THE STORY

Some ideas take years before they can become reality.

The story of HAYKES began around 2000, when Harrie Sijbers developed an unconventional watch concept while studying at the Design Academy Eindhoven.

The idea was simple, but unusual:

What if a watch could show more than the current time?

Instead of using the watch face only to indicate hours and minutes, the design explored the relationship between time and the sun.

At the time, the technology needed to make the concept fully functional was not yet available.

The idea had arrived before the technology.

---

THE ORIGINAL DESIGN

Ladies’ Watch with Rectangular LEDs

The original design used LEDs as an additional visual layer within an analogue watch.

It was an early exploration of something that would later become central to HAYKES:

making time visible as a complete cycle rather than as a single moment.

The project received international recognition for its originality and design quality, was featured in newspaper articles and led to an invitation to the East Meets West Design Competition.

[VIDEO — ORIGINAL DESIGN AROUND 2000]

Early concept developed while studying at the Design Academy Eindhoven.

---

FROM IDEA TO HAYKES

For many years, the original idea remained ahead of what was technically practical.

Then technology began to catch up.

Advances in:

• miniaturised electronics
• GPS
• LED technology
• low-power electronics
• digital control systems

created new possibilities for bringing elements of the original vision into a functional watch concept.

The original design therefore became more than an isolated experiment.

It became the starting point for the development of HAYKES.

---

THE SUN AS THE ORIGIN OF TIME

At the heart of HAYKES is a simple observation:

The sun is the natural origin of our perception of time.

We experience the day through light and darkness.

We know morning, midday, evening and night not only because of what a clock tells us, but because of where we are in the natural cycle of the day.

HAYKES translates that relationship into the watch.

Instead of only asking:

What time is it?

HAYKES asks:

Where are we in the day?

That distinction became the foundation of the concept.

---

FROM TIME TO THE DAY

The development gradually moved beyond the original watch design.

The idea evolved from showing a point in time towards visualising the complete rhythm of the day.

Not just the moment — but the day as a whole.

→ EXPLORE THE DEVELOPMENT

---

MORE THAN A WATCH DESIGN

Over the years, HAYKES developed into a broader innovation project.

The work expanded into:

WATCH DESIGN
Different analogue watch concepts and industrial design solutions.

LIGHT & LED
Visualisation, LED positioning, timing and interaction.

TIME VISUALISATION
The 24-hour cycle, daylight, night, sunrise and sunset.

FUNCTIONAL DEVELOPMENT
Ideas for LED control, fading, timing and additional visual information.

SECONDARY FUNCTIONS
Possibilities including weather alerts, agenda and calendar information and discreet notifications.

BRAND DEVELOPMENT
The HAYKES name, identity and communication concept.

The original idea had become a complete design and innovation project.

---

THE JOURNEY CONTINUES

HAYKES now stands at a different point in its development than the original design did around 2000.

The fundamental idea has remained remarkably consistent:

Use the watch to make time visible.

But the technology, design possibilities and applications have changed.

After years of developing HAYKES, Harrie Sijbers has decided to step back from the project and make the complete concept available for a new owner or development partner.

The next chapter of HAYKES will therefore belong to whoever sees the potential to take the concept further.

---