If you’ve been an Oracle Time reader for more than a year, then you might recognise the name Inkdial. He’s the artist behind a number of Oracle Time illustrations in the past, including our 10th anniversary cover for the 100th issue in 2024 as well as our series on iconic watch design elements – both part one and part two. The natural follow-up question is, who is this horological illustrator?
Real name Ben Li, Inkdial studied Graphic and Media Design at University of the Arts London, where he developed his skills with marker and pen drawings. After university he worked across a variety of design jobs but the most impactful was working for a jewellery design studio where he first discovered and fell in love with luxury watches. Then came 2020 and the global pandemic and during lockdown Ben created his first illustration of a wristwatch.
It was the perfect storm. 2020 was the start of an enormous boom in the watch industry as collectors with little to do except buy watches started doing just that. At the same time, many people began exploring new creative arts across social media. It’s no surprise that with his incredibly detailed and intricate wristwatch drawings, Inkdial blew-up within the watch sphere.
What started as a lockdown hobby quickly became a professional business as Inkdial received commissions from IWC, Jaeger-LeCoultre, Audemars Piguet, Roger Dubuis, G-Shock, and (obviously the most important) Oracle Time, among many others. To date he has produced over 400 wristwatch related artworks under the Inkdial name.
Aside from the drawings themselves, Inkdial is also known for his appearances at events. Last year he created bespoke sketches of attendees’ watches at Hands On Horology in front of their eyes. While he won’t be at this year’s Hands On Horology show in person, he will still be part of the experience in spirit as he is providing a custom illustration that will be available for free on the day.
More details at Inkdial.
