What Humans since 1982 does

Humans since 1982 is a Stockholm-based, owner-led studio operating at the intersection of art, design, and mechanical engineering, founded by Per and Bastian in 2009 with CTO and partner David Cox (ex-Ericsson) joining shortly thereafter. The studio designs, hand-assembles, and sells collectible kinetic artworks in which multiple analogue clock faces are driven by individually programmed stepper motors supplied from an automotive/aerospace vendor, allowing the hands to spin in choreographed formations before resolving to display the correct time once per minute. The team numbers 16 people and operates from a studio in Johanneshov/Stockholm. The company's primary product lines are the ClockClock collectibles series (ClockClock 24, ClockClock 9, ClockClock L), priced from approximately €8,000 to €23,000 for limited editions, and the A million Times masterpiece series (sizes from 61 to 288 clock faces), priced from the low tens of thousands to over €230,000 per edition. Concept series such as Collection of Drones, Collection of Light, Collection of Motion, and Rocking Church extend the studio's practice beyond clocks into video, LED, and sculptural works.

The studio earns revenue from four streams: sale of limited-edition collectibles and masterpieces through direct e-commerce and bespoke commission; commissions for site-specific installations for luxury brands and public institutions (Moncler Milan flagship, Changi Airport Terminal 2, San José Airport Terminal B, Audi Design Miami booth, CERAGEM CES Las Vegas, Steinway performance); authorised retailer and gallery sales through a curated network of approximately 35 partners including MoMA Design Store, The Spaceless Gallery, and Gallery ALL; and after-sales support, remote diagnostics, and a "Refit" technology-upgrade programme sold under the Support Plus package. Distribution is event-driven, anchored by annual participation in Design Miami, PAD London, NOMAD, and Salon Art + Design, supported by Instagram, Vimeo, LinkedIn, and a content-marketing blog, with email campaigns managed through Mailchimp. Customer segments are narrow by design: high-net-worth collectors, luxury brands and retailers, and airports and public institutions, all served globally from a single Stockholm base with no disclosed external funding.

Commercially the business is positioned as a high-end boutique: edition sizes are tightly limited, prices are premium-tier, and bespoke work is sold on appointment only. Brand equity is anchored by inclusion in permanent collections of leading institutions (Vitra Design Museum, Musée International d'horlogerie, Nationalmuseum Stockholm, Mercedes-Benz Stadium) and by co-branded collaborations with IKEA, Rolls-Royce, Steinway, Bjarke Ingels Group, and SolidNature. The company has received no disclosed venture or private equity funding and is described by the founders as independent and owner-led.

Name

Humans since 1982

Legal name

Humans since 1982 AB

Website

https://humanssince1982.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2009

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Humans since 1982 is a Stockholm-based, owner-led studio of 16 people that designs, hand-assembles, and sells limited-edition kinetic art clocks and large-format site-specific installations for luxury brands, airports, museums, and high-net-worth collectors worldwide.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Kinetic Art & Collectible Design

NAICS

Jewelry and Silverware Manufacturing (339910)

SIC

Watches, Clocks, Clockwork Operated Devices/Parts (3873)

akta.pro primary industry

Clocks & Desk/Travel Timepieces (CRAKADAI)

Keywords

• Kinetic art clocks
• Collectible kinetic sculptures
• Bespoke clock installations
• Limited edition art
• Kinetic design studio

Headquarters

HQ city

Stockholm

HQ country

Sweden

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Limited Edition Artwork Sales: Sale of highly limited and numbered kinetic art editions (Masterpieces and Collectibles) at fixed price points. Masterpieces include A million Times series (editions of 1-10), Collectibles include ClockClock 24 (editions of 5-950). Each comes with a certificate of authenticity, numbered and signed.
2. Bespoke/Commissioned Installations: Custom site-specific kinetic art installations commissioned by brands, airports, luxury retailers, and public institutions. Examples include Moncler Milan (7m tall), Changi Airport (504 clock faces), and San José Airport. Price undisclosed and negotiated per project.
3. Authorised Retailer / Gallery Sales: Sales through a global network of authorised retailers and galleries who purchase and resell artworks to collectors. Includes MoMA Design Store, The Spaceless Gallery, Gallery ALL, and luxury watch/jewellery retailers.
4. After-sales Support and Service: Remote diagnostics, on-site support, spare parts, and restoration services. Warranty support included for 4 years; chargeable services continue beyond warranty period. 'Refit' programme offers technology upgrades for early artworks.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Humans since 1982 designs, prototypes, and hand-assembles collectible kinetic clocks and large-format kinetic artworks under two main product lines: ClockClock (collectibles, including ClockClock 24, ClockClock 9, and ClockClock L) and A million Times (masterpieces, ranging from 61 to 288 clock faces). Both lines use proprietary software choreography and custom stepper-motor hardware to spin clock hands individually and in formation, displaying accurate time once per minute. The studio also produces bespoke site-specific kinetic installations for luxury brands, airports, and public institutions, plus conceptual series (Collection of Light, Collection of Motion, Collection of Drones, Rocking Church). All artworks are hand-assembled in the Stockholm studio.

Product overview

Humans since 1982 is a Stockholm-based studio for collectible kinetic art and design. The company operates two main product lines: ClockClock (collectibles series including ClockClock 24, ClockClock 9, and ClockClock L) featuring medium-format kinetic clocks with choreographed hand movements, and A million Times (masterpieces series) offering larger-format highly limited edition kinetic artworks with multiple clock faces. Both series share core technology — proprietary software and hardware controlling stepper motors that spin individually programmed clock hands in coordinated formations, displaying time accurately once per minute in digital typography. The studio also produces conceptual works including Collection of Motion (video installations), Collection of Light (LED sculptures), Collection of Drones, and bespoke commissioned installations for airports, luxury brands, and public spaces. All artworks are hand-assembled at the Stockholm studio with a 4-year warranty and dedicated support service.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• ClockClock 24 Kinetic wall clock with 24 individual clock faces whose hands perform choreographed patterns before displaying accurate time once per minute in digital typography. Available in multiple finishes (White, Black, Sterling, Gold, Bjarke Ingels, Pinakin, Dada Blue, Pari Dust) and editions of 5–950 pieces.
• ClockClock 9 Compact version of the ClockClock featuring 9 clock faces with programmable choreographed hand movements, displaying time accurately once per minute in digital typography.
• ClockClock L (Tidal) Larger-format kinetic clock artwork in the ClockClock series, featuring Tidal-inspired design aesthetics with choreographed clock hand movements.
• A million Times (Masterpiece Series) Highly limited edition kinetic artworks featuring multiple clock faces (61 to 288) with individually programmed hands that create choreographed abstract patterns before displaying time. Available in sizes AMT61c, AMT72, AMT72v, AMT96, AMT120, AMT144, AMT288 and editions including White, Black, Sterling, Tidal, Zephyr, and Bjarke Ingels (with stone craftsmanship). Includes white-glove service, certificate of authenticity.
• Collection of Drones Limited-edition series of wall objects presenting drones as found objects pinned across panels, mimicking the care and curiosity of an entomologist approaching insects.
• Rocking Church Large kinetic sculpture featuring a 3-meter high replica of the Gothic Ulm Minster church mounted on rockers, oscillating back and forth accompanied by church bell sounds.
• Collection of Motion: Waterfalls (Cascade/Tiered) Video installation series presenting digitally simulated waterfall loops displayed on multiple screens with near-realism rendering and accompanying audio.
• Collection of Light Collection of LEDs displayed as specimens in repurposed insect collection drawers from Stockholm's Museum of Natural History. Available in four mini editions with 400, 300, 120, and 70 LEDs respectively, retaining lighting functionality.
• Light Culture Light sculpture exhibiting individual LED bulbs as specimens in glass-covered cases, exploring the aura of groups of LED illuminants with meticulous labeling.
• Light Line Light sculpture featuring individual LEDs displayed as specimens in a lacquered aluminum cabinet with glass, continuing the studio's exploration of light and LED illuminants.
• Light on Ground Light sculpture including over 80 LEDs of different types, notable for the contrast between its total dimension and the minuscule size of illuminants. Available in two heights: 170 cm and 200 cm.
• Surveillance Light Satirical light sculptures blending the appearance of surveillance cameras with lights. Includes standing lamp, chandelier, wall lamp, and a three-meter-high installation.
• Collection of Motion: Rockets (Hyper Hope) Video installation presenting found footage of rocket launches atop an altar-like sculpture, accompanied by looped audio of cheering crowds, with rockets suspended mid take-off.
• Bespoke Commissions (Site-Specific Kinetic Art) Custom site-specific kinetic art installations commissioned by brands, airports, luxury retailers, and public institutions. Examples include Moncler Milan (7m tall), Changi Airport (504 clock faces), San José Airport (160 clock faces), Audi Design Miami booth (Spotlights), and CERAGEM CES 2025 (1,564 digital clock faces across 15 metres). Pricing negotiated per project.
• After-Sales Support and Service Remote diagnostics, on-site support, spare parts, and restoration services including warranty support for 4 years plus chargeable services beyond warranty period. 'Refit' programme offers technology upgrades for early artworks.

Quantifiable outcome

• 4-year warranty included with every artwork, with commitment to continue servicing beyond warranty period
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

17 partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.

• Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG)flagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Collaboration with BIG (Bjarke Ingels Group) and SolidNature to create kinetic art fused with architectural innovation and stone craftsmanship. Resulted in ClockClock 24 - Bjarke Ingels Sunset Dune (Edition of 10) and A million Times 96 (Bjarke Ingels) (Edition of 3). Bjarke Ingels' long-standing collection of the studio's work preceded the collaboration. The stone housing expresses temporal layers like geological calendars.
• SolidNaturecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Material partner in HS82 x BIG x SolidNature collaboration. SolidNature's stone craftsmanship enabled the detail required to bring the stone-housed kinetic artworks to life. Stone was chosen as a material that could express time through visible layers, like annual rings in a tree.
• CERAGEM / BauerLabminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 202515-metre digital artwork installation at CES Las Vegas 2025 featuring 1,564 clock faces. One of the most recorded highlights of the fair. Collaborated through CERAGEM in partnership with BauerLab.
• The Spaceless GallerycoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2024Authorised gallery partner representing the studio at major art fairs including Design Miami, NOMAD St. Moritz, and Salon Art + Design New York. Locations in Miami Beach and Paris.
• International Authorised Service PartnerscoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 1 January 2024Growing international network of specialist support partners who provide on-site support under the studio's instruction. Supports 'Support Plus' service package including in-depth diagnostics, service plan, logistics, spare parts, on-site repair, and reinstallation.
• Rolls-Royce Enthusiasts' ClubcoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2023Invited to celebrate 100 Years of the Rolls-Royce Phantom. Presented A million Times 72v with golden clock hands at The Peninsula London. Included in a 500-page publication documenting the Phantom's history alongside brands sharing similar values.
• Pari DustcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Collaboration with Persian American artist, model and influencer Pari Dust to create an exclusive ClockClock 24 edition limited to 5 pieces. Inspired by centuries-old stone temple of her Persian family, the housing refers to memory; clock hands finished in reflective lacquer.
• Paul MilinskiminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023NFT and physical art collaboration. Physical artwork 'ClockClock 24 – Deep Cloud Silver Hands' pulled from the digital world of a video NFT created in collaboration with Paul Milinski. Inspired by baroque frescoes.
• Steinway & SonscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022Collaboration with Steinway & Sons piano makers and Swedish pianist Mathias Algotsson for 'Celebrating Time' — an ephemeral cross-disciplinary performance. Performed on a Steinway Spirio self-playing grand piano placed in front of A million Times 504 artwork at the studio.
• IKEAflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021Partnered with IKEA for IKEA Art Event 2021 to create two limited-edition Collection of Drones wall objects resembling butterfly collection cabinets. Sold exclusively through IKEA stores worldwide.
• MonclerflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021Bespoke commission for Moncler's flagship store in Milan Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II. Custom A million Times artwork (61c + 200v) in bespoke metal frame, 7 metres high, visible from both levels of the two-story store.
• Mineta San José International AirportcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021Site-specific commission for Mineta San José Airport Terminal B Arrivals Hall as part of the Airport's Art + Technology Public Art Program. A million Times (San José) comprises 160 clock faces (288 x 130 x 6 cm).
• Cristina CaprioliminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020Stockholm-based choreographer collaborated with the studio to explore different ways of contextualising Rocking Church. Resulted in two public performances at HALLEN in Farsta, Sweden, with Caprioli's spatial installation 'Pending Sky', three dancers, and a soundscape by Yoann Durant.
• Changi Airport GroupflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2018Commissioned A million Times at Changi — one of the largest kinetic artworks in the world, comprising 504 clock faces (750 x 340 cm), installed in Terminal 2 of Singapore Changi Airport. Conceived in 2014, installed January 2018. Archived in 2021 during T2 renovations.
• MoMA Design StorecoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2016MoMA Design Store reissued ClockClock 24 in partnership with the MoMA store in New York in 2016. MoMA Design Store locations in New York and Hong Kong are authorised retailers for Humans since 1982 artworks.
• AudicoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2015Site-specific 'Spotlights' commission for Audi booth at Design Miami 2015. Three audiovisual sculptures over 3m high with interconnected video projections displaying sky phenomena (sun phases, lightning, cloud formations, migration), displayed as a triptych.
• Gallery ALLcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2013Authorised gallery partner based in Shanghai. Represents the studio at art fairs in China including ART021, DNA Shenzen, Design Shanghai, and West Bund Art Fair.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Maarten Baas: Dutch designer best known for his 'Real Time' series of kinetic clocks, in which a hand physically writes the time on a clock face. Directly comparable as a designer-studio producing limited-edition, art-object kinetic clocks sold to collectors and institutions at premium price points.
• Studio Job: Dutch design duo producing limited-edition collectible design objects (sculptures, furniture, lighting) in editions for galleries and museums. Overlaps in small-team, owner-led production of numbered, signed artworks positioned at the art/design intersection.
• Galerie kreo: Parisian gallery representing collectible design by renowned designers through limited editions. Comparable as a creator/representer of numbered, signed art-design objects with strong institutional recognition and HNW collector demand.
• Urwerk: Independent Swiss maker of avant-garde, sculptural mechanical watches. Comparable as a small studio blending proprietary horological engineering with collectible art-grade positioning, sold through limited editions and luxury retailers.
• Christiaan van der Klaauw: Dutch independent watchmaker specializing in astronomical and artistic mechanical clocks and watches. Comparable through small-scale, hand-assembled production of highly limited, art-object timepieces sold to collectors.
• MB&F: Geneva-based 'kinetic horology' laboratory creating sculptural, art-grade watches and clocks (e.g., Horological Machines) with strong collector demand and limited editions. Highly comparable as a small independent studio combining proprietary mechanical engineering with collectible-grade artistic positioning in the luxury timepiece/art crossover space.
• L'Epée 1839: Swiss manufacturer of high-end table clocks and kinetic automata marketed as art objects. Overlaps directly with Humans since 1982's ClockClock and A million Times lines in product category, mechanical/kinetic engineering depth, and HNW collector targeting.

Broad incumbents

• Established & Sons: London-based design brand producing collectible furniture and objects by leading designers, sold through premium galleries and design retailers. Comparable distribution model and HNW customer base, though broader product scope spanning furniture and lighting rather than timepieces.

Emerging players

• Bosa: Italian design/ceramic studio producing collectible decorative objects with limited editions and artist collaborations. Comparable in small-studio, collaboration-driven, collectible design positioning for design-conscious HNW buyers.
• Progetti: Italian design studio producing collectible decorative lighting and objects. Comparable as a small European design atelier selling limited-edition sculptural objects to design collectors, though with a different product category.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubevimeo.com/humanssince1982
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/humans-since-1982
• Instagraminstagram.com/humanssince1982

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Humans since 1982