Tempus - Classic Edition

The Tempus Classic Edition is the original illuminated timepiece by British lighting artist Ben Rousseau, a black and gold wall clock that reads time through slow, hypnotic light patterns instead of hands.

The Design

Ben Rousseau built the Tempus collection around a simple idea: a clock can also be a piece of light art. The Classic Edition keeps the original codes of the range, a deep black fascia framed in grained gold aluminum, chosen so the light patterns read with maximum contrast. Every unit is assembled in the UK with an Italian-made PCB and US-made LEDs, and each piece is treated as a small production run rather than a mass-market object.

The Artist

Ben Rousseau is a British designer known for large scale light installations and sculptural lighting pieces. Tempus is his most personal series, a family of illuminated wall clocks that translate his installation language into a domestic object. The Classic is the reference point of the collection, the version every later edition is measured against.

The Piece

The Tempus timepiece is fully controlled from a dedicated Tempus profile on iOS and Android, paired over Bluetooth. Fifteen preset colors and patterns cover ambient modes, slower meditative sequences and more graphic time displays, and can be tuned to match the room or the moment. Frosted glass diffuses the LEDs into a smooth wash of color, so the piece works as both a functional clock during the day and a light sculpture at night.

Specifications

• Artist: Ben Rousseau
• Collection: Tempus, Classic Edition
• Materials: Frosted glass, grained gold aluminum frame, acrylic, LED
• Size: 710 mm diameter, 40 mm frame depth, 30 mm wall bracket
• Weight: 14 kg (20 kg with packaging)
• Control: Bluetooth via Tempus app (iOS and Android)
• Preset patterns: 15 colors and animations
• Made in: UK, with Italian PCB and US LEDs
• Lead time: 4 to 16 weeks depending on stock

Discover the full Home & Interior collection at TheArsenale.