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918 by Nikhil Kapoor

918 by Nikhil Kapoor

Honey Adraque
January 24, 2016
3 Comments

Nikhil Kapoor has always been into the intricate industry of watch design. He thought to himself, does a watch function as a measuring instrument? Or can it corresponded with its appearance… in other words, its design? The worlds of watchmaking and automobile racing have shared a strong connection for decades, with racing and high-performance cars often serving as a direct inspiration for watches. Both are traditionally mechanical, both are products of complexity and precise engineering, and both are utilitarian at heart, with supplementary add-ons elevating them to the realm of luxury.

The Porsche 918 Spyder draws the best of Porsche's design heritage. The 918, being the first Hybrid of the automotive giant, has kept both eyes firmly on the present and the future. I proclaimed the inspiration of the watch to this car. A low-slungstance wrapped in smooth, flowing curves gives the 918 an organic and iconic look.

- Nikhil Kapoor

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Every design starts with an idea. Some conquer a brand’s DNA, while others are open to ideas from just about anyone. I looked at different cars from the Automotive world, chose to go with 918 because of its distinctive look with intelligent technology. After design research of the 918, I did very brief sketches and developed them on 3D using Solidworks. With some 3D doodles, I finalised on a design. The renders and visualization was done on Keyshot. An icon must be a ‘talking piece.’ The icon has to communicate. Taking design elements from the details of the car, like the spokes of the wheel, the mesh material in the interior and the details from the engine tub.

- Nikhil Kapoor

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The challenge was to incorporate the essence of the luxury brand like Porsche into the watch and to combine products from different industries and comprehend them. Sometimes brand centric products are the result of a concerted effort to make a watch an icon - by design focus, marketing, advertising, while other watches catch the public’s eye and become an icon because they are truly interesting watches.

- Nikhil Kapoor

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About Nikhil Kapoor

Nikhil Kapoor is a 5th year Industrial Design student with creativity and love for design. Since his childhood, he noticed objects differently and always wondered how It could be improved, and this curiosity of observing objects has driven him to design. Design for him is to draw upon his observations and drive this curiosity to continually explore and understand. He has also evolved not just as a designer but other forms of arts like music as well. For him, it’s not just about being detail-oriented, but to identify what kind of details matter. You can find more of his work on his Behance profile. You can find more of his works on his Behance profile.

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