“You may delay, but time will not.” — Benjamin Franklin
That quote sums up the anxiety and pressure induced by Father Time for most of us. It’s something to be feared, to be taken advantage of, and to be heeded at all, well, times. The ticking of the second hand, the ring of the alarm, the buzz of our cell phones: Time stalks us at every turn.
But not if you’re Kelsi Vande Velden. A watchmaker and artist, she’s created a unique (for this epoch, anyway) method for us to interact with crotchety old Father Time: sundial watches.
From her Maui-based Pandeia Studios, Velden handcrafts these gorgeous timepieces with an eye toward aesthetic beauty and a mind toward a new way of being. The watches are made of “naturally stained leather and antiqued brass,” and each one has instructions for use on the back. You know, in case you forgot how to use a sundial.
Although Velden’s watches (which are priced in the $300 range) have a fashion-forward function, they also remind us that time isn’t some artificial means of control. Rather, it’s a natural process – and one that we shouldn’t fear.
