Nick Smith’s 12:12 watch collages: twenty-four rows of time

Nick Smith’s four watch collages for RHODES’ 12:12 Summer Group Exhibition turn a familiar luxury object into a device for thinking about how a day is spent. Pink Perpetual, Coral Perpetual, Turquoise Perpetual and Daytona are 2026 original works on Fabriano 5 paper. Each measures 59.4 × 42 cm and is framed in white. RHODES introduced the quartet in its 19 August announcement; that publication date does not establish when each work first went on sale. Gallery’s introduction.

Reading the hours differently

The watches reproduce recognisable Rolex forms, yet the gallery describes their subject as the opportunities contained within time rather than the possession of a costly timepiece alone. Each composition has twenty-four rows. Through the accompanying language, the daily cycle becomes a sequence of small privileges and reasons for gratitude. The count of rows gives the image a temporal structure even when the depicted hands remain still.

There is a tension between the immediate recognition of a watch and the slower process of reading its components. A distant view presents an object associated with precision, status and personal taste. At close range, the separate colour chips interrupt that coherent surface and ask for a more patient encounter. The familiar object draws the viewer in; its fragmented construction shifts attention toward the writing and the experience of a day.

That makes the group a useful continuation of Smith’s interest in material culture. RHODES connects it to his earlier examination of trainer collecting and the monetary value attached to art. Here, however, the chosen object already measures the resource under discussion. A watch can signal purchasing power while also reminding its owner that every day has the same number of hours. The work uses that double role without reducing the image to a simple endorsement or rejection of luxury.

Four individual collages

Pink Perpetual, Coral Perpetual and Turquoise Perpetual each contain 369 colour chips. Daytona uses 395, so the group is not four mechanically identical layouts with only a renamed colour. Their shared external measurements make comparison straightforward, while the differing designs and chip counts retain distinct identities. The gallery labels these as original collages rather than a new print edition; no print-run quantity is supplied or implied.

The exact gallery records matter because the words Perpetual and Daytona describe the subjects of artworks here, not watches offered for sale. There is no documented Rolex collaboration, licensed product release or functional timepiece in this group. The object being acquired is the framed paper collage by Smith. RHODES viewing room.

Availability and exhibition context

At the 8 October check, RHODES marked the three Perpetual works sold, while Daytona remained an enquiry listing without a public price. A current enquiry route does not establish immediate stock or a historic issue price, so collectors should confirm the exact work and terms with the gallery rather than transferring a price from another member of the group.

RHODES’ physical exhibition page advertised 12:12 for 7–29 August 2026. Its viewing room separately displays a 5 September end date; the differing date is not sufficient evidence of a physical extension. That discrepancy does not change the quartet’s documented participation, but it should remain visible when reconstructing the exhibition history. The records below preserve the four works individually and link to their original gallery descriptions.