I’ve always thought about what kind of watch I wanted to create and what story I wanted to tell through it, but I often felt I lacked the professional know-how to bring those ideas to life. Fortunately, I found a wonderful partner for this project, and we ended up collaborating in a way that allowed Harriot to lead the overall concept and storytelling while Aperture handled the design. Although both sides exchanged opinions and adjusted details throughout production, the major responsibilities were clearly divided between Harriot (planning) and Aperture (design). This new watch features a 37mm diameter, sapphire crystal with fingerprint-resistant AR coating, and water resistance of up to 50 meters (WR50). It’s powered by the Ronda 762 non-date, two-hand quartz movement, which ensures a simple yet reliable operation.Our main motif for this model is the Korean flag (Taegeukgi). The biggest dilemma was deciding whether to emphasize the vivid red and blue Taegeuk symbol or the four trigrams known as Geon, Gon, Gam, and Ri (건곤감리). While the Taegeuk symbol itself is striking and beautiful, it felt a bit overwhelming to place it directly on a small, circular dial. On the other hand, the four trigrams rely on linear patterns that can be adapted in various ways, which is why many designs derived from the flag incorporate them. Still, we wanted to stand out and avoid losing sight of our ultimate goal: creating a truly elegant watch inspired by Taegeukgi, rather than simply reproducing a flag motif. I believe a watch becomes more intriguing when the details you notice at a glance differ from those you see upon closer inspection. Even if you don’t immediately recognize the Korean flag inspiration in this design, I wanted you to discover those “hidden” elements as you look more carefully. Placement of Geon-Gon-Gam-RiWe aligned each trigram where it appears on the original flag but made sure it harmonizes with the rest of the index markers. Central PatternTiny repeating trigram elements are placed in the center of the dial, creating the look of a simple pattern from afar but revealing the flag’s symbolic meaning up close. Incorporating the Mugunghwa (Korean national flower)The flag alone can feel a bit plain, so we introduced a fan-like pattern reminiscent of Mugunghwa petals just beyond the index rim. Even if such a motif is common in watch design, combining Mugunghwa with the Taegeukgi was important to convey our concept of merging two major national symbols. Index RimBy manufacturing and attaching a separate index rim, the dial achieves a more three-dimensional, refined look. Refinement ProcessEarly on, we explored simplified forms of the Taegeuk symbol but couldn’t find a design that met our “it has to be a beautiful watch first” criterion, so we ultimately set that aside. During the process of creating a new case mold, we brainstormed numerous ideas. We considered placing Harriot’s logo (inspired by Independence Gate) around the crown area, but realized it would complicate finishing and increase the overall thickness—so we decided against it. Instead, we kept the case shape relatively simple, increasing the mid-case diameter and extending its beveled edges into the lugs (a style seen in certain Omega models). This approach, along with a flat sapphire crystal, is meant to give the watch a graceful, curved silhouette when viewed head-on. For now, we don’t anticipate any major design changes aside from small quality improvements, like making the CD texture on the index rim a bit more pronounced. Unless something unexpected happens, we’re on track to release in April, and we’re also planning a special packaging and gift to make the experience of owning a Harriot watch more meaningful and enjoyable.I’ll share more about that special gift next time. Thank you so much for your patience and support all this time.Sincerely,Hong Sungjo, CEO of Harriot Watches
