The Beauty of Imperfection

How aesthetic philosophy can show us that we’re not failures; the world is just messed up.

A “wabi-sabi” watch I made by deconstructing and brutalizing an old Seiko, appropriately.

While I certainly don’t fetishize Japanese culture, I feel it has a lot to offer. Japanese culture has some interesting ideas that don’t exactly translate to English. Some of these are emotional concepts like “amae” while others are conceptual or philosophical ideas. I was lucky enough to be exposed to some of them early on, both through learning Japanese martial arts and through my formal art education.

Raku pottery with distinctive imperfections.

One of my favorite concepts in Japanese art is called “wabi-sabi”. It’s a specific kind of beauty, of perfection, possible only when something is in an imperfect state. Think of wabi-sabi as a sort of shabby-chic with a master’s degree. In Japan, wabi-sabi might refer to raku pottery, with its spiderweb of cracks in the glaze, or a well worn pair of leather boots.

The watch I started with: a used “Sea Urchin” from eBay. Photo from listing.

When I became serious about watchmaking, I made a watch I felt reflected the idea of wabi-sabi. I…