Black Dice’s interesting “Guru” watch looks like something out of the future. It applies a lighting source–LEDs–that few manufacturers have caught on to as of yet. Still an emerging technology, it holds great promise for the industry.

LEDs come with a number of benefits–aesthetic and practical–that few people realize exist. First, LEDs can last upward of 50,000-100,000 hours. The smaller they are and the better the heat dissipation, the longer they burn. Thus, they’ll probably outlast the Black Dice Watch itself. Second, the light from LEDs is tuneable. In other words, you can adjust the intensity of the light. With an ambient light sensor on the watch itself, and a few integrated microelectronics, the LEDs will instantly adjust to an appropriate output setting for maximum visibility. Additionally, LEDs work very well in a system that hooks together the light source, a capacitor, and a solar cell. The incorporation of a solar panel on the watch dial, with LEDs underneath and a small battery would yield an energy system that would be self-sustaining.

LEDs also come with the advantage of providing lights of various colours. Blue, green, red, yellow, orange, purple, and white are all within the realm of possibilities. The Guru takes advantage of this, not limiting itself to standard white illumination. This opens up an entirely new plethora of design possibilities. Moreover, OLEDs are currently being developed that may provide extremely thing luminous panels. Already utilized in cell phones, they could very well make their way into the watch industry. Imagine even thinner watches that dim according to conditions, and switch from blue luminescence to green instantly. What’s clear is that in the very near future designers will have nearly limitless possibilities when it comes to the outward appearance of the watch. In the same way that a revolution in general lighting can be expected and anticipated, we may very well see one is the watch industry as well.