The Casio A-168

The Casio A-168, an old-school classic timepiece, that is still very popular to this day.  It will set you back a mere $20, and last you a lifetime.  It is too indeed very minimal it does what you need displays the time and date.  An original piece that will never fade away.


Enjoy

Imaginary Foundation

 I came across this clothing company through a friend of mine who owns his own clothing company BigDiceDLR.  What i liked in particular with these guys is their pieces are very unique.  Also to the blend clothing, art into one each piece with its own story.  The two in particular that i picked, are very interesting with great symbolism.  The top one shows transition , going from the old being the grey parts, and walking into the new, full of colour, symbolizing creativity, adventure, a new beginning.  The second being someone walking somewhere, creating his own path as he goes, with no expectations of what to expect, making is own way in life.

All of t-shirts this company has a different symbolic meaning, a interesting twist on t-shirts.

Enjoy :D

Imaginary Foundation

The Fixie

This style of bike is typically known as a 'Fixie', why?  The reason being is the gear connected to the rear wheel hub is fixed to it.  Hub and gear are one piece, that means no free coasting no take a rest from pedalling.  If the bike is in motion your legs are moving.  Also as shown in this picture this bike typically runs with either one brake, always being the front brake.  This is more control of braking power, a rear brake on a bike like this only cause for the rear end to slide left and right.  Or no brakes at all, people who know this style of bike very well can ride with no brakes.  As well as your pedalling controls the speed going forward, you also have control of stopping by pedalling forward as you have no choice but to do so, but with putting backwards momentum on the pedals.  This all sounds very confusing and all will make sense when you get on a bike of this sort and try it out.

I have explained the operation of this bike too many people in many different ways, and it is hard for them to grasp, as they are so used to a normal bike they find it very hard to see anyway a bike can be.  So instead now of explaining i just let them hop on to my own, and watch the very confused looks on their faces changing too 'ahhhhhhh now i get it' type looks.

So why a bike with one gear, either one brake or none at all?  your typical bike has numerous gears and 2 brakes, that involves a lot of cabling, derailleurs, which leads fine tuning, and constant maintenance, a minimum of twice a year.  Also too these extra pieces stick out from the bike and are prone to damage.  With a bike like this the only things really prone to go really wrong, is for your chain to snap, which is very rare.  To get a puncture in your tires, which is something that will always happen, and if you ride bikes you will always be well prepared.

There you have it a bike with the geometry of a road bike, the strength of a dirt bike, and the functions of an urban bike.  With an initial fixed cost at the beginning, with very minimal maintenance/repair costs in the future.  A great investment to last that is for sure, it makes the ride a lot more dangerous as some people may view it.  As i am sure though most will agree it takes the ride to another level of adventure.

Enjoy :)

Nooka

Now this style of watch totally takes the one from the previous post do a 180 spin and shoot.  Right now too you may be thinking hold in how is this any way tie in with the trend of minimalism.  Well yes of course when you look at these watches and yes they are watches, your thinking this is very very confusing, wrong!  At first glance it looks like something from outer-space.  Which in fact was the aim of the guy who started this company, and a young company and that in 2004.  His name Matthew Waldman, a New Yorker, his aim being to design a watch with innovative design with a futuristic look, both of which he nailed very well.


Once you take the time too look at these watches, it is actually very easy to tell the time on them, he has a few different designs, but i picked out these as they were the most interesting to me. 


The first 2 lines, in total there will be 6 bars on both, adding up too 12, there are your hours, 3rd line is divided into quarterly sections , there are your minutes and same for the 4th that being your seconds, and the 3 dots at the bottom one indicating am, the other pm and the other for an alarm.  So in the picture the time is 5:45pm


The 2nd you count the dots which come up too 9, and the minutes are at the bottom, and the same goes with the 3 dots for am, pm and alarm, so in this picture the time is 9:47am.


It may seem very confusing to do at first but once you are used to it, you will be able to tell the time just as fast as glancing at an analog watch.  As they say do not judge a book by its cover, all of us have been brought up by knowing how to tell the time via, analog or digital faces.  This is just an eccentric way of displaying time, giving it some edge, it also acts as a great conversation piece too.


Enjoy!!


Nooka

Issey Miyake TO Automatic Watch

There are only few words for this piece, simplistic, aesthetically pleasing to the eye, it does one thing and one thing only displays the time!!! what a watch was invented for.  The level of design and attention to detail is so outstanding but yet so simple when you look at it.  There is no need for me to explain the functioning of this watch any further, as there is not much too it at all, you just need a view of the face, that explains all.


Enjoy :)


more information on the designer and concept can be found here.


and can be picked up from here.

The Fold by Leffot

As a follow up from the previous post, if you like the idea of using the Billykirk Card Case, but the odd time when you are going out you like to carry on you a little more cash (notes) then normal, or you just like to have more cash on you in general then this very simply yet practical piece is a very good solution.  A very simple design and keeps your notes in one place and protected from getting ripped apart from whatever else you may carry around in your pocket.

These guys are based out of Manhattan, and they are Shoemakers, but have ventured off to small leather accessories.  This being one of them, i just had one delivered to me and from the way the piece was delivered, you can tell these guys take pride in their work.  Came wrapped in tissue paper, held together with a sticker to look like a wax stamp then placed neatly in a fine cardboard card.  Very impressed!!  It is also surprising who small it is when you fold it up with notes, it will take up no room in your pockets at all.

I feel it is a good combo to have with the card case, with cash in 2 different places, with worst case scenario you are out and happen to loose one of them you will have one as a backup.  Like the good old saying 'do not keep all your eggs in one basket', same applies to money.

The fold comes in 2 different sizes one for american and canadian currency, and the other for all other currencies.

Enjoy!!!

The Fold by Leffot

The BillyKirk No.155 Card Case w/ Flap

For the longest time i had a typical mens wallet, with the 10 card slots, 2 note compartments, and a coin department.  Quite literally 'a pain in my arse' it was extremely bulky and bothersome when it came to sitting down for any activity, driving, sitting at the bar etc.  It therefore became a mission of mine to find a very minimalistic wallet, also to shed of my current wallet that i did not need to carry around with me day to day, all you really need anywho is some form of I.D, plastic money (credit and debit cards), health card, and some paper money.  the rest as such as membership cards can stay in your gym bags, and coins that you accumulate from the day can be emptied into a jar at home at the end of your day (a good way to save).

So i went from a wallet as described above to a very simple bi-fold with only 1 note department, 8 card slots, and no coin departments.  This wallet was a physiological victory for me as i shed a lot of things that i did not need (the coins, and the excess of cards).  So right now i was sitting pretty i was now carrying only the bare essentials, and i kept this wallet for years.  I was still not satisfied, it was still a little to big for me, and i was certain there was something out there that i could down size too.  Recently i finally came across it, as shown above, i don't think a wallet can get more minimal than this another product from BILLYKIRK, The NO.155 Card Case.  No Buttons on Velcro, just leather and stitching to form, a very solid design that will definitely last for years and some.  

The 2nd picture is the backside of it where i use it for notes, i fold my notes in half and it snuggly slides in that slot there (you can only fit about 6 notes there before it gets too tight).  In the Next post i will display a solution if you wish to carry more notes with you.  The 3rd picture is where your cards slot into, i have 9 cards in mine, and you can probably fit about 12 max in there.  All in a very solid but simple design that will last.  This for me now is a complete victory, i have found the most minimalist wallet out there with great functionality, and is very comfortable in the back pocket.  This wallet is definitely 'no pain in the arse'.

Enjoy

Billykirk No.155 Card Case w/ Flap

The Billykirk No.117 Mechanics Belt

This is the Billykirk NO.117 Mechanics Belt, a very simple design with great detail.  The 3rd picture is how the belt looks like when hooked up from the front view as if you are wearing the belt.  From the 3rd picture where you see stitching in the form of a rectangle, that is holding in place a narrower strip piece of leather.  If you look closely at the 2nd picture on the inside roll you can see the narrower second strip of leather.  This narrower strip has the holes in it that hooks up to the buckle on the second picture.  to complete the main part of the belt goes over the buckle and into the loop.  A very subtle way to hide the buckle with a clean look.  

This belt has 2 functions, first being if you like the clean look of the belt, then it is great for your every-day belt.  Secondly if your line if work is such as working on cars or a line of work where it is common that items are getting damaged from the belt buckle then this belt is going to be the answer to avoid such situations.

I own this item, and very impressed with the level of detail that went along with the packaging & presentation, comes in a cloth drawstring bag, original style.  Billykirk came together from 2 brothers that had a knack and and eye for such vintage designs, and one day they put there heads to it, learnt the trades of leather and put there ideas to items.  That is a very short blurb as to their current existence, there is much more info and history on their site!!!

Enjoy

BILLYKIRK No.117 Mechanics Belt