The recent reintroduction of Braun’s AW 10 and AW 50 watches underscores a resurgent fascination with the design aesthetics of the late 20th century, a period dominated by design pioneers Dietrich Lubs and Dieter Rams. This renewed interest is also echoed in the success of Nomos Glashütte’s designs inspired by Rams’ philosophies, the Carré H collection from Hermès, and a plethora of minimalist brands that have recently emerged.
What sets Braun’s AW 10 apart are its distinctive design elements that borrow from mid-’70s monochrome travel alarms. It’s the nuances that define it— from the clean readability of the Akzidenz-Grotesk font to the durability of the reinforced plastic and even the splash of colour on the second hand.
For those who appreciate even greater simplicity, Lubs’ AW 50 from the ’90s strips the design back to its essentials. It features a brushed silver dial adorned only with subtle index lines to indicate the hours, punctuated by a red chevron adjacent to the date display.