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An Interview with the Team Behind the Memoire 1 (including technical sketches)

INTERVIEW WITH THE MEMBERS OF«L’ATELIER DE MAURICE LACROIX»

After having come up with the idea for a chronograph with 3 hands, where did you get the concept for the Mémoire 1? Was it the only possible way to create a mechanical memory? Did you check any other ideas? Were there any doubts that this idea is feasible?

Damien Sourice, Head Atelier, Maurice Lacroix: First of all, it has to be said that the chronograph function with only three hands has existed for decades, in the form of the old single push-piece “Counter” chronograph. Our idea in fact was to find an ideal solution whereby we could obtain the display of chronograph and a watch with three hands. Hence the idea to combine the chronograph function with the time function.

What were your first steps after the idea was born?

Manuel Spöde, Laurent Besse, Les Artisans: We had to find the perfect technical solution to achieve the required display.

The “Atelier de Maurice Lacroix” brings together internal and external specialists. How does the cooperation within this highly experienced team function?

Sandro Reginelli, Product Director, Maurice Lacroix: Product development changes are monitored daily, whether carried out in-house by Maurice Lacroix in Saignelégier or by our outside partners.

Where did you get the idea to use several chronograph hearts for the memory system in the Mémoire 1? Were you already sure, that this was the right concept at the beginning?

Laurent Besse: The use of several hearts is inherent in the choice of operating principles of the complication we wanted to make.

What kind of hurdles did you have to cross during the development process?

Sandro Reginelli: The time available was very short. That’s why we organized ourselves from day one along the lines of a task force. Our project was successful mainly as a result of our very strong team spirit.

What was the personal challenge for you when working on the Mémoire 1 project?

Manuel Spöde, Laurent Besse: Simple really – finishing the development of this product which represents a genuine innovation in watchmaking!

Did the design follow the mechanism?

Manuel Romero, White SA: For the first time it’s been possible to design a watch in its entirety, since the project was completely new – from the movement to the case, including the dial! It’s this that made it possible to create many links between the movement and the watch’s exterior parts. You could say that each component has been designed to fit perfectly with the whole. The same applies also to the innovative aesthetic solutions used in creating the calibre, and to the design of the case and the dial. For the dial itself – if we can call it a dial any more; in fact we prefer to talk of an original display system – we used existing systems such as discs or hands but gave them a new interpretation, a new language of expression.

What was the challenging principle concept behind the exceptional design of this watch?

Manuel Romero: The principal concept was being bold enough to think outside the box in watchmaking terms. It’s a project which from the outset was meant to be limitless, which might seem paradoxical for a watch where the operating principle – a chronograph with memory – is perfectly easy to grasp and understand. And that’s where the strength of the project lies: starting with a simple idea that is nonetheless extremely complex in terms of its technical realisation, and making it look as beautiful and as simple as possible. Because it shouldn’t be forgotten that the design of a product must first and foremost be aesthetically pleasing and balanced, while at the same time highlighting its functions and complexity.

The real starting point of the project, once the concept of the memory movement was confirmed, was the inclined date disc which immediately conditioned the different levels of reading the display of the date, the mode selector and the floating bezel allowing lateral display of the seconds.

What distinguishes the finished design from other watches on the market?

Sandro Reginelli: Everything about this watch creates an impression of modernity, simplicity and purity. That’s where its strength lies. Although it’s an extremely complicated watch, it appears very simple at first glance. Its visual aesthetic, its display, everything is refined. It’s not extravagant, but it is extraordinary. It is not interesting or attractive by dint of its size or the use of coloured materials or the addition of unnecessary technical or cosmetic decorations. Its whole essence revolves around the extreme “simplicity” of its memory function. A Grande Complication does not necessarily have to look complicated.

Are there still any Maurice Lacroix features in the Mémoire 1 design?

Sandro Reginelli: Given the approach of Maurice Lacroix in recent years, you could say that Mémoire 1 is a distillation of what the company is doing both as regards the manufacture and the development of movements, and also in terms of its approach to the design and aesthetic of new products. Mémoire 1 and Maurice Lacroix are the representatives of a resolutely modern vision of watchmaking and a contemporary approach to design. Maurice Lacroix is building its future, the Future. We’re all extremely focused on what lies ahead.

For the story behind the Memoire1, please CLICK HERE