Not just Gerald Genta: Watch designers who created masterpieces

When we think of famous watch designers, we think of Gérald Genta, who designed the Royal Oak and Nautilus. However, there were watch designers before him. This time, we will shed light on the dawn of watch design using the archives of the watch magazine Europa Star, and introduce the designers who created masterpieces.

Designers who created masterpieces in a changing watch industry

　The anniversary of Audemars Piguet's iconic Royal Oak was an opportunity to celebrate Gérald Genta, not only for the watches he designed, but also for his status as the first watch designer. Before Gérald Genta, the profession of watch designer was relatively obscure, and many of his predecessors were lost to the history books.

　There is no doubt that Genta's success was the result of his own talent, but we must also take into account the historical context that gave him the opportunity to demonstrate his talent.

　The Swiss watch industry underwent a major transformation in the 1960s and 70s, not only due to the arrival of quartz watches, but also due to the emergence of a new business model based on marketing projects, centered in Geneva.

　Brands and products were central to this new trend: an increasingly competitive market required watches with a strong identity, and watch designers emerged as the creators of iconic products.

　Until World War II, watchmakers focused on productivity and technology. It was not the design of the watch that mattered, but the precision of the watch, on which the brand's reputation and competitiveness depended.

　Movements, before being fitted into cases, began to be widely exported from Switzerland to all over the world. In the 1930s, movements accounted for over 30% of watch exports. For example, Omega was originally the name of a movement, but it eventually became the brand name and then the company name. During this period, watch design was the work of independent case, bracelet, and dial makers.

　Watch manufacturers began to bring design in-house in the 1940s and 50s, driven by iconic products and the launch of new collections by global brands. In-house design control for these watches became crucial to the creation of their visual identities. Examples include the Rolex Datejust in 1945, the Omega Seamaster in 1948, and the Longines Flagship in 1957.

René Vanwald, who worked in Omega's design department

　Omega was one of the first companies to establish a dedicated department for designing collections (Service de Creation). Founded in 1940, this department was entrusted to René Vanwald, a young designer who had begun his career at Patek Philippe. He oversaw the launch of several collections, including the Seamaster and Constellation.

　In 1955, Vanwald left Omega to take over the family-run watch workshop that had been founded in La Chaux-de-Fonds in 1924. Renamed Corum, the company enjoyed great success with its innovative watch designs. In 1955, the company employed just five people, but by 1990, this number had grown to 90. Undoubtedly, Corum's most famous watch is the "Golden Bridge."

Gilbert Albert, the designer of Patek Philippe's jewelry watches

　Like Omega, other watch manufacturers also established design departments and hired designers, and in 1955 Patek Philippe commissioned Gilbert Albert to design a new watch.

　Gilbert Albert played a particularly important role in the creation of jewelry watches. After leaving Patek Philippe in 1962, he became an independent jewelry designer in Geneva, quickly becoming a world-renowned designer.

Raoul Haas, Jean-Claude Guillet, and Henri Dupasquier were active during the same period.

　Similarly, Universal Genève hired Raoul Haas to head its design department in the early 1960s. Haas also specialized in jewelry and went on to work for Patek Philippe and the Swiss subsidiary of Bulova.

　When Piaget entered the jewelry watch market, they partnered with Jean-Claude Guillet, who had worked for Ponti Guenari (P&G), and who became head of design when Piaget acquired P&G in 1967.

　Neuchâtel-based watch manufacturer Ernest Borel hired Henri Dupasquier, who created models with a strong visual identity in the 1960s, differentiating the brand from its rivals.

　While there is no written work on the history of watch design, the Europa Star archives do confirm some facts, such as the importance of watch brands' special collections, the creation of jewelry watches, and the existence of the Geneva Ecole des Arts et Appliqués as a training ground.