEN WATCH CASE — 3

A container for holding three clocks.
An object designed to safeguard three times.

And in everyday life, a work of art that constantly changes its form whenever it catches the light.

Michel & Carigo
To create a state where art exists within everyday life from the very beginning.

That is what we consider to be furniture.