‘The brand’s DNA guides me’

‘The brand’s DNA guides me’

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Baume & Mercier’s mission statement is, ‘Life is about moments’. How do you get those moments of life into designing watches?
Ours are refined pieces, quite pure, not crowded. When I design, I try to get to character of the model. Not too much because I believe that the end client needs to put her/his own personality in the watch s/he wears.

Sara Sandmeier, senior designer, Baume & Mercier
Sara Sandmeier, senior designer, Baume & Mercier

Linea versus a Promesse or a Classima. How do you make the differentiation?
First of all, when we design a watch we work together with the marketing and technical teams. The marketing team gives us a brief that says, okay, let’s do a Classima or a Linea. For Linea, I have a very independent woman in mind who loves to play with her watch as it has interchangeable bracelets. One who loves to associate the bracelet with the shoes or with the lipstick etc. When I work for a watch like that then I generally do what you see, what we call a mood board. You have patterns, colours and shapes. If it’s Classima, how does she look? I try to imagine what does she do in the morning, what kind of pet she has, what car she drives etc. Promesse is for a different kind of woman. It’s a jewel watch. A jewel watch, I think is a very precious watch that gives you the feeling of being somebody special. You have to feel that one woman is attracted by one watch and not especially by the other. That’s really what I have in mind.

Do your personal choices in life, your likes and dislikes stake their claims? Or do you completely dissociate yourself from all these factors?
I cannot completely put myself apart. It’s not possible. I don’t design for myself. I am not the Baume & Mercier woman. I am not the final client. But I do influence the choice of the material. I influence with my sensibilities; the shape, the balance, the curves and the material choices. I design for a brand which has its own DNA. I do give part of my personality to the work. It’s not possible otherwise.

How big a challenge is it to design for the masses versus creating a niche product?
When you do something for a brand like Baume & Mercier, then you have to consider that Baume & Mercier is the entry level of luxury. When somebody buys a watch, s/he wants to have something for her/his money. S/he wants to feel it. I cannot use the materials or all the techniques I like because either it’s not affordable or it is unable to provide the result that’s needed.

Iconic designs really stay for years. Can you name three path-breaking designs which have stayed with you?
You can tell a Rolex Oyster from far away. Then there is Panerai Radiomir and Hermès, the one with the double wrap-around.

Interview by Mitrajit Bhatacharya & Hiren Kumar Bose

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