Fashion Blogs

A lot goes into watches and watchmaking. For centuries they were considered the epitome of human engineering by virtue of their intricate, delicate and highly complicated mechanisms, almost works of art unto themselves. Such was our fascination with clockwork that we made highly sophisticated contraptions and automatons, many of which remain in museums today. Clocks and watches of the time were likewise often richly decorated and ornamented, resulting in pieces that were not just functional, but highly beautiful to look at.

The relationship between form and function has long been something of a balancing act, and one that can sometimes pose something of a puzzle to watchmakers. On one hand you want the watch to actually work, or else it’s just a very complicated piece of garbage. On the other hand, no one wants a watch that’s ugly. They’re accessories, and are often worn to accentuate appearance.

Today, the challenge that most faces watchmaking is how best to intertwine these two ideals, creating watches that are not only beautiful and avant-garde, but practical and effective to use.

Aesthetics – Is There Really No Accounting for Taste?

Of course, the difficulty with discussing aesthetics is that, in modern parlance at any rate, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. What someone may consider a breath-taking piece of art may be regarded as fairly plain and uninspired by another person. This can be quite neatly demonstrated in the constant debate about “modern art”. To some it’s innovative, enterprising and thrilling work that breaks down barriers, causes us to question established trends, and encourages us to find our own meaning in what it is. To others it’s overhyped rubbish that anyone could do, is frequently unpleasant to look at and demonstrates no technical talent.

Naturally this argument falls back into watch design as well. Designs will always carry an element of personal taste to them, with some watchmakers favouring one style and others favouring another.

Then there’s the matter of who the watchmaker expects to be buying the product in the first place. The watchmaker may want all the flashy bells and whistles on his watch as he pleases, but if the watch is intended for very formal, high-class events that are catering to people with eight digit salaries, then chances are they’ll be going with something very understated yet nevertheless highly stylish. Expect more gold and crystal than plastic and LCD.

As such, form for watches can vary quite widely depending on the tastes of the watchmaker and the audience they’re catering to.

Function – When Practicality Dictates

If form is a matter of opinion, then function is a matter of fact. And the fact is this: watches can only function in certain ways. You may find very innovative ways to work within such restrictions, but at the end of the day all wheels are round. There’s only so much you can do with a watch design before you have something that may look very striking indeed, but works about as well as something drawn on a child’s wrist in biro.

As such, you’re likely to find much more harmony amongst watchmakers with their designs in terms of actual function than you are with their form. Two students at a Swiss watchmaking college may well have different ideas as what makes for an attractive watch, but beneath the decoration the cogs and gears will be more or less identical.

Of course, functions do differ in some fundamental sense. Digital watches require different specifications than analogue watches, and tread watches are even more different. This in turn will require different adaptions in order to accommodate the operation. For example, analogue watches that only tell the time and nothing else can be exceedingly small and discrete, whereas high-tech digital watches with several different measures and applications will often require big, clunky cases in order to fit all the workings. Likewise, formal watches will likely require less solid, durable materials than watches used for very physically arduous activities, such as sports.

Sometimes, the restrictions and rigours of these specific parameters and can greatly influence the overall shape and appearance of a watch. Some can result in that happy medium of form and function you’d be proud to have on your wrist.

Are watches tools? Absolutely! But are they art? We like to think so.