The Bradley Watch

At style forecaster we’re constantly harping on about the latest findings from the world of wearable tech and the latest developments in fashion and technology.

The products that we write about range from the useful (apps that help you find new trends, jewellery that sends out alarms if you’re in danger) to the downright useless and silly (a dress that becomes invisible when your body temperature rises)!

But once in a while there comes along a really impressive (and actually useful) product, and this month the product that caught our eye is the Bradley watch.

Created by Hyungsoo Kim, the Bradley is no ordinary watch; it’s designed to be read by touch. The unique design is not only stylish but also allows the blind to be able to tell the time. It’s not the first watch created to help the visually impaired tell the time but it is definitely one of the best.

Before the Bradley blind people only had two options when it came to reading the time; talking watches, which aren’t ideal for situations such as quiet libraries or noisy bars or alternatively expensive analogue watches which can be difficult to use and costly to fix.

Kim’s watch solves both of these problems. The impressive looking watch works with a set of ball bearings rather than hands. One ball bearing can be felt on the face of the watch and represents the minutes whilst the second can be felt on the outer rim of the watch and signifies the hour.

The ball bearings are connected to the watch with magnets and move around the face of the watch, if knocked out of place they simply snap back with the shake of a wrist.

Funnily Kim notes that the watch is not only useful for the visually impaired but for people who want to check the time in a meeting or on a date without being obvious and rude, I think we’ve all been there before!

The watch is named after Lt. Brad Snyder who lost his sight in an IED explosion in Afghanistan but then went on to win two gold and a silver medal in the London 2012 Olympics.

Currently a kick starter project the Bradley has currently raised a staggering $594,602 of a $40,000 goal! Check out the moving video below to find out more.