What does the present moment look like, the one and only “now” moment? What do you imagine when you hear “now”: a picture, a still frame from a movie, maybe a fragment of a movie or a sound? Psychologists believe the last answer is the most correct. Recent research in cognitive psychology and human perception (e.g., an article in the Journal of Modern Foreign Psychology) shows that a person is much more accurate in determining the length of time a sound is played than the length of time a picture is shown. Moreover, if we show first the picture and then the picture and the sound at the same time, the second answer will be more accurate. We can say that when it comes to time, a person chooses sound as his or her internal chronometer. Therefore, if you want to try to catch a glimpse of the present, it is worth listening. Moreover, a study published in the journal Consciousness and Cognition shows that if you distribute words denoting the past and words denoting the future to the left and right, respectively, of the zero point (“now”) and then let people listen to these words, those denoting the future will be perceived louder by the right ear. This shows that visual and auditory perception are strongly linked, and sometimes one can dictate the rules of the game to the other. And if space is perceived by sight, presented as a picture, then time is like a sound sequence. And it is hearing and sound that will better let us know how long a particular moment lasts.

In addition, sound can distort a person's perception of time. Sound-induced time distortion is a phenomenon studied in cognitive psychology and neuroscience in which auditory stimuli affect time perception. The brain processes time intervals using neural mechanisms, and auditory stimuli, particularly rhythmic sounds, can alter the process and outcome of this processing. When listening to a series of sounds, our perception of time can slow down or speed up depending on the rhythm and tempo. Studies show that regular rhythmic sounds make time intervals seem shorter, whereas irregular or unexpected sounds make time intervals seem longer. This effect is due to the expectation and prediction mechanisms that operate in the brain, where regular patterns are processed more efficiently. Disturbances or variations in sound patterns, changes in rhythm lead to changes in the perception of time because of the way these neural circuits process information. In everyday life, this phenomenon is manifested by the fact that time seems to go faster when the tempo of music is fast, and slower when the tempo is monotonous or slow. Experimental results have shown that participants' estimation of time is significantly affected by sound patterns, with increasing tempo leading to underestimation and decreasing tempo leading to overestimation of time intervals. Thus, time in human perception is primarily a rhythm. The human psyche has its own internal rhythms, but we often perceive the world in relation to external rhythms. By controlling the rhythm of sound sequences, we can slow down or speed up our perception of time, control it. The rhythm of life is not just a beautiful metaphor, it is one of the names of time.

Considering the perception of time as a perception of sound, or more specifically, rhythm, gives a new perspective on the clock as a time-measuring device, its design and the way it is used.  Claude Debussy said, “Music is the sound between the notes.” The “now,” then, is not a mark on the dial. It is the movement of the hand and the sound of the trigger. The flow of time is continuous, it flows smoothly from one “now” to the next, from the click of the trigger to the pause before the next. What is most important in this process is rhythmicity, which, at the same time, is continuous. A clock is a powerful tool for programming and setting up our perception: the sounds around us, music, people's voices can change their rhythms, they can be disrupted, something unexpected can appear in them. A watch always ticks with the same rhythm, its hands move at the same speed. This is how clocks create for us a convenient and predictable, stable flow of time. But you can perceive this flow in different ways, depending on what marks you need for traveling on the ocean of time. There are three types of people: some appreciate marks and conventional reference points, moving along the beaten path of 24 hours and 60 minutes. Others need markers too, but disagree with age-old reference points and believe they have found a better way to navigate and perceive time. Finally, still others believe that it doesn't matter how much specific time has passed, they don't care about accuracy to the minute or second. The most important thing for them is to float from one now to the next, feeling the very passage of time as best as possible and enjoying it. Such people are unlikely to work in spheres where precise time consistency and punctuality are important, they are rather people who like unconventionality, creative professions. Their attention may be focused on the spiritual sphere, on the feeling of life. Bakkoura is preparing a bold and unusual solution to this approach to the perception of time: Pulse watch without divisions into hours, minutes and seconds, with only one second hand. It is a logical continuation of the Open Mind collection with minute and hour hands, but without divisions. Such a watch can provide a new important experience: the feeling and perception of time not in relation to divisions and some specific marks, but as a rhythm, a sequence of movements with equal speed. It can help to get out of the uncomfortable rhythm of life and look at the day from a new perspective. This meditation-like approach can be very helpful for those who have problems with time management, work rhythm, burnout, and other similar problems. No watch alone can fix your life in an instant, but a new experience can give you a direction to go in and a new open mind about life and time.