Watch pages.indd

NOVEMBER 2007 | US$7.99 | CAN$7.95
DESIGN OF
THE TIMES
PHOTOGRAPH: WINFRIED HEINZE/REDCOVER.COM. DESIGNER: MARION LICHTIG
Welcome to House & Garden’s first watch special. For 60 years,
House & Garden has celebrated beautiful and enduring design; here we’ve
asked some of the leading lights of the UK design world to share their
watch collections (and recollections) with us. And remember, if talk of
eco-values seems overwhelming, mechanical watches are among the most
eco-friendly design there is. So unwind – and enjoy. By Claire Adler
PRODUCED BY
PROMOTIONS
WATCH
SPREE
In an era when you can check the time just as
easily on your mobile, laptop or oven, watches
have to do so much more than tell the time.
Watches are no longer merely timepieces,
they are talking pieces. Watches described as
‘iconic’ are often the ones that have the best
stories to tell. Think of the first watch ever
to have reached the moon. Or James Bond’s
favourite watch. What about the first watch
that indicated the time in 24 time zones?
Some watches draw you into a narrative that unfolds, inviting you Or the watch worn by Steve McQueen? And
on a journey that lasts a lifetime. A split second is all you need to recognise how about the one you don’t actually own,
others. Their signature design cues are an instant brand giveaway you merely pass on to the next generation?
TOUHIG SION/CORBIS SYGMA. CONTENT MINE INTERNATIONAL/ALAMY
WATCH
LEGENDS
Iconic watches invite
you on an adventure.
They say, ‘Come
with me, spend
some time, engage
and discover.’
Ta g
H e u e r ’s
‘Monaco’ is a striking
watch by any standard.
But it became the
ultimate in cool when
Steve McQueen wore it
in the classic 1971 racing
film Le Mans. From the
Twenties Olympic Games,
Tag Heuer was the first
watchmaker to master
chronographs to within
0.0001 of a second. The
latest ‘Monaco Gulf’ version
has retro stripes down the
face in the colours of the
original Porsche-Gulf that
McQueen drove in the film.
‘Today, the “Monaco”’s
biggest fans are people
who as children regarded
McQueen as their hero, in
his overalls and squarecased “Monaco”, and who
can now afford the real
thing,’ says Jonathan
Scatchard, the founder of
the site vintageheuer.com.
Cultural and sporting
legends like this one
have become a shared
horological language
among those in the know.
When Neil Armstrong
landed on the moon
in 1969, he wore an
Omega ‘Speedmaster
CLOCKWISE FROM
NEAR LEFT Breitling
‘Cosmonaute’. Steve
McQueen wearing Tag
Heuer’s ‘Monaco’. This
year’s ‘Monaco Gulf’.
Two versions of the
Omega ‘Speedmaster’
THIS PICTURE Omega
wearer James
Bond, in Live And Let
Die. RIGHT The
Omega ‘Seamaster’
DESIGN CUES
Professional’. The distance
from Switzerland to the
surface of the moon is some
384,000km. But 50 years
after this legendary watch was
created, it has been on 118
space missions, two polar
expeditions and one orbital
re-entry watched by almost
60 million people. Not bad
for a watch designed in
1957, for ‘research,
industry and sport’.
Originally called
the ‘Navitimer’,
Breitling’s ‘Cosmonaute’ was
worn by Scott Carpenter on
the second US flight into space,
in 1962. Which was the first
watch in space is still debated.
The Rolex ‘Submariner’,
worn by James Bond in the
original Ian Fleming novels,
featured in some of the first
Bond films. Now Omega has
the privilege of adorning
James Bond’s wrist. The
Omega ‘Seamaster 300-metre
Diver Chronometer’ is so
famous that people routinely
walk into Omega boutiques
asking for the Bond watch.
Patek Philippe’s ‘World
Time’, introduced in 1930, was
the first watch to display time
in all 24 time zones. ‘Today,
Patek Philippe’s advertising
campaigns are some of the
most recalled in the world,’
according to advertising guru
Tim Delaney, the man behind
the ‘You don’t actually own a
Patek Philippe’ concept.
Meanwhile, this
year Hamilton
has re-issued
its ‘Ventura’,
whose signature
triangular dial
and fin-style
shoulders turned
heads 50 years
ago – probably
helped by
Elvis Presley
wearing one
in the 1961 film
Blue Hawaii
CLOCKWISE FROM TOP
Audemars Piguet ‘Royal
Oak’. De Grisogono
‘Piccolina’. Chopard ‘Happy
Diamonds Mark II’. Hermès
‘Cape Cod’. The Vintage
Omega worn by Daniel
Craig in Casino Royale
Luxury accessories do this all the time. Just think of Dior’s
saddle-shaped bags, Prada’s red stripe, Fendi’s giant buckles,
or Louis Vuitton’s LV monogram.
In a similar vein, the Rolex ‘Oyster’ giveaway is the cyclops
magnifying lens date display at 3 o’clock. In 1926 the ‘Oyster’
became the first waterproof watch.
Breguet watches have metallic blue hands with a bubble
near the top. Hublot watches, inspired by portholes on yachts,
have visible screws round the bezel. Audemars Piguet’s ‘Royal
Oak’, the original high-end sports watch, is defined by its
octagonal face held in place by eight visible screws.
Franck Muller’s tonneau-shaped ‘Long Island’ is a design
classic. His coloured dials have been copied repeatedly. Rado’s
ceramic cases and bracelets, like those on the ‘Ceramica’, are
unerringly sleek and smooth. Montblanc’s ‘Timewalker’ has
cut-out horns attaching the strap to the case. The Hermès
signature is the H-shaped case linked to elegant leather
straps, often double wrapround in style, as on the ‘Cape Cod’.
Maurice Lacroix watches exhibit a penchant for moon
phase and retrograde complications. Jaeger-leCoultre’s
‘Reverso’, whose watch case flips round to conceal the dial,
was originally designed for polo players.
Cartier’s best-selling Dona de Cartier has a rounded
trapezium-shaped case and alligator strap, inspired by
extravagant Mexican actress Maria Felix and her love of
crocodiles. De Grisogono’s ‘Piccolina’ cuff is sprinkled with
gems, while carved arabesques adorn the inside. Chanel’s ‘J12’
favours black and white and diamonds. Ebel’s ‘1911‘ watches
have super-supple, tactile bracelets and an E embossed on
the pusher.
Floating diamonds splash freely around Chopard’s ‘Happy
Diamond Mark II’ ladies’ chronograph. First introduced in 1972,
the Happy Diamonds collection broke new ground by coating
diamonds in a delicate film of gold to ensure they didn’t
scratch any surface they touched.
Then there are the eccentric watches of Alain Silberstein,
who turned his hand to watchmaking after winning a watch
design competition for architects. An unapologetic
combination of primary colours with playful primary-school
shapes is his hallmark.
Meanwhile, this year Hamilton has re-issued its ‘Ventura’,
whose signature triangular dial and fin-style shoulders turned
heads 50 years ago – probably helped by Elvis Presley wearing
one in the 1961 film Blue Hawaii.
And, finally, as the bar that defines luxury is continually
raised, there are ever more opportunities to tell your own
story on a watch dial. Bovet Fleurier has enlisted one of the
world’s most accomplished miniature painters to paint dials
by hand with personal portraits. And Tiret NY can craft
diamond pavé portrait dials. But since these pieces take seven
months to make, only celebrity clientele are allowed even to
place orders.
AFP/GETTY IMAGES
Not all watches have great stories attached to them.
Some are arresting simply for their drop-dead-gorgeous
looks. Brands often take one design element and repeat
it, investing it with a leitmotif status. Design cues
such as these enable you to identify particular watches
from a mile off, if only you know what to look for
THIS PICTURE La Dona
de Cartier FROM
TOP Patek Philippe
‘World Time’. Hamilton
‘Ventura’. Maurice Lacroix
‘Masterpiece Phase de
Lune’. Ebel ‘1911’. Rado
‘Ceramica’. Tiret New
York pavé portrait dial,
commissioned by hip
hop mogul Kanye West.
Alain Silberstein ‘Krono
Bauhaus Alligator Silver’
As the bar that
defines luxury is
continually raised,
there are growing
opportunities to
tell your own story
on a watch dial.
Bovet Fleurier has
enlisted one of
the world’s most
accomplished
miniature painters
and Tiret New
York can craft
diamond pavé
portrait dials
ME AND MY WATCHES
Leading UK designers reveal which watches make their heart beat faster and which ones they still dream of
DAVID LINLEY
Chairman of British
design company Linley
and also of Christie’s
auction house
TARA BERNERD
Designer and CEO of Target Living
LEFT TO RIGHT Franck
Muller ‘Long Island’.
Patek Philippe ‘Nautilus’.
Lange & Sohne’s
‘Datograph Perpetual’
I have special memories associated with certain watches. My current watch is a
boys’ watch, an old black-faced Rolex ‘Submariner’. I added the chocolate brown
strap myself. I never wind it up. My father gave it to me when he was unwell. He
wasn’t allowed to wear the watch when he went into surgery. I still haven’t given it
back to him and now I don’t like to change the time on it. Sometimes when I look
at the watch, that memory can change my whole day. The watch has stopped now,
so I often use my mobile for the time.
Once I picked up a great retro piece in downtown New York. It’s an army-style
digital watch with a khaki-green canvas strap. My name was written all over it.
I recently bought myself a special present from Tim Jefferies’s gallery,
Hamiltons. It’s a photograph by Tom Ford’s photographer of the inside of a Patek
Philippe and it’s larger than my front door.
My ultimate watch is the black-faced Audemars Piguet’s ‘Royal Oak’ men’s
version. Then there’s Franck Muller’s ‘Long Island’ – now that’s a real knockout.
For my 21st birthday, my father
gave me an Omega ‘Speedmaster’, the watch famous for
making it onto the moon in 1969.
Some of my friends thought it
was the actual watch which had
been on the moon, which was
quite amusing.
I also have a Pulsar, one of
the first digital watches.
Nowadays, people are far more
interested in handmade
watches. We see this with the
popularity of our Linley watch
winders. After all, a watch is just
about the only form of jewellery
a man can indulge in other than
rather suspect neckwear.
The watch I choose sets the
tone for the day. I prefer
watches which aren’t easy to
identify as a particular brand.
I’ve always admired JaegerleCoultre’s ‘Reversos’. They are
immensely pleasurable to fiddle
with, especially when you’re a
bit nervous. Panerais are great
for taking to Italy.
I dream a lot about watches.
You can never learn enough
about them. I love Lange &
Sohne’s ‘Datograph Perpetual’,
with its big dial and inner
workings revealed through the
back. Patek Philippe’s ‘Nautilus’
will have to wait till after the
children’s school fees.
000
CLOCKWISE FROM
BELOW Cartier
‘Roadster’.
IWC ‘Portuguese
Chrono-Automatic’.
IWC ‘Portuguese
Regulateur’.
BOTTOM RIGHT
Jaeger-leCoutre
‘Reverso’
and Breguet
‘Classique’
automatic
MARTIN
BRUDZINSKI
Interior designer
KELLY HOPPEN
RABIH HAGE
I adore watches. I’ve been buying them since I was 17.
Lynn Wyatt [wife of oil and natural gas tycoon Oscar] once said, ‘If you’re a real
woman you don’t need a watch at night because a man will take care of the time
for you.’ I quite like that idea. I do have two vintage diamond evening watches in
my collection, though. I love big, men’s watches. I’ve just bought a big, round
oversized white gold Hermès ‘Cape Cod’ with a tan double strap. I also have three
Bedat and Co watches, a Roger Dubuis gold limited edition, a Cartier ‘Tank’, a Louis
Vuitton ‘Tambour’, a Panerai automatic ‘Luminor’, three men’s Rolex watches
and one ladies, a Chanel J12 and an Hermès gents’ ‘Arceau’, among others.
My first watch was a vintage Omega which my father gave me when he was
dying. I don’t wear that now, I just keep it safe.
I never thought I’d say it but I’d love to have an all-gold Rolex ‘Daytona’. It costs
a fortune, though, so it’ll have to wait. I love shopping for watches at The Watch
Gallery, Harrods, the Rolex store, Asprey and Bulgari.
As a teenager, I had a Swatch collection. My favourite was the see-through
automatic ‘Irony’. You could see the steel movement inside. I also had one of the
first digital Casios; it felt cool pressing a button to read the time.
The watch I most admire is the IWC ‘Portuguese’. In great design, every
aesthetic detail is justified by functionality. Yet the aesthetic makes you forget
the function. I also love Cartier’s ‘Roadster’, which cleverly allows you to change
straps with a simple manoeuvre.
Watches have always been a social statement and signifier of wealth. But
today they increasingly signify education. More and more, people desire the
inner beauty of a mechanism, rather than diamonds. I enjoy seeing the
mechanism inside a Breguet. It reminds me of my old Swatch ‘Irony’.
Consuming watches is something of the past. There’s now a move towards
watches that will endure. I like the idea that fine watch brands, like Breguet which
was worn by Churchill, aren’t about fashion trends. They link us with history.
Interior designer
LEFT Roger Dubuis
white gold limited
edition ABOVE Bedat
& Co Number 8
PHOTOGRAPH: ELIZABETH HOFF
Interior designer and architect
I saw my first ever watch in a
shop window in the Eighties
and fell in love with it
immediately. It was a quartz
Tissot ‘Stylist’. It lasted
incredibly, although ultimately
the back fell off. I loved the
elegant mix of materials, which
brought together gold and
silver and a Times New Roman
font on a white face.
That watch was a foreshadow
ofthestyleIaimtocommunicate
in my work as a designer today.
There is a richness in the
materials, alongside a simplicity
in the details. I call it
minimalism deluxe.
I suspect the most popular
brands guests wear at Scott’s,
the seafood restaurant I
designed, are Breguet, Patek
Philippe and Jaeger-leCoultre.
Breguet is my favourite,
though. I just love the white
gold Breguet ‘Classique’
automatic. I find it fascinating
that Marie Antoinette was one
of the brand’s first high-profile
clients but she died four years
before her ‘Marie Antoinette
High Complication’ watch was
ready. She even ordered a
Breguet watch while in prison
and bought Breguets for her
court favourites.
WATCHES IMITATING ART
From watch displays in private homes and exhibitions of watch photography, to the first horological
art museum and swelling waiting lists for limited editions, watches are a fine art of their own
000 H O U S E & G A R D E N M O N T H 2 0 0 5
capacity for five watches, it comes complete with remote
control DVD and audio system, humidor and an 18-year-old
bottle of Scottish single malt.
The traditional favourite for luxury watch cases has long
been the Italian ‘Scatola del Tempo’, sold with select Patek
Philippe models or available at Marcus. Alternatively,
Austrian duo Buben & Zörweg has created the world’s largest
watch-winding case and, rumour has it, the watch wardrobe
on Michael Schumacher’s yacht.
‘A watch will always fundamentally be for telling the time,’
says Marcus Margulies, Bond Street’s most exuberant and
well-known watch man. But it takes only a brief visit to the
Marcus boutique and its new watch salon by Buben & Zörweg,
whose design by architect Eva Jiricna is influenced by the
Sir John Soane’s Museum, to question that.
While a 50-strong and growing list of names at Marcus wait
for the limited-edition Audemars Piguet’s ‘Alinghi’ and
Hublot’s ‘Big Bang’, it’s clear watch lovers are aching to get
something on their wrists that’s in limited supply. The likes of
Greubel Forsey’s ‘Invention’ or Franck Muller’s ‘Aeternitas
Mega’ are watches whose multiple complications challenge
the intellect of the world’s most seasoned collectors.
In the spirit of watches resembling art, Vacheron
Constantin has come up with a completely bespoke
watchmaking service in Geneva. Elsewhere, the Far East’s
most powerful watch retailer has opened the Hour Glass
Foundation of Contemporary Horological Art in Singapore,
to promote modern watchmaking art globally. Who ever said
watches were for telling the time?
CLOCKWISE FROM TOP
LEFT Glashütte’s
‘Gentleman’s Cabinet’.
Marcus store interior. Guido
Macofico’s photographs
of watch movements by
Patek Philippe and Gerald
Genta. Vacheron
Constantin Métiers d’Art
Les Masques collection
CREDIT HERE
It seems the relationship between art and watches is
becoming more intimate than ever.
‘In a horological movement, I find poetry meeting
technology,’ says Italian still-life photographer Guido
Mocafico, whose limited-edition photographs of watch
movements are available exclusively at London’s Hamiltons
Gallery. Mocafico, who has shot advertising campaigns for
Gucci, Dior and Armani has now captured images of
timepieces by Audemars Piguet, Breguet, Chopard, Gerald
Genta, Greubel Forsey, IWC, Jacquet Droz and Patek Philippe,
which he believes are works of art in their own right.
Some watch lovers are placing at least as much emphasis
on the collecting and housing of their watches as the actual
wearing of them.
Bonhams’ customers include a couple who seek out
Breguets to showcase in artfully constructed Perspex display
cabinets in their sitting room. Another important collector,
who is regularly found examining treasures at Antiquorum,
the world’s leading watch auctioneers, changes his specially
commissioned display cases regularly – frequently toing and
froing from his vaults at the bank to switch the collections on
show in his salon.
‘The recent trend to display wristwatches can probably be
attributed to the creative designs from the watch companies,’
says Charles Tearle, Bonhams’ watch expert. ‘Of course, it
might just be to impress friends over dinner.’
Anyone who buys Glashütte’s one-off ‘Gentleman’s
Cabinet’ in platinum and wood, available exclusively at
Harrods, will have no trouble impressing friends. With
WATCHES FOR
THE DESIGN
CONSCIOUS
2
Looking to shake up your watch wardrobe? How about trying
something individualistic, scientific, sporty chic or plain gigantic?
Breguet’s
‘La Tradition’
ONCE WAS A TIME WHEN THE DESIGN
SAVVY AND LOVERS OF CLASSICAL
WATCHES WERE IN TWO VERY SEPARATE
CAMPS. BUT TIMES, THEY ARE CHANGING.
THERE HAS BEEN A RAPPROCHEMENT
BETWEEN THE TWO. AS DEMAND FOR
WATCHES SOARS, THOSE WHO MIGHT
ONCE HAVE WORN WATCHES AS MERE
ARM CANDY OR FASHION STATEMENT
ARE TURNING THEIR ATTENTION TO
WHAT LIES BENEATH A PRETTY WATCH
FACE. IN THE MEANTIME, LOVERS OF
THE WATCH WORLD’S CLASSICS ARE
EXPANDING THEIR COLLECTIONS,
AND ARE BECOMING INCREASINGLY
AUDACIOUS ON THE DESIGN FRONT
IN THE PROCESS. WHILE THERE WILL
PROBABLY ALWAYS BE A WATCH OUT
THERE FOR EVERY MOOD, WHIM
AND FANTASY, FIVE TRENDS ARE NOW
DRIVING THE WORLD OF FINE WATCHES.
3
000 H O U S E & G A R D E N M O N T H 2 0 0 5
Ladies’ diamond
vintage Rolex,
circa 1920, from
The Vintage
Watch Company
CREDIT HERE
De Grisogono
‘Power Breaker’
CREDIT HERE
If a watch is one of the most personal expressions of style we can make, then why buy the
same one as anyone else? According to luxury experts Ledbury Research, we often buy
beautiful objects for the joy of owning something others have never seen before.
Limited editions currently abound. For example, English watchmaker Roger Smith
produces watches on the Isle of Man, and he makes only about 15 per year.
At the same time, a fresh crop of avant-garde, independent watchmakers is rethinking
the future of watch design. All of them produce in small numbers: Max Busser is determined
to create novel watches only a few will love; Giuliano Mazzuoli, a former racing driver, is a
product designer without formal training; while Greubel Forsey is making technical
improvements to timekeeping that have barely been attempted in two centuries.
A selection of beautiful, vintage watches at Notting Hill’s One boutique spells individualistic
chic. The Vintage Watch Company houses the world’s largest choice of rare vintage Rolexes.
Bamford & Son also stocks a sharp, vintage selection, while Pieces of Time is the world’s
largest antique-watch website.
Edgy watchmakers are opening up the hearts of their watches, in order to show off the best in man-made
craftsmanship. Many of these watches are impressive feats of design, often incorporating new technology to create
curved, sapphire-crystal windows.
Omega’s ‘Hour Vision’, a show-stopping retro watch with curved lateral windows, is the first watch with a 360-degree,
see-through case. Greubel Forsey’s asymmetrical ‘24 Secondes Incliné’, with a convex corner window, allows a glimpse
of the angled gears and rotating tourbillon within. Maurice Lacroix’s ‘Le Chronographe’ skeleton reveals one of the
brand’s first movements made entirely in-house.
Then there’s Breguet’s ‘La Tradition’, a strikingly modern watch from one of the most traditional watchmakers
in the business. ‘I call this one the watchmaker’s surprise,’ smiles Adrian Hailwood, Breguet’s Bond Street boutique
manager. Most of the elements that make up the function of the watch are configured neatly on the front of the dial.
‘People turn it over expecting to view the inner workings but there’s nothing there. That’s because it’s all on the front of
the watch,’ he says.
SCIENCE-LAB COOL
The success of jumbo watch
cases, whose diameters regularly
exceed 44mm, partially explains
why luxury watchmakers are
experimenting with lighter and
more durable materials. It’s a case
of back to the science lab, with
watchmakers routinely borrowing
from the motor, medical and
aerospace industries.
Audemars Piguet’s ‘Alinghi’ is
made of forged carbon, typically
found in Formula One cars.
Chanel’s ‘J12 Superleggera’ –
Italian for superlight – is fashioned
from aluminium and ceramic. The
‘EmaS Diver’ watch uses light and
durable polycarbonate, often
found in surgical environments.
Watches such as Zenith’s
futuristic ‘Defy’ boast new
metallurgical combinations. There
are silicon-enhanced movements
at Patek Philippe and Ulysse
Nardin. Technomarine’s ‘Square
Ceramique’ and Links of London’s
feminine yet bold ‘Celsisus’ both
use glossy, high-tech ceramic – the
material used as a heat shield for
1INDIVIDUALISTIC CHIC
SHOW CASES
the space shuttle.
When Hublot, founded in 1980,
produced the first luxury gold
watch on a natural rubber strap, it
made watchmaking history.
Rubber may have been the
material formerly used for flipflops, but it came with a delicate
vanilla aroma and was corrosionresistant, light, supple and durable
to boot. Today, rubber straps are
everywhere. The strap of
Villemont’s ‘Solar Navigator’ is
vanilla scented, and a sapphire
studded strap adorns Dior’s
‘Christal’.
5
FROM LEFT Zenith ‘Defy
Classic’. Technomarine
Square ‘Ceramique’. Links
of London ‘Celsius’ BOTTOM
RIGHT Ebel ladies’ ‘Brasilia’
SPORTY LUXE
The prevailing mood of casual luxury means rubber has become ubiquitous,
and sports watches have been a runaway success.
Breitling celebrates the 50th anniversary of its original diving watch, the
‘Superocean’, this year, with rubber straps or gorgeous, woven-steel bracelets.
Longines has launched a comprehensive new sports collection.
Links of London’s ‘Driver’ watches have flexible lugs linking the watch itself and
the strap, so that you can see the time without taking your hand off the wheel while
driving. There’s even space to add decorative charms – anything from chunky gold
initials to rose crystal hearts – from the Links charm bar.
Billing dazzling, gem-encrusted pieces as ‘sports’ watches just seems like
shameless decadence. But as lovers of life’s finest things grow more blasé than ever,
De Grisogono’s most recent addition is the bold and allegedly sporty ‘Power Breaker’
– designed in conjunction with Formula One team manager Flavio Briatore – which
is frosted with mouth-watering, champagne diamonds.
4
SIZING UP
When a bespoke
shirtmaker teams up with
one of the UK’s oldest
jewellers, you know you’re
onto a pivotal design trend.
‘Many of our clients like
to wear oversized watches,
but find their shirt sleeves
don’t hang properly as
a result,’ says Ben Ogden,
fifth-generation jeweller at
Ogden of Harrogate.
When Ben launched
Giuliano Mazzuoli’s chunky
‘Manometro’,
he
recommended Upper 10.
This bespoke tailor makes
shirts to order, with one
wider cuff to accommodate
large watches.
Perhaps the Manometro’s
dimensions – 45.2mm in
diameter and 14.8mm thick
– are not surprising, given
that it started life as a
pressure gauge. But the likes
of Hublot’s ‘Bigger Bang’ – a
favourite with City boys,
Graham’s ‘Chronofighter’,
and that monster of a watch
– Bell & Ross’s ‘BR01’, are also
steering this move towards
supersized timepieces.
Even Ebel’s ladies’ ‘Brasilia’
chronograph – inspired by
Brazil’s capital, created in the
Fifties by architect Oscar
Niemeyer – is a staggering
48mm in height.
A U G U S T 2 0 0 5 H O U S E & G A R D E N 000
FUTURE WATCH
What does the world of horology design promise for the future? Many watch designers are observing design influences from beyond the watch world
CHRISTOPH BEHLING Award-winning product and watch designer, Tag Heuer
Having worked on mobile phones for Nokia, perfume bottle design for Dior and eyewear for Tag Heuer,
I’m now working on Tag Heuer designs for 2009. Tag Heuer’s biggest challenge now is women’s watches.
I believe the key to great design is to push materials to their limits, using, for example, ceramics, to create
something you can only make with that material.
I see a hunger for uniqueness and products that will endure. We are looking at the applications of rapid
prototyping, a technology which can lead to customisation on a mass level, in-store, in the foreseeable future.
VALERIE URSENBACHER Watch designer, HD3 complication
Watches have recently become extremely desirable objects for both men and women. Watch design is more
daring and high tech than it used to be.
Cars play a very important role in today’s style and they give me lots of inspiration for my own designs.
Science-fiction movies, extraordinary websites and innovative fashion inspire me, too.
When creating complicated movements, like the HD3, we are mindful to innovate both technically and on
the design front. Ultimately, the movements are always the heart of our watches.
GIULIANO MAZZUOLI Product and watch designer, Manometro
In the UK, people love big watches. It’s satisfying to see a confident, fashionable woman wearing a large
watch. People will always appreciate simplicity because simplicity is the most difficult element in design.
I like to work with suppliers outside the watch industry because when, like me, you come from outside the
industry, you bring a fresh approach.
My most ambitious project, ‘Contagiri’, combines mechanics, complication and design. When I raced Alfa
Romeos in the Seventies, the rev counter in an Alfa Romeo GT evoked the most powerful emotions in me.
OCTAVIO GARCIA Creative director, Audemars Piguet
Our design people are working more closely than ever with engineers and we’re increasingly taking inspiration
from the automotive universe.
The big challenge is to respect traditional craftsmanship while adding a modern touch, in order to create
watches with personality.
One of our most progressive products stylistically is the ‘MC12’, inspired by Maserati’s Le Mans version.
Carbon fibre and aluminium are integrated into the case and the levers’ styling recalls the car’s engine.
THIERRY NATAF Creative director and president, Zenith
Fashion is the instantaneous mirror of culture, society and humanity. Today, all the watches we make – even
haute horlogerie watches – are linked to cultural and fashion trends.
I will continue to develop the Zenith collection on a tradition-to-modernity axis. We revisit the tradition of
great watchmaking through our ‘Chronomaster’, ‘Class’, ‘Academy’ and complications like the ‘Multicity’,
while always adding a twist.
We continue to innovate with ‘Defy’, combining 150 years of watchmaking expertise with futuristic,
high-performance materials, to result in the unexpected, such as the ‘Defy’ for women – his watch for her.