| The Polaris clock was the beginning of Chinese mechanical clockmaking,and its design development is of great importance as a complement to China’s local clock design profile and modern Chinese industrial design.However,there is currently very little pioneering research in the field of design in China that focuses on national brand clocks,and even less research on the design of national brand clocks.Therefore,the study of the design of Polaris clocks and watches,as an example,will provide a glimpse into the product design profile and design characteristics of Chinese indigenous clocks and watches,and will add to the study of Chinese indigenous clock and watch design,while providing some research ideas for modern Chinese national brand design.Historical research has shown that the birth of Polaris watches was the result of a combination of the rise of national consciousness and the development of national capitalist industry and commerce during the development of Yantai after the opening of the port,and that it had a distinctly national complex from its inception.This characteristic is reflected in the early product design of Polaris watches.Secondly,the design of Polaris timepieces consisted of a structural design that ensured the basic functions of the timepieces and an artistic design that was based on the aesthetic tendencies and consumer preferences of the consumers.A study of Polaris watches reveals that the structural design of the product varies according to the principle of transmission.The decorative design,on the other hand,is based on the aesthetics of the consumer,and is characterised by a combination of stylistic programming,emotive colours and modern and traditional decorative techniques.At the same time,Polaris watches present "modern" design features that are mainly rational,technological and innovative in form and function.The "modernity" is mainly manifested in the modernity of the visual image of the product,the modernity of the function of the product and the rational design thinking of the design subject based on the needs of the design object..In addition to the ’modernity’ design features,Polaris watches also exhibit ’national’ design features based on the concept of family sentiment and auspicious culture.The Polaris product design is therefore an example of the parallel and fusion of modernity and ethnicity in modern industrial products.Based on the above research and the author’s investigations and visits in the course of the Polaris product design study,I found that Polaris watches have long been a material carrier of emotional and cultural memories for consumers and watch collectors over the course of their 100-year history.Consumers also have the will to consume for emotional and cultural memory elements.Therefore,the emotional and cultural memory elements implied in Polaris watches can be analysed and reconstructed as symbolic elements in its product design,and the reconstructed cultural symbols can be regenerated and designed in order to seek new breakthroughs.As a Chinese national brand with a hundred-year history,the design representation of Polaris watches contains commonalities in the development of Chinese local watch product design.In order to seek new breakthroughs in contemporary society,China’s long-established products must undergo the latest technological innovation,spiritual intervention and design transformation based on the ancient cultural heritage. |
