Regarded as the Picasso among watchmakers: Gérald Genta. © Audemars Piguet
The success of the Swiss watch industry is largely based on the ideas of its designers. As the industry experiences unprecedented growth, the question arises: who are these often-forgotten artists developing the “Swiss Made” aesthetic?
This content was published on June 30, 2023 June 30, 2023
Alexey Tarkhanov
Gérald Genta (1931-2011) is known as “Picasso among watchmakers”. He created bestsellers for the Swiss watch industry and shaped the unmistakable look of legendary models such as the Royal Oak from Audemars Piguet (1972), the Nautilus from Patek Philippe (1976), the Ingénieur from IWC (1976) and Bulgari (1977). According to estimates by the Gérald Genta Héritage association, he was involved in over 100,000 models from various brands, often anonymously.
The Audemars Piguet Royal Oak designed by Gérald Genta. © Audemars Piguet
The Audemars Piguet Royal Oak is widely regarded as an icon. With this model, Genta brought the independent luxury brand from Le Brassus in the canton of Vaud into the ranks of the “Big Four” – the four top-selling companies in the industry. The annual turnover of Audemars Piguet is estimated at almost two billion francs by the bank Morgan Stanley and the agency Luxe-Consult, which publishes an annual ranking of brands by market share.
At the latest with the groundbreaking Royal Oak, an octagonal steel watch with an unmistakable design, Genta became a role model for many contemporary watch designers. Nevertheless, the artist and watchmaker is still denied his importance.
Fabrizio Buonamassa Stigliani: “The important thing is the compromise”
Fabrizio Buonamassa is head of the design center for Bulgari watches made in Switzerland. © Bulgari
“I have a very close relationship with the watchmakers, we are partners,” says Fabrizio Buonamassa Stigliani, Head of the Bulgari Watch Design Center. “But sometimes I have to be persistent when I come up with my designs and I’m told: ‘We can’t implement that. At such moments I always reply: ‘Let’s try anyway’.”
A sketch of Bulgari’s Octo Roma Chronograph. © Bulgari
Stigliani believes that most watchmakers find it difficult to appreciate the importance of design. To a certain extent, he can understand that: “Watchmakers contribute so much to the industry. They take pride in making these micromechanical masterpieces, reviving these old traditions and creating new ones.” But the designers are also important: “It’s their job to refine these high-precision works and make them accessible to a wide audience.”
The compromise between artistic expressiveness and technical brilliance is important. “A beautiful watch without mechanical refinements is a failure. It’s the same the other way around: a technically sophisticated watch without aesthetics is of little use,” says the designer.
Emmanuel Gueit: “The brand is everything”
“It was a pleasure for me to work at Audemars Piguet for three decades and I’ve become part of the family in a way,” says Emmanuel Gueit, who was responsible for the design of several iconic models such as the Royal Oak Offshore or the Cellini collection from Rolex. As a freelancer, he has worked for numerous brands with different philosophies.
Among other things, Emmanuel Gueit designed the Royal Oak Offshore model by Audemars Piguet. zVg
“Creativity is at the heart of the design profession. At the same time, the designer must also keep in mind the history of the brand, its DNA, its technical achievements and accumulated know-how.”
It is also important to take current developments into account and to be forward-looking, says Gueit. “For me it makes no difference whether I design a model that sells for 150 francs or 150,000 francs. The price and the exclusivity of a model do not automatically mean greater creative freedom.”
The contribution of watch designers to the success of the industry, whose exports rose to a record value of over 24 billion francs last year, is undisputed. They are held in high esteem. Nevertheless, Gueit emphasizes that companies do not like to put them in the foreground.
“The brand is everything, the name of the artist is nothing.” Gérald Genta’s work was not adequately recognized during his lifetime, and it was only after his death that he became a legend. “Our work is still clandestine and largely unknown to the general public.”
Martin Frei: “Inspiration comes from many places”
Martin Frei is co-founder and chief designer of Urwerk, a Geneva watch brand founded in 1997. © Alexey Tarkhanov
Genta’s works were also an inspiration for Martin Frei, one of many. “I have a broad artistic background, I’ve painted monumental paintings, designed interiors and made films,” explains Frei, who founded the Urwerk brand in 1997 together with the watchmaker Felix. Today she is known worldwide for her futuristic designed models.
Frei sees the main task of designers as bringing artistic thinking into the watchmaking workshop and turning technology into works of art. “It has always been our goal to create new watches that are not only inspired by the traditional art of watchmaking, but also by other fields such as architecture. In our case, it is mainly science fiction films, music and paintings”, he says.
Eric Giroud: “A clear division of roles is important”
For Eric Giroud, the positive experiences with watchmakers outweigh the conflicts are rare. Its most notable models have been created in close collaboration with the young but already respected brand MB&F, founded in Geneva in 2005. The independent designer says he forms an ideal duo with founder Max Büsser. “Max has always encouraged me to work with other brands and has never put any obstacles in my way.”
Eric Giroud is known for his complex watch creations. © Johann Sauty
A clear division of roles is important for Giroud: “I would never go to a watchmaker and tell him which elements to build into the mechanism. However, I am always happy to assist him in areas where I feel more competent .”
As a former architect, Giroud emphasizes that he doesn’t design for himself, but rather helps people bring their ideas to life. “I don’t work for the brands that hire me or for their managing directors, but first and foremost for the customers who later wear the watches,” he says.
Stefano Macaluso: “It’s a fight”
Stefano Macaluso, the former owner of the renowned Girard Perregaux brand, also works as an independent designer today.
Stefano Macaluso is an Italian businessman who became a freelance designer in Switzerland. © Daniele Ratti/Girard Perregaux
The trained architect compares the clock to an artistic building made up of a beautiful facade, a well thought-out floor plan and harmonious proportions. The incident light also plays a decisive role. “Of course the scale is completely different,” he explains.
“Designing a watch is a constant battle with contradictions,” Macaluso emphasizes. “The mechanisms are subject to insurmountable limits and require space and protection, much like a living being. The tolerance limits are often less than a millimeter.” In addition, it is of great importance to preserve the existing image of brands, which often have a history of more than a century, adds the car enthusiast and rally driver.
Guy Bove: “Mentors are important”
“Timepieces cannot be designed on a blank sheet of paper,” says Guy Bove, who has worked at companies such as IWC, Chopard, Ferdinand Berthoud, Breitling and TAG Heuer. “Although there are now specialized watch design courses, such as at the Haute école d’art et de design in Geneva, most designers take their first steps as architects, automotive or fashion designers.”
Designer Guy Bove worked for some of the biggest watch brands before starting his own business. © Alexey Tarkhanov
Bove did not complete a watch design course. It took him three years to acquire the basic knowledge of this profession. It is often thanks to a mentor that designers make a career in this extremely selective professional field. “My role model was Miodrag Mijatovic, the founder of M-Design,” says Bove. M-Design is a design company that has worked for numerous Swiss watch brands since the 1980s.
However, the path to a successful design does not necessarily have to be lengthy. “It can be days before I present my idea and years before we all agree that the watch should be launched,” says Bove.
Designers shy away from revealing the price of their services. Nevertheless, it is known that they can earn tens of thousands of francs with well-known projects.
Edited by Samuel Jaberg. Translated from the French: Christoph Kummer
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