Each of these ball bearings moves along a recessed track. Around the edge or side circumference of the timepiece, a second ball bearing rolls in a groove and indicates the hour. On the front of the timepiece, one ball bearing moves to indicate the minutes. The time is displayed by noting the positions of two magnetized ball bearings. Each of these is a simple line, radiating to the outer edge of the face, with the exception of the indicator at the 12 o'clock position, which is a triangle. It does have a "face," similar to an analog clock, with raised markings to indicate the positions of 1 through 12. The Bradley has neither a crystal nor moving hands. While this is definitely a discreet way of accessing the time, braille watches have been more functional than stylish. Dots indicate the 1 through 12 positions on the analog face, and one can quickly learn to discern by touch where the small and large hands of the watch are pointing. Traditionally, these have a hinged crystal that lifts up, allowing the wearer to touch the hands and face of the watch. I have, however, had braille watches of one sort or another since the second grade. Here is a personal note about my own experience with telling time: I have never been a fan (or even been marginally interested) in watches that blare the time announcement for all to hear. The Bradley timepiece was nestled in its container, below the booklet. Again, this information is presented in lovely contracted braille. A booklet, formed exactly to fit the shape of the rectangular container, relates the tale of the Bradley Timepiece. Meeting the BradleyĪfter I removed the welcoming sleeve announcing in print and beautiful braille that this is a Bradley Timepiece, the rectangular jewelry box opened with a flip-up lid and greeted me with even more braille. Not only did he-and others who joined his pursuit-want to develop a way of telling time that was functional and discreet, but he also wanted to develop a watch that was different in a positive way, a watch that was, as the company logo says today: "beautiful, functional, and inclusive." Moreover, he wanted a watch that wasn't exclusively designed for blind people, but rather, a watch that everyone, including blind people, could enjoy. A blind person, it seemed to Hyungsoo Kim, had as much right to check the time discreetly as anyone else. The blind student had a talking watch, but also had enough social savvy not to press its button and thus bark the time (and the fact that he was monitoring it) to everyone within hearing. When Hyungsoo Kim was a student at MIT, it troubled him that a friend and classmate who happened to be blind had to ask others for the time. In this month of celebrating braille and all things tactile, I am exploring with you whether or not this Bradley Timepiece is a welcome innovation for readers of braille everywhere-as well as for those who know nothing at all about the six-dot literacy system. And beneath it: "Designed to touch and see." "The Bradley Timepiece," the top line announced. The possibility was confirmed when, as the gift-wrap fell away, my fingers touched lovely, Grade 2 braille on the top of the box. A rectangular box, about eight inches long and two inches wide, it had a certain heft that signaled something elegant might rest within. It was Christmas 2017, and my daughter was especially excited about one particular gift as she placed it in my hands. The thrill I felt when first unwrapping the package is one that will resonate with any lifelong reader of braille.
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