The Origin Of Legends – The Sketch Book Series (Part. 1)
This article is also available in French. Please click here.
If you’re anything like us than at on at least one occasion you’ve looked at the exceptional timepiece on your wrist and wondered where it all began. We think you’ll agree that watch-making is as much about practical application as it is about aesthetical beauty, with the best examples achieving a stunning blend of both. And so it is then that the design of a fine timepiece is almost, if not as important as the tiny engine that beats within it.
As we sometimes find ourselves fortunate enough to share the precious time of the world’s great watchmakers through the year, we had the tremendous opportunity on several occasions to see some of the very first sketches of their creations.
Some confessed they are very bad draftsmen while others told us that they were always innately skilled in the design of beautiful watches. Some never draw without proper pens and a clear space, while some express their creative mind on the corner of tablecloths, or even on post-its, with the very first pen they find sketching as fast as they can, before The Big Idea flies away (Editor’s note: For anyone who has been fortunate enough to dine with the exceptionally talented Roland Iten you will know all to well that he falls into the latter category, drawing the most amazing sketches all over any surface, including the table!)
Still, we recognize that there is only so much that can be said with words and so we are not going to write long paragraphs about all these beautiful sketches which, in the end, speak for themselves.
We won’t tell you that Ludovic Ballouard always has a notebook by his side, where he scribbles down ideas that only he can decipher; or that Jean-Claude Biver, as he draws, already has a rough idea of what the final product will look like; that Christophe Claret elucidated in just a few minutes the core essence of the amazing Dual Tow; that Jaeger Le Coultre draws sketches that are so perfect that they almost compete with automated software design.
Instead, we will just let you enjoy these beautiful pieces over the coming week. Make sure you check each day to discover where it all began and to learn just a little more about the timepieces you know and love (and maybe even some you’re meeting for the first time!)
Montblanc Metamorphosis
©Montblanc
©Montblanc
©Montblanc
©Montblanc
©Montblanc
Ludovic Ballouard – Upside Down Watch
©Ludovic Ballouard
©Ludovic Ballouard
©Ludovic Ballouard
©Ludovic Ballouard
©Wai Shan Lam
©Wai Shan Lam
Linde Werdelin – The One
©Linde Werdelin
©Linde Werdelin
Be sure to check back tomorrow as we bring you Part.2 of the Sketch Book Series!
Category: Special Features
I have a elderly gentelman who does work for me from time to time,he is a time served watch maker of the old school and he designed a watch from scratch some 35-40 years ago and still has all the original sketches and drawings.He will with great pride show me the concept from start to finish and i feel this is some thing that should be in a museum,alas he feels that he wants to hold on to it as he said its a part of his life and who he is.
All i can say it is one of the most stunning pieces of private watch history i have ever seen and i will continue to try and see if he will give us all a peak at the real craftmans art of a bygone day! fingers crossed.
[...] of some the world’s most amazing watches. If you missed Part.1 be sure to check it out here. Today we present to you the original sketches of two exceptional pieces; the DualTow by Christophe [...]
[...] special insight on the Origin of Legends. If you missed the earlier articles please see here for Part 1, Part 2 and [...]
Dears readers, you can also check this nice video from our fellow friends of Marvin Watches : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HTzkMUzd9EM&feature=youtu.be&a
You folks might also be interested in viewing this video of the Malton 160 creation. From scratchbook to customer wrist at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bXQHlN9joZ8