aking its pubic debut at the British Watchmakers Day this year was a collection of futuristic timepieces by lighting artist and designer, Ben Rousseau.

For the show organised by the Alliance of British Watch and Clock Makers, dedicated to the innovation of watch and clock design by British brands, co-founder and CEO Alistair Audsley challenged Ben to create a version of his award-winning new ’Tempus’ time-activated lighting artworks. It was a special edition designed to sit alongside the contributions of other participating makers, many of which created unique pieces specifically for collectors attending the event.

The beautiful, one-off art piece, themed around British culture, was inspired by the familiar finishes found in classic watch designs, mixed with Ben’s signature use of intelligent lighting. A percentage of the profits will go to support the Alliance in their work to champion and support the sector all over the world.

Rousseau describes the Tempus collection as a “21st century take on the traditional wall clock”.

Alongside the wall-hung edition, there is a version for the wrist, personally worn by Ben, in miniature form. This version is available as a downloadable app for smartwatches on the Android platform via the Google Play Store, and on Apple’s iOS platform. It’s out now, ahead of Rousseau’s own custom watch housings, which are currently in the development phase.

In true Rousseau style, the Tempus range adds a dramatic flair to the simple act of telling time and pays homage to his love of sci-fi films like Blade Runner and Dune.

Instead of using rotating hands and traditional numbers, the clock face features state-of-the-art digital LEDs. These illuminate three different segments—seconds, minutes, and hours—in sequence to represent a 12-hour time path with an evolving pattern of light.

Ben is a huge fan of mechanical watches and clocks, having worked with precision manufacturing machines for over 20 years. He creates each timepiece using state-of-the-art, computer-controlled laser cutting machines and digitally controlled lighting technology. For this creation, he will offset the precision of the machined parts with a hand-applied touch of luxury by personally applying 23 ct gold leaf detail to the Union Jack-inspired identity of the Alliance.

The piece is made from over 70% recycled or recyclable materials, featuring a grained and spun gold aluminium frame, glass, an Italian-made Tempus RGB digitally controlled light engine, and LEDs made in the USA.

It comes with 12 preset light patterns and a Tempus app for further personalisation.

The Tempus - Alliance Edition – displays 10:40:55 in seconds, signalling a groundbreaking development phase.
Size : 710mm Diameter x 45mm Deep. 70mm with wall mount.

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

Tempus:
• Standard Dimensions: 510mm D / 610 D / 710mm D x 50mm
• High grade aluminium frame and chassis
• Glass fascia and acrylic diffuser
• Steel mounting brackets
• Tempus light engine made in Italy with USA made RGB LEDs
• PSU - 5v / 10 amp

Table / floor stand :
• High grade powder coated aluminium
• Stand dimensions on request