Swiss watch designers: ‘Our work remains unknown to the public’

The success of Swiss watches owes much to the boldness and imagination of their designers. Today the sector is experiencing unprecedented growth. SWI swissinfo.ch meets some of the artists behind renowned “Swiss-made” timepieces. The designer, artist and watchmaker Gerald Genta (1931-2011) is recognised by the entire watchmaking press as the “Picasso of watches”. Swiss watchmaking owes its best-sellers to him. Genta defined the look of prestigious timepieces such as Royal Oak by Audemars Piguet (1972), the Nautilus by Patek Philippe (1976), the Ingenieur by IWC (1976), and Bulgari Bulgari (1977). According to estimates by the Gerald Genta Heritage Association, he had a hand in creating more than 100,000 watch models for different brands. Yet much of this work was carried out anonymously. Audemars Piguet’s Royal Oak is what is commonly referred to as a “watchmaking icon”. This model propelled the independent luxury brand from Le Brassus, in canton Vaud, into the “big four”...