What could be more perilous? Designing a watch is all the more difficult when it comes to a ‘simple’ model. This might seem counter-intuitive, because simplicity is easily confused with convenience, bareness with emptiness and purity with classicism. The smaller the model, the more it requires a sophisticated creative process. One should recall that watches are exceptionally small objects, a concentrated blend of aesthetic characteristics that must involve precious, opulent features as well as what the watch industry refers to as bienfacture (fine workmanship). “I think designing a watch with two hands is the most fascinating and stimulating thing one can do”, says Guido Terreni, CEO of Parmigiani Fleurier. “It relies on the power of an aesthetic idea that underpins strong, balanced creativity designed to stand the test of time.”
Not jam-packed
By contrast, designing a complication watch is both easier and simpler. The resulting indications are a logical given, coming with their own needs for space, legibility and a whole set of conventions regarding their positioning, generally dictated by pre-existing movements. Twelve months spelled out for the short-sighted is like an elephant in the perpetual calendar room, especially if you have to add the day and a moon. The chronograph counters are designed to occupy the cardinal points of the dial. As for the tourbillon, it immediately takes up 20 % of the surface, which is practical for creating a seat at 6 o’clock without giving the impression of clutter.
Not cluttered
Pared-down, simple and uncluttered designs are complex endeavors, powerfully revealing a brand’s spirit and creative direction. Instead of playing with subdials, one must choose to focus on a texture, such as the fine frosting of the Toric collection. Rather than symmetrically arranging moon phases, apertures and sectors, one must create elaborate font effects, such as the one Hermès invented for the Cut. Instead of merely aiming to create a satisfyingly full visual impression, one must clear a space - and sometimes even an unusually shaped one such as Patek Philippe’s generously sized Golden Ellipse. Emptiness must serve to create an impression of fullness, an even trickier exercise with black dials that soak up or even suppress light such as H. Moser & Cie.’s Vantablack models. Elements as basic as a minutes track and a hand thus become a language, like the one Vacheron Constantin has instilled in its Patrimony line. “Aesthetic codes are part of a brand’s history and are recognizable by customers”, says Guido Terreni. “They’re like musical notes that can’t create emotion on their own, only when you play with them.”
Not dressy
No functional bezels, at most a fine groove like on the Rolex Perpetual 1908. Classic crown guards are banished and the admittedly discreet example on the Hermès Cut is almost fanciful. Even case dimensions are affected by the other requirement governing simple watches: if not extremely thin, they cannot be downright bulky. Here again, there are numerous pitfalls. Dipping below 7mm takes one into the realm of ultra-thinness, a separate category with its own aesthetic codes. Venturing beyond 12mm means entering the field of sportsoriented or entry-level production. If the dial is simple, the case cannot be large. If the design of the various attributes is all about subtlety, the lugs and case middle must not be cumbersome. Amid this jungle of restrictions involving all kinds of obstacles and complex balances, the path is narrow, ready-made recipes are non-existent and successful designs are bound to last.
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