We have updated Lemnos Sustainability, Special Interview on the 10th Anniversary of the “fun pun clock.”

Designer’s Message
Thanks to the support of many, the “fun pun clock” is celebrating its 10th anniversary.

As digitalization progresses, analog clocks are becoming less common in our daily lives. The cumulative experience of taking an action while glancing at the angle of the clock hands helps develop a sense of time. However, many adults don’t realize that children are losing this essential means of understanding how much time they have and what they can do with it. If the accumulation of the choices we make with our time makes up our lives, aren’t children in trouble at the beginning of their lives?

Twelve years ago, I asked the late president of TAKATA Lemnos, Hiroshi Takata, “Why doesn’t Lemnos make a clock that children can read?” He then shared the secret of the clock and suggested visiting a Montessori teacher. What started as a casual visit turned into a dedicated project, as I brought prototypes to gather feedback from the children. It took two years to create a clock that everyone could read.

Even now, we receive letters and DMs from parents, saying, “My kid can magically read the clocks too!” I still feel nervous when we introduce the clock in a new country, wondering if the design is universally understandable for all children (laughs). So far, it has been well-received in Korea, France, the USA, Singapore, Australia, Switzerland, and Egypt.

Time is the only thing that is equal for everyone, unaffected by borders, wealth, or age. I would be honored if the clock could help children around the world learn to make their own choices and shape their own lives.

Yoko Dobashi

We encourage you to continue reading the rest of this section.

＞＞ Special Interview on the 10th Anniversary of the “fun pun clock”