In a studio in Schwäbisch Gmünd, the artists Marco Biegert and Andreas Funk spent years on one idea: a display that shows the time as it is spoken.
How it began
The two founders call themselves artists, and QLOCKTWO calls what it makes art objects. Biegert and Funk worked on their idea for many years. In 2009 they finally made the first QLOCKTWO, and the brand says it changed the way time is displayed.
The face is a matrix of letters, and the time appears on it in words. A glance reads like a short sentence. A light sensor adjusts the brightness of the LEDs to the room.
The idea
The thinking behind it is simple. Day, month and year, the brand says, are a human invention, based on watching the planet and the solar system. Language sits at the heart of how people perceive time, so QLOCKTWO uses words.
The aim is a world where time is a precious value rather than a measurable unit. From that came the QLOCKTWO UNIVERSE, a triptych in three parts. EARTH is given to the day and MOON to the month. A third part, SUN, will be given to the year and complete the set.
Andreas Funk, co-founder, puts it this way: “The more you try to grasp time, the more it actually disappears. In the end, all that remains is to simply perceive the moment as a big ‘now’.”
The clocks and the W
EARTH shows the 24 hours of a day on a word matrix, in the languages of the world. It comes in four sizes, from the EARTH 13.5 for a table to the EARTH 180, which measures 180 × 180cm.
MOON followed in October 2023, introduced at an event in Dubai. Over a lunar cycle, from full moon to full moon, its display turns 28 times. At every step it shows the moon as it can be seen in the sky. Each MOON is finished by hand in gold, moon gold or platinum.
As the company grew, the founders introduced the CREATOR’S EDITION to keep the art object at its core. Artisans finish the front covers, and the two founders number and sign them. The RUST version starts as raw steel, oxidised by hand. The artisans decide for each piece when the surface has reached the right shade.
The QLOCKTWO W brings the same word display to the wrist. A touch of a button shows the current moon phase. Shortly after its launch, the W won a Red Dot Award in the Watch Design category.
The house today
Every QLOCKTWO is still made by hand in Schwäbisch Gmünd, from materials bought from regional suppliers. The company, QLOCKTWO Manufacture GmbH, has its headquarters and the founders’ studio there. As demand grew, the manufactory moved to neighbouring Straßdorf, and the artists turned the old rooms into a studio. Each front cover is checked letter by letter.
Since October 2020, an EARTH 90 CREATOR’S EDITION RUST has hung in the clock vault of the Landesmuseum Württemberg, among Renaissance clocks. The MOON joined it in March 2025. The brand says both have been recognised as national cultural assets. It is an unusual neighbour for a Renaissance clock: a face that simply spells out the hour.
At a glance
- Founded: 2009 (first QLOCKTWO)
- Founders: Marco Biegert and Andreas Funk
- Based in: Schwäbisch Gmünd, Germany
- Known for: word clocks (EARTH, MOON) and the QLOCKTWO W wristwatch
- Company: QLOCKTWO Manufacture GmbH; managing director Marco Biegert
Sources: QLOCKTWO’s own website (Universe, Philosophy, Manufacture, Art & Exhibitions, EARTH, MOON, CREATOR’S EDITION RUST, W, Imprint).