By Nickolaus Hines, Cool Material
Jan 24,2023
There’s a lot of overlap between car guys and watch guys. A new Szanto Icon watch from Time Concepts takes the overlap into high gear by tapping a supercar designer legend: Frank Stephenson, who was the director of design at brands like Ferrari, McLaren, Maserati, and Fiat, and has designed cars for the likes of Lancia, Mini, and Alfa Romeo.
Called the Frank Stephenson Cosmos, the watches have a smooth aesthetic meant to call back to Stephenson’s car designs. His name and logo adorn the watches, and they have a starry looking granite face (fittingly, considering the name). They have a stainless steel case and case back with scratch-resistant KR crystal that’s domed to blend into the round case shape. The font for the four corner numbers (zero, three, six, and nine) is original, and added superluminova lume makes the numbers glow. They use Japanese quartz movement and have a silicone rubber strap with a bespoke signature buckle.
Cosmos is the first of three in the Stephenson series inspired by air, sea, and land. Cosmos covers the air – the night air, technically, as the design is meant to invoke space and the stars.
I caught up with Stephenson over email to learn more about why he decided to try his hand at watch design, where he finds inspiration, and his all-time favorite cars and watches.