Overview:
For the Winter Collection, creative director Alessandro Michele wanted to surprise his guests with a special invitation, different from the usual paper one. He asked us to create 1,200 timers that, once the countdown was over, would absolutely synchronously play a melody as the overture to the fashion show.
Know How
Approach:
They asked us to create 1200 timers that at the end of the countdown would play in an absolutely synchronized way an overture melody to the parade.
The requirements were very specific: not to use a classic (and convenient) LED display, but a 7-segment single-digit display (the ones seen of bombs in American movies). The 24-hour timer was to show the days, hours, minutes, and seconds. After 3 months and at the end of the countdown, a melody and then shutdown.
After a series of experiments, we estimated that 1200 timers, although initially synchronized, would show an imperceptible delay from each other after weeks. Therefore, we had to add a radio receiving component to the PCB module, capable of receiving the perfect "time signal" from a Synchronizer as shown in the figure, on the day of the parade.
Results:
The orange body was produced by an external partner. The Rocks took care of everything: concept, prototypes, production, CE marking, certifications, instruction booklet, installation of our module in the body, and final packaging ready for shipment.
Once the timers were sent out, we would not see them again until 65 days after the parade. We were contacted by some people, mostly concerned about their safety (is there explosives inside?) or their health (interferiscecon pacemaker?). Fortunately, most of the guests read the instructions to understand that there was nothing to fear.
The day of the parade was really exciting. We technicians were assigned a "room" of 2mtx2mt. The antenna of our synchronizer was pointed at the passing guests. Magically, on their displays the seconds were back to right, perfectly aligned with each other.
Everyone is sitting. Darkness in the room. 1,200 devices playing a single melody, in unison.
The rest is history.
