About us
NEODE is an independent watch brand seeking to translate architectural principles into traditional Swiss high horology.
Our name comes from nēod - an Old English word meaning both desire and earnest endeavour. For us, it embodies the spirit of the maker: the drive to create, to make, to the absolute best of one’s abilities.
Our founder
NEODE is the vision of Marius-Daniel Dumitrascu, an architect with over 15 years of experience at leading studios including Foster + Partners and 10 Design. Throughout his career, he has designed everything from museums and flagship Apple stores, through to residential and high-rise projects.
His work is rooted in an innate curiosity to pick things apart to figure out how they work, naturally leading him to architecture and ultimately, to watchmaking.
Channelling his architectural design experience into horology, Marius designed every single detail of the N01 himself. The aesthetic of the watch is influenced by several disciplines, as he sought to combine design, architecture, and visual arts with watchmaking. His lifelong passion for photography honed his understanding of light, composition, and shadow.
From the city to the spoon
In 1952, Italian architect Ernesto Nathan Rogers coined the phrase “from the spoon to the city” in the belief that an architect’s ability spans every scale of human living, whether designing a complex urban masterplan or a small, everyday object.
Channelling his architectural design experience into horology, Marius designed every single detail of the N01 himself.
After spending years designing the city, Marius views NEODE as his spoon moment.
“NEODE was never about finding a market, a niche, or a trend.
It is simply about the need to make, to create to the best of our abilities, and to ultimately share our work with like-minded people”.
Marius-Daniel Dumitrascu, NEODE Founder
NEODE exists for the same reason good design exists: we create timepieces with clarity and calm that are an extension of ourselves, rather than an object we own.
One of the most important duties of designers today is to help clear up the chaos in which we live.
- John Pawson, Architect