Danish watchmaker Kanske makes it possible to look both smooth and sharp with The Occam’s Razor
A man stumbles across a watch and marvels at the complexity of each individual part and derives that it could not have been made by chance but only by possibility of a creator with each part framed and put together for a purpose. Kanske as a word of old Danish, old Scandinavian origin, in its literal meaning it says maybe, but colloquially is known quite contrarily to mean might happen.
Through this name, an inherent contradiction, is born a world of everlasting possibility, the land of dreams and the conception of the surreal: it seems that Kanske is a handcraft manufacturer of high quality elegantly refined watches that are designed with a principle of the ethereally exquisite, stuff of Murphy’s Law, of what can happen, will happen but in the most surreal yet simple way possible.
Kanske is a new Danish watch brand that has recently launched its sell out new range called the Occam’s Razor Series. Again employing another principle of philosophy, of that of William of Occam and his famous Razor to attribute a description of the quality and style of their watches, the notion follows that ‘such that the simplest and purest solution is often the most fruitful’.
Take Kepler’s Theory of Gravity: both Newton and Kepler came up with the hypothesis that we now take as Law of Physics, that is Gravity, however, the laymen only recall Newton’s model because his account of the theory was far simpler, clearer, and better defined and therefore easier to understand than Kepler’s. So following this, a simpler and purer design, is on principle the most effective and reliable form.
The literal Latin translation of Occam’s base philosophy is ‘Don’t over complicate things without necessity.’ The razor is taken into a literal sense of shaving it shaves away unnecessary assumptions and complicated ideas to get to the simplest form. And Kanske certainly does not unnecessarily embellish. The face of an Occam’s Razor operates using a Swiss Ronda 5030.D premium quartz movement and is powered using a three eye chronograph. Both of these features ensure that the watches are accurate and powerful, unequivocal, which mirrors the very belief behind their design. Kanske rather captures the perfect balance of detail with its contemporary splashes of colour on the dial and hand, set against a backdrop of black, austere minimalism creating a rare instance if idyllic simplicity.
The Occam’s Razor range is minimalistic, elegant, functional, whist containing a sophistication of complexity, yet remains Urban, modern and chic, with a hint of classical attraction: bearing Italian leather straps for a touch of luxury, and stainless steel. The watch is refined and luxurious in a modest and chaste style, it is chic without being lavish and the price comes to match. It is a tidy watch with an eloquent design philosophy which in my mind goes unmatched by any other. Any watchmaker that derives its doctrine of quality and functionality of design from any epistemologist of the likes of Occam is a watchmaker that you can trust has delved to the finest detail of craftsmanship to create a machine, tuned to the nth degree that is of absolute first-class quality.
The two founders, Arne Lelvsgard – Designer, and Dann Thorlelfsson – Sales and Marketing, have developed a beautifully elegant, debonair watch brand which might attest to be the most polished Danish design, paralleling that of the great European watchmakers. Their aesthetics are truly timeless.
