Throw everything you think you know about watches out the window. Alain Silberstein's creations are revolutionary. More than mere watches, they push the boundaries and question the very laws of ergonomics and design. I caught up with the quirky designer at a quaint coffee house in the hip and happening Rue Saint Honoré in the centre of Paris, France to find out more about his philosophy and horology.
testing
"I approach watch making with the mind of an architect. Although I'm working in microns instead of millimetres there's no difference in terms of quality, price and service. There are no major differences between erecting a building or creating a watch," said Silberstein.
"I'm always testing models. This is one of my test watches," he said as I pointed to the slick and colourful timepiece on his left wrist. "One day I will launch it."
"Basically, I have two main styles: one which is more related to colours and the other is based on just materials," said the zen designer, sipping his Chinese fusion green tea. I quizzed him about his target audience, he took a deep breath and putting down his teaspoon, he replied: "Would you ask a painter or sculptor who his target customer was or what type of price point he was aiming for?"
Intimate
Afraid that I had really put my foot in it this time and totally offset the designer's perfectly balanced Chi, I shook my head emphatically. "I'm not trying to make a Coca-Cola watch: my watches are for everybody. I just love designing and creating watches and by chance, by design and creation they move
people to purchase them. Period," said Silberstein sternly.
The French watchmaker is clearly not interested in trying to market his name.
"I'm well aware that we don't need watches. You can read the time from your mobile phone, your computer and even your fridge or cooker could tell you the time. But if you choose to wear a wrist watch it must mean that you really want an instrument to measure something more intimate, and that is your own time," he said.
Silberstein stated that he had many clients who send their watches back for servicing with a note attached saying: "I know my watch is running five minutes fast, please don't correct it. This is my time".
"I'm trying to create unique pieces, bespoke sometimes. This is my philosophical quest, you know, like a symphonic orchestra that has many components," Silberstein explained.
"The individual notes on their own are a disaster but altogether, the sound is pure. Similarly in watch-making, there are many different components that come together to create a precious timepiece," he said.
Great accomplishments
Silberstein's watches are both automatic and manual, but mainly automatic. Looking back over his 20 years of designing watches, Silberstein regarded one of his greatest accomplishments as being in his formative years.
"When I first started creating mechanical watches a lot of people were cynical. Twenty years ago, quartz watches were so popular that nobody could have envisioned that things would ever change," said
Silberstein. "We were so few, mostly designers and watch makers in Italy and Japan, who managed to turn things around in the space of around seven years. It was amazing to witness this. And that was the first step of the renaissance of mechanical watches," he said nostalgically.
In 2008, mechanical watches are very important in the watch-making industry. "Just to give you an idea: there are only eight to 10 per cent of mechanical Swiss watches made. But this percentage represents 50 per cent of the total value of Swiss-made watches in the industry," said Silberstein. "Quartz watches gave the world some good memories but I'm not a man of the past. I think my greatest accomplishments still lie
in the future," he said.
"This is one of the reasons I decided to move from architecture to fashion watch-making, there is a time and a place for human relationship in this industry." Silberstein believes unequivocally that the passion people have for watches around the world is like a universal language, right down from the designers and producers to dealers and owners, "they all share a strong connection".
New collection
Speaking about his next collection, Silberstein said: "I plan to launch my new marine collection this summer. This is definitely a collection for the Emirates. The collection features big, diving-style watches, all in black. The first marine collection was launched in 1995 and, due to popular demand, I decided to launch the second series. It's simply called the Black Collection," he said.
Silberstein has three children and two grandchildren. His eldest daughter is a freelance architect based in Paris and his second daughter is a fashion designer in Marseille, in the South of France. "She specialises in bridal wear," said the proud father, whose son seems to be continuing in his father's footsteps. "So far, we've been able to work together in peace," Silberstein joked.
The Parisian counts Japan as his all- time favourite travel destination for both business and pleasure. "I'm fond of colours and the Japanese tradition of colours is quite unique," he explained. "In Japanese culture colours are matched in a very elementary way, almost childlike."
‘In search of the perfect line'
"There many so-called designers who fly from one style or trend to the next. This is not my way of working." Silberstein finds his inspiration from the great architects from the 1950s and '60s, as well as fashion designers from the '70s, such as the Memphis Design from Italy. "I'm forever in search of the perfect line," he said. "If you want to go deeper into the heart of any design, you have to be specialised."
Go there
Alain Silberstein watches are available in Harvey Nichols, Mall of the Emirates, and Azal Boutique, Emirates Towers Boulevard, Dubai. For more information, visit alainsilberstein. com
From Paris to Besançon... to Dubai
Like all creative artists, Alain Silberstein dreamt of a location where he could present the full range of his watches and clocks as well as those timepieces which he sometimes creates just for fun. Somewhere he could meet those with a passion for his watch-making skills and creations.
Born in Paris, he wanted to rediscover the unique atmosphere of the area in which he began his art studies: St. Germain-des-Prés. A ‘village' within the city where students, artists, intellectuals and visitors from all over the world pass
their time in bookstores, art galleries, artists' studios, and of course... on café terraces! Silberstein's personal history has been rather unusual: this Parisian interior architect and designer by profession became a watch-architect eventually settling down in Besançon at the end of the 80's and creating his own watch company. In his workshop on the banks of the Doubs River, Silberstein creates and produces with the help of his 20 assistants and six watchmakers, nearly 3,000 watches in different
collections every year.
