BRAUN TIMEPIECES

AND THE GENIUS OF DIETER RAMS 


Throughout the early stages of my retail therapy project a couple of comments were made about my chosen clock design. This was that it was fairly Braun-esque and I should be careful to make sure to not copy from these designs. While I was familiar with many Braun products and designs, I wasn’t quite sure what they meant, but decided to take it as a compliment none the less. They were of course referring to the Braun Travel Desk Clocks of the 1980s. Most specifically the AB1 shown on the left, released in 1987 and designed by Dietrich Lubs. This was based off the earlier design by Dieter Rams from 1984, the AB2 that is shown on the right. So I thought I’d write a little blog about Braun and these clocks.

AB1, 1988
AB2, 1984
I see what they mean. The simple geometric form, the dark backdrop and most importantly the bright coloured hands. I think these clocks are simple and effective. It gives you everything you would want in a desktop clock without being over complicated. It’s clear and easy to read with a simple, bright and elegant font. The hands stand out against the dark background, each with a clear and distinct function. The white tells you the minute and the hour, the yellow is a sweeping seconds hand. The subtle black hand with a slight green accent is for the alarm function, clearly visible to the user but not intrusive so as not to over complicate the clock face. It’s a clear, effective, and user-friendly piece of design. This is a design language that is applied across most Braun timepieces. I would describe it as having the perfect amount going on. Some clocks look clunky and complicated with bizarre controls and some clocks take minimalism too far with a blank backdrop leaving you almost guessing the time, where this gets it just right.

With a legacy spanning decades it is difficult to cover all the great designs that came from Braun over the years. With such a wide range of products, I thought why not focus on timepieces. I think it’s something that people often don’t give much thought to, especially in this modern era with phones making it so easy to check the time. There was a time when Braun were at the forefront of clock design and I think this illustrates well, the vision and design language of the companies lead designer for many years, Dieter Rams. 

While writing a great design blog on Braun and Dieter Rams it is difficult not the mention his ten principles for what he thinks makes great design:

  1. Good design is innovative
  2. Good design makes a product useful
  3. Good design is aesthetic
  4. Good design makes a product understandable
  5. Good design is unobtrusive
  6. Good design is honest
  7. Good design is long-lasting
  8. Good design is thorough down to the last detail
  9. Good design is environmentally-friendly
  10. Good design is as little design as possible

When looking at these clocks you can see this in action. The end product being a functional and innovative product that is easy to use. One that stands the test of time most importantly. You can ask yourself does this clock fit with any one of these principles and I would say the answer is a yes.


Promotional poster for Phase 1-3
The very first of Braun’s range of clocks, the Phase 1 released in 1971, was simple but lacking the functionality and user-friendly nature of products to come. With small numbers on a mechanical rotational system compared to a relatively bulky case, the functionality was lacking. This can be seen to change quickly with the Phase 2, released in 1972, with a bold new design featuring large and distinct numbers that are hard to miss. Advancements in the technology behind the clock allow it to fit into practically the same form factor. Ushering in this era of functional yet elegant products. While looking very much like a product of the time it is still a lovely looking clock that would fit into any modern home. This poster also shows the Phase 3, also released in 1972, with a return to the analogue design that lays the foundations for the AB1.


Funtional, 1975
DN 40, 1976
DN 50, 1979

With the addition of electrical components and displays instead of mechanical components the clocks underwent a drastic redesign with the Functional in 1975. The advancement in technology allowing the form to take a more slimline shape almost blending into the surface it sits on. The DN 40, goes back on this returning to the big and bulky designs with clear easy to read numbers. I do feel like these clock designs have nothing on the previous mechanical versions. With the addition of electrical components, I feel like they lost the charm of the originals and become less functional with thin numbers that are more difficult to read.


DW 20, 1977
DW 30, 1978

The DW 20 and 30, released in 1977 and 1978, saw this digital design make its way into their first wristwatch. The technology limitations of cramming this into a watch sized form factor leads to quite a bulky design with very small displays. Similarly to the digital alarm clocks, I feel like these do not give the same pleasure that most Braun products do. The trade-off for new technology results in a less functional watch. While impressive and good technological design, I feel it fails from an aesthetic point of view.

ABR 21, 1978
The ABR 21 was also released in 1978. I find this such a perfect way of combining an alarm clock with a radio. This product is often overshadowed with the iconic radio designs that Braun are arguably best known for. The symmetrical nature of the clock face matching the radio speaker and tuner. Two simple buttons on the main face for volume and tuning, the most critical controls. The top features more of these simple buttons for the clock functionality. The face importantly features a similar design to that shown on the front of the AB1 and AB2. As far as I can see, Dieter Rams was no longer involved in many of the company’s future clock offerings instead passing the torch to Dietrich Lubs. However, the iconic design language that he helped design can be seen echoed on a variety of Braun timepieces to this day.


ABW 41, 1981
ABK 30, 1982
ABK20, 1985
ABW 35, 1988
The early 80s also saw Lubs transfer much of this style onto a range of wall clocks. The simple to read face blown up to a larger scale. Still simple, effective, and elegant examples of industrial design.

This was then innovated further with the ABK 20, revolutionised with modern manufacturing methods of the time by creating a single injection moulded part, bringing further simplicity to the design. This is opposed to the 8 parts that made up its predecessor. In the late 80s the company also experimented with further minimalist designs. This ABW 35 clock stood out to me as it clearly took principle 5, great design is unobtrusive, very literally. With the removal of all hour and minute markings besides the essentials this design took a step away from the previous clocks seen from the company. The aspect I found the most interesting was the removal of the clock face itself, with the numbers printed onto a clear plastic face, exposing the surface it is mounted on. A clock truly designed to be unobtrusive and blend into the surroundings. While an interesting concept I think it stands out against the other clocks I’ve discussed. While focusing on one principle, it has neglected another by making the product inherently less understandable. I feel there is a point where minimalism goes too far when it comes to clocks. While numbers are not essential I feel the minute markings at least every 5 minutes absolutely are, how can a clock be well designed if it fails to provide you with this basic information.


AW 10, 1989
AW 20, 1990
AW 50, 1991
The iconic AB1 design can best be seen translated again onto the AW 10, the first analogue wristwatch released by Braun in 1989. The face and hands basically a carbon copy of the travel clock. The simplistic design works just as well in this smaller package, with the contrasting hands and colours used to make it easy and clear to read for the user. This was so good that the only change made to the model the following year was the addition of the date with a subtle red accent and the simplification of the rim to a more consistent finish. I added the AW 50 as another better example of this experimentation with simplifying the design further, with the numbers and minutes hand reduced to only every 5 minutes. This gives the clock a more digestible and simple face to view while still providing the basic information you need to tell the time.

It’s clear that even when his involvement in these designs reduced, fellow designers like Deitrich Lubs still followed Dieter Rams philosophy. There must be a reason Braun clocks haven’t evolved much since he departed the company, why would they need to...


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