Interview with a watch designer from Switzerland
« In my opinion it is the society which creates the icon. When I design a watch, I do not draw it to become the next icon but to be unique & timeless. »
Let’s start with the beginning. Which path led you to be a designer in the universe of timepieces?
When I was a kid I was fond of aviation, a passion inherited from my father. I spent hours building model aeroplanes with him, adoring the sense of meticulousness and detail required for this kind of art and craft.
This synthesis between drawing and model construction unwittingly got me closer to my future vocation as a designer, where precision and detail are much needed.
Regarding my background, I started my academic career at the School of Applied Arts in Geneva as a Product and Industrial Design student. My first encounter with the watchmaking universe occurred during these early years when I met the designer and manufacturer Pierre Junod. For him, we did researches about innovative watch concepts.
After three years I joined the ECAL, the Cantonal School of Art in Lausanne in Switzerland, to pursue my design studies and was lucky enough to meet one of my teachers, a renowned designer running his own design company. I didn’t think twice when he offered me to collaborate with him on an accessories design project. I certainly was not expecting to be dipped into the epicentre of high-watchmaking, at La Chaux-de-Fond, working with one of the greatest watch-aficionado, collector, and connoisseur I’ve ever known. I got a brainwave, becoming aware of the incredible beauty and power of watches. A new passion ignited.
A few years later, provided with a freshly acquired watch designer experience, I felt the need to move back to Geneva. I joined a renowned Maison as a watch and jewellery designer.
To sum up, in a few words, I am grateful I went to a quality school, and I met the right people, challenging experts who shared with me their love for aesthetics, good taste, artistic sense and, first and foremost, timepieces.
What do you like the most about your work?
First of all, the challenge of building elegant, timeless, and long-lasting timekeepers that transcend ages.
Generally speaking, I genuinely appreciate the diversity of my tasks. As a watch designer, I have the chance to follow projects from beginning to end. Let me explain… I always start with a blank page. After first instructions, I start documenting myself through several kinds of research. The design must continuously be adjusted to meet the firstly delivered demand (material, colour, and proportion). Hand-drawing is my great pleasure, although I also appreciate detailed 2D and 3D drawing. The discovering of the first watch prototype is a crucial and exciting stage, where you feel your project starts coming alive. To cap it all, collaborating with many talented and inspiring people is an incredible experience.
Which qualities make an outstanding designer?
The attention to detail, a sense of form and proportion, the love of miniaturisation, the ability to continually learn and relearn, being observant and open-minded, understanding the final customer, being able to question yourself, evolve and sometimes change your mindset.
Where do you draw your inspiration, other than from the brand’s heritage?
I get the inspiration to my designs from various sources of interest: aviation, of course, but also flora and fauna, modern architecture, and art movements.
How do you retain on the brand’s DNA while expanding on it?
It is all about finding an ideal fusion between the brands DNA and a disruptive idea.
For a contemporary watch, I must tap into the brand’s codes – which should be instantly recognised by the customer – while adopting a modern approach in light of current trends. If I work on a vintage watch, there is a convergence of past aesthetic codes which must be dosed accurately and transformed without modifying the essence of the original design. If you want to perpetuate a historical icon that has existed for several years within the company, you must succeed in developing it over time by this subtle work of proportion.
Do you remember your first horological purchase? What did it mean to you?
My first ever watch was a Breitling Top Time from the sixties. The acquisition of a new watch must be emotional, and this one was a real heart stroke. I had discovered Breitling in my early years through aviation. Later when I was working at La-Chaux-de-Fond, there was a beautiful book about the brand I regularly devoured during my pause times. One day, as I was flipping through its pages, I discovered a picture of the first Breitling factory. I looked outside the window and realised this old history loaden factory was, in fact, our neighbouring building.
Is there an outstanding timepiece you are lusting after at the moment?
Actually, there are two. An IWC watch from the fifties with hours and minutes and a Movado with perpetual calendar. They both have a stunning design and beautiful proportions.
What timepiece are you wearing today? Could you tell us more about it?
I am wearing an Omega Seamaster Mariner from 1969, with quartz movement. I chose it because of the crazy design, very emblematic of this time when designers dared creating stunning avant-garde products. It has a beautiful case which seems to be sculpted with an axe. It gives it a unique look.
Could you name some designers and models of inspiration you would have liked to come across?
I would have loved to meet the legendary Raymond Loewy, a French designer, among the greatest, who has long lived in the USA. He is at the origin of the industrial aesthetic and the designer profession. He is famous for inventing iconic pieces, from means of transport to the simplest sewing machines. Even today, we unconsciously use an abundance of objects born from his talent.
High-end watches are known for being infused with delightful details, high-quality finishing, and, beyond that, a symbolic and sometimes mythic meaning. What is the recipe for creating an iconic watch that combines all these elements?
In my opinion it is the society which creates the icon. When I design a watch, I do not draw it to become the next icon but to be unique and timeless at the same time. Every designer aspires to create a timepiece that still awakens the customers desire despite the passing of time. Eventually, the public is seduced or not by the watch, and that way determines its future and longlasting success.
“I would have loved to meet the legendary Raymond Loewy, a French designer, among the greatest.”
How do you feel about watch design these days, compared to your early stages?
When I started working as a designer, it was quite common to use large and massive diameters for men’s watches. 42mm was a small size, which can appear quite surprising nowadays.
A contemporary trend I relish is the use of old materials instilled with a beautiful aura (bronze for example). A patina gently appears on your watch, which seems to live and evolve on your wrist. In opposition to highly innovative and ultra-technical materials, I like the current use of old materials that bear witness to history and know-how.
■ Propos recueillis à Megève en date du 20 janvier 2019
