Montblanc Villeret Design Team Interview

Mkt33 continues his 'Getting to Know' series, introducing the Montblanc Villeret design team, Ms. Ruffieux and Ms. Hamel. This interview series aims to provide a deeper appreciation for the Villeret collection by spotlighting the artisans and their creative contributions at the Minerva Institute.

To better appreciate Montblanc's Villeret collection, I thought I would start an interview series with the artisans working at the Minerva Institute.  The first interview was with Ms. Wyssmuller who now is probably the best known "springer" in Switzerland.  In this post I would like to introduce the dynamic duo which make up the Villeret design team: Ms. Ruffieux and Ms. Hamel.

Please leave a note of thanks to these lovely muses for sharing some personal details and feel free to ask appropriate questions.

Enjoy,  Mike

Introducing Ms. Ruffieux

What is your background and how did you get to Montblanc Villeret?

Before working for Montblanc Villeret, I studied 4 years in a Design School in La Chaux-de-Fonds.   

When I completed my studies, Montblanc Villeret was the first company I applied to and luckily I got in.

What artists are you influenced by?  Which authors do you read?  Who are your favorite musicians?  What is your favorite color?

The main artist I'm influenced by is Cindy Sherman.  She is a photographer and I appreciate her work because she takes photos of herself portraying a wide variety of contrasting identities. Besides, she applies her makeup personally with dramatic effect and without being afraid of looking ugly even scary.

As far as the reading is concerned, I tend to prefer reading fashion magazines rather than books because the trends presented in the latter are a great source of inspiration. I do, nevertheless, really enjoy reading Charles Baudelaire.

My music taste is very eclectic. Indeed, I like every kind of music from electro to funk. Music is an essential part of my life and it would be hard to live without it. Moreover, it's another source of inspiration which explains why I'm often listening to my Ipod.

Finally my favourite color is black . Some people would argue that it's not a colour but I think that black brings a touch of elegance in all circumstances.

Do you have any basic design principles when you start a dial?  How does the relationship between the design team and the “constructeurs” work?  Do they come up with a movement and say here is the layout please design us a dial or is there a little more flexibility?

When Anaïs and I start working on a new dial, we try to have the right hand position in order to have a precise and accurate working base. To achieve this objective, we work directly with the constructors who provide us with the necessary information.

Most of the time, we work together and in the same time frame on a project. That is to say, the constructors make a movement and we create the dial. Sometimes, their flexibility is stretched because of technical constraints and we have to adapt the project to the latter.

What is the most satisfying part of your job? The most aggravating?

In my opinion, the most satisfying part is when I see my finished dial. (or a completed dial) Indeed, I am proud of my creation but in general it's also at that moment that I realize that a design can always be improved or altered. I think a design is never perfect, we can always make better it.

The most aggravating part of my job is the technical one because I prefer the more liberating aspect of the artistic and aesthetic parts of my work.

Which dials have you designed for the Villeret collection?

I have designed the dials for “Seconde Authentique” classic and jewel (editions) as well as the “Chronographe”.

Most designs should be considered as a shared effort with Anaïs. We often combine our visions to create a beautiful design.

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Introducing Ms. Hamel

What is your background and how did you get to Montblanc Villeret?

To start with, I did some academic training as a jeweller at La Chaux-de-Fonds's art school. Then, I followed these studies with a Bacherlor of Arts HES-SO in industrial design products, where I learnt watch designing.

After my studies, I worked for Perrelet SA in Bienne for two years as a designer. Afterwards, I was given the great opportunity to work on The Montblanc Villeret collection at the “Institut Minerva de Recherche en haute technologie”. I've been working for the latter for now two years.

What artists are you influenced by?  Which authors do you read?  Who are your favorite musicians?  What is your favorite color?

Generally, Art not only interests me but is also an important source of inspiration. That's why I particularly enjoy going to see modern art exhibitions.

If I had to name artists I like, I would choose the American artist Duane Hanson and the the Australian Ron Mueck who both use three dimensional spaces to represent “people” in different situations. Their approaches are different but with equal and impressive impact.

I don't really have favourite authors or musicians. I always like discovering other cultures or different visions of the world through music or books. It's a form of escapism.

My favorite colour is red

Do you have any basic design principles when you start a dial?  How does the relationship between the design team and the “constructeurs” work?  Do they come up with a movement and say here is the layout please design us a dial or is there a little more flexibility?

We start a new conception in close collaboration with the constructor. Indeed, they usually start the development while we begin the first sketches. That's is why we have to synchronize our work in order to make sure we have the best compromise between the construction, the function and the design. In my opinion, it's the best way to develop new concepts and it also allows more consistency in the creative work process.

What is the most satisfying part of your job? The most aggrevating?

The most satisfying aspect of my job is to work with a team of watchmaking specialists, who provide me with useful pertinent advice. This job also gives me the opportunity to design some products from the first sketch to the final industrialization stages, passing by the prototype phase. It's a great chance to see the complete evolution of the design.

Nevertheless, sometimes luxury watch designing is a little too restrictive and occasionally restricts me from being more creative, extravagant or maybe less structured in my work.

Which dials have you designed for the Villeret collection?

When it comes to creating all the designs for the Villeret collection, our work is team-based which means that we both work on the dials. We always exchange our thoughts about the designs. Nonetheless, I played a leading role in the “zero reset” collection, the “Tourbillon heure mystérieuse”, the enamel dial with “champ-levés” for the chronographs and the latest Regulator with the home time and the power reserve.