Steampunk

Titanic-DNA Tourbillon Steampunk a la Grande

By Mike Hanlon

18:45 May 12, 2009 PDT

We love the thinking behind Romain Jerome's manufactured authenticity and its legend DNA blends, so it's not surprising that we also love the irreverence of the Tourbillon Steampunk A la Grande. It's an exceptional timepiece featuring intensely accentuated physical characteristics, distinctive bolts, an anchor-shaped off-centred oscillating weight, 6-sided screws, Roman numerals, characteristic paws, a tourbillon, the collection’s trademark rust, along with a number of springs and rivets…. the result is a fascinating blend of apparent anarchy and undeniably noble charm. Read More

Wrist-worn GPS navigation 1920s style

By Kyle Sherer

04:14 August 22, 2008 PDT

A 1920s-era wrist-mounted display that allowed the sophisticated gentleman to peruse his planned route; a 1930s “electro massager” rewarded the user with a “zappy ending” in the form of electrical shocks; and a pair of glasses equipped with two battery-powered lights alternately provided its wearer with illumination and set their head on fire. Outlandish contraption expert Maurice Collins is exhibiting these, and 50 similar items, at the British Library Business and Intellectual Property Centre. Read More

Moving forward, looking backward: the Steampunk PC

By Loz Blain

July 18, 2007 The sleek, white, minimalist theme that dominates modern design speaks volumes about the age we live in. Plain, clean furniture and devices are deliberately sterile and devoid of any sort of character, in a nod to the fact that they'll be obsolete, broken or replaced within a few short years anyway. The Steampunk movement looks back fondly to the early 1900s when steam was the technology of the day and new devices were celebrated with beautiful and ornate wood and brass craftsmanship, giving a feel of permanence, durability and preciousness that's missing from today's designs. A couple of designers have teamed up to muse on what the personal computer might look like if it hadn't been denied its "Golden Age." We found their resulting artworks, as well as the underlying principles and construction methods, quite inspirational. Read More