Our story
A 700 year old idea, worn on the wrist.
Jacopo Dondi makes a watch with a single hand that turns once a day. The idea isn’t ours. It’s nearly seven hundred years old.
01 · Padua, 1344
The first clock face had 24 hours.
In 1344, Prince Ubertino da Carrara asked Jacopo de’Dondi, a physician, professor and student of the stars, to build a public clock for the Torre dei Signori in Padua. It is widely held to be the first clock with a face. Its dial showed all 24 hours, and its hand turned once a day, following the sun.
The original was lost to fire before 1400. A faithful replacement, built in 1423, still stands in Padua today.
“…we desire nothing more from it than the uniform and equal motion of a wheel which shall complete its course in the space of a natural day.”Giovanni de’Dondi, Jacopo’s son
02 · Perth, 2016
Forgotten, then found again.
When the world moved to 12 hour dials in the 1500s, the 24 hour face all but disappeared, kept alive only by horologists and the military.
In 2016, Jake and Carmen in Perth set out to bring it back, then discovered just how old their “new” idea was. They named the brand after the man who got there first. With 283 backers on Kickstarter, the first Jacopo Dondi watches went into production, and the Cambio followed in 2018.
03 · Why one hand
Where you are in your day, not what minute it is.
Midday sits at the top, midnight at the bottom. The hand passes each marker only once a day: the morning climbs one side, the evening slides down the other. It’s time shown more naturally, not more accurately. When does it truly matter if it’s 15:59 or 16:00?
Not everyone gets it. We’re here for the people who do.
Timeline
Seven centuries, one hand.
- 1344Jacopo de’Dondi’s 24 hour clock face, Padua
- 1423The replacement clock that still stands
- 2016Funded on Kickstarter by 283 backers
- 2017Jacopo Dondi’s online store opens
- 2018The Cambio
- 2026A new chapter, from Sydney
04 · Sydney, 2026
A new chapter.
Jacopo Dondi has always been about seeing time differently. In 2026, the brand entered a new chapter under new Australian management, relaunching from Sydney.
We’re staying true to the original vision and design, with the same single hand and the same Swiss Ronda movement, while refreshing the collection, improving how you shop with us, and introducing the 24 hour watch to a new generation of watch lovers.
A new beginning, built on the same passion for distinctive design, and a different perspective on time.
See the day the way de’Dondi did.
Thank you to our first 283 backers. See the Acknowledgments.