Yazan Halwani, also known as Beirut's Banksy, is the artist behind the Arabic design for Tag Heuer's latest connected smart watch, which officially launched during Eid Al Adha.
23-year-old Halwani made a name for himself in the Middle Eastern art scene in recent years, painting murals through a combination of Arabic calligraphy and portraits.
"My brief was to create an artwork from the Arab world, and I wanted to find a commonality between Arabic calligraphy and watchmaking," Halwani said in an interview with The National .
The luxury Swiss watchmaker had Halwani design its first-ever integration of Arabic calligraphy into the digital face. The words "time does not wait" (Al waqet la yantazer) appear with stylized calligraphy on the watch.
The aim of the watch was to integrate non-traditional Arabic calligraphy "to break away from traditional watchmaking," said Anne-Claire Richomme, Middle East Marketing and Communications Manager, according to Buro 24|7 .
This is a staple of Halwani's craft. He proves time and again that tradition and progress are not mutually exclusive.
"The digital face represented a modern shift away from a traditional watch face. And Arabic calligraphy – created centuries ago in a specific script, size and repetitive, traditional art form – is something I’ve explored in different dimensions, too," he added.
"My design is supposed to invite people in the Arab world, and everywhere, to consider that they can still be progressive while always conserving their identity."
"The piece emphasizes the importance of time in our lives and motivates the wearer and audience to take action. Time is constantly moving forward and so should we!" said Tag Heuer on its website .
This wouldn't be the first time Halwani would get international recognition. His artwork has transcended geographical barriers, painting walls in countries all around the world - from Germany to Lebanon to the United Arab Emirates, to name a few.