This October, Naoto Fukasawa of Grande Papilio fame released a limited edition Wall Clock for plus minus zero, the Japanese design store that offers “things that seem to have already existed but didn’t. “Plus minus zero aims to fulfill specific needs. Ultimately, they want you to avoid buyer’s remorse: “Once in a while, people…believe they have found what they wanted; but once they have obtained it, they tend, before long, to lose interest in it. Have you not had just such an experience?” Their products should become one with your environment, dissolve into your comfortable surroundings. Fukasawa’s Wall Clock achieves exactly that.

Wall Clock. Designed by Naoto Fukasawa for Plus Minus Zero.

Using the ancient technique of gold leaf or kaga leaf, Fukasawa is bringing into existence something familiar and reforming it into something modern, thereby bridging the gap between the cultural past and present. In plus minus zero’s vision, gold leaf has always existed—only Fukasawa has given it a new form. Both the hands and face of Wall Clock are made of the same material, thereby “making it appear as though the clock were a relief hung on the wall.” The lack of glass avoids casting awkward shadows or disturbing readability—the essential purpose of a clock. After all, one can’t tell time if the hands are not visible. The second hand has also been cast away; for most people, it is superfluous, not to mention troubling, since the constant movement of the second hand won’t let the clock be still. Wall Clock does include a stand, in case you want to showcase the object instead of letting it recede into the background.

The limited edition Wall Clock by Fukasawa is available at plus minus zero’s Aoyama store and through their Japanese website—sadly, for domestic customers exclusively. The Wall Clock is 5 mm thick, made of ABS resin, then covered in gold, silver, or copper leaf. There is hope for people outside Japan: plus minus zero debuted in the UK and Scandinavian markets within the past few months.