Collaboration with Vacheron Constantin

A five-days programme conceived of workshop introductions, factory visits and brainstorming at Vacheron Constantin in order to present the brand's key values to the students.

Collaboration (2014) by Rachel Suming, Jake Adam Moore, Jordi Pla, Samuel Williams

Eclipse

Rachel Suming
As the hands of a clock can have stressful connotations, I imagined a clock which would only show the passing of time with its frame. Deconstructed into three motorised elements turning on the same rhythm, the clock is a constantly evolving shape. After an introduction to the watchmaking world at Vacheron Constantin, I turned to the guillochage technique for my project. Making videos, graphic research, and playing with watch movements were all part of my design process when developing this project.

Whyte

Jake Adam Moore
When visiting Vacheron Constantin’s manufacture I was most struck by the beauty of mechanical principles. This was something I intended to push further by exploring simple mechanics utilised by other industries and bringing them into the watchmaking world. Inspired by the workings of Locomotive wheels, this project aims to break the traditional graphic associated with the clock face. Replacing the conventional watch hands with one hand which connects both hours and minutes, the result is an ever changing and seemingly random composition.

Gong Repeater

Jordi Pla
The concept of Gong Repeater is directly inspired from the mechanical techniques found in "Haute Horlogerie", which I discovered at Vacheron Constantin, in particular the fascinating relationship between time and sound as heard in their minute repeaters. For centuries the gong has been a way to communicate time passing and so I was keen to creating a device which would indicate time through sound. In order to give a unique and mystic dimension and transmit ancestral values, I have chosen to work with a brass bowl from Tibet. Used for prayers, this object is the heart of my project. The contrast between this old gong and my contemporary clock illustrate the mechanical principal of the minute repeater watch from Vacheron Constantin. When a hand passes the sensor, the clock rings hours, quarters and minutes.

L'univers infiniment petit

Samuel Williams
This project is inspired by the infinitely small world of Vacheron Constantin and by a tool that is indispensable to Master Watchmakers, allowing them to penetrate the heart of the world's smallest and most complicated mechanisms. This is the watchmaker's magnifying glass. This perpetual calendar invites us to discover time on the scale of the Watchmakers, with the aim of borrowing their gestures and tools and looking at a new illustration of the passing of time.

ECAL_Jordi.Pla_Vacheron.Constantin©ECAL_Axel.Crettenand.jpg — Gong Repeater , ECAL/Jordi Pla

L'univers infiniment petit , ECAL/Samuel Williams

L'univers infiniment petit , ECAL/Samuel Williams

L'univers infiniment petit , ECAL/Samuel Williams

1/3

Eclipse , ECAL/Rachel Suming

Eclipse , ECAL/Rachel Suming

Eclipse , ECAL/Rachel Suming

Eclipse , ECAL/Rachel Suming

Eclipse , ECAL/Rachel Suming

1/5

ECAL_Jake.Moore_Vacheron.Constantin©ECAL_Axel.Crettenand.jpg — Whyte , ECAL/Jake Moore

Projets similaires

See more projects

Watches and Wonders Geneva 2025 ECAL x Ceramaret

MAS DESIGN FOR LUXURY & CRAFTSMANSHIP

Watches and Wonders Geneva 2025 ECAL x Ceramaret

At the invitation of Watches and Wonders Geneva, ECAL will present a brand-new project in partnership with Ceramaret, a leading Swiss company in the manufacture and high-precision machining of technical ceramics. To mark the occasion, a selection of five jewellery and bracelet designs will be on display at the LAB, a venue dedicated to innovation and design. Thanks to this first collaboration with the Neuchâtel-based manufacturer, students in MAS Design for Luxury and Craftsmanship got to discover a state-of-the-art machine park. Renowned for developing and producing components for the luxury watchmaking industry, Ceramaret’s teams contributed their expertise to this ambitious research. Combining innovation with creativity, the project brings together the know-how of specialised engineers in materials science and the boundless inventiveness of an up-and-coming generation of designers. Following the presentation of the students’ 15 concepts, five designs were selected and prototyped in technical ceramics, using additive technologies – a 3D printing process that provides the possibility to create intricate, previously unimaginable shapes. This collection, including bracelets inspired by fine watchmaking and innovative jewellery designs, draws its inspiration as much from the beauty of organic forms as from the complexity of systems derived from engineering.

Esther Alcade – Arrel

MAS DESIGN FOR LUXURY & CRAFTSMANSHIP

Esther Alcade – Arrel

by Esther Alcade

Every year, 300 million shoes are discarded, with manufacturing producing 313 million tons of CO2 due to petroleum-derived materials. The Arrel project aims to extend the life of sports shoes by repurposing soles after 1000 km of use. Based in Mallorca, known for its basket weaving and shoemaking traditions, Arrel preserves artisanal knowledge and uses natural materials like palm fibers and esparto grass, also Arrel's new soles use biomaterials to reduce environmental impact. The project preserves Mallorca's cultural heritage by creating more durable shoes and reducing the ecological footprint.

Min Jun Choi – Inlight

MAS DESIGN FOR LUXURY & CRAFTSMANSHIP

Min Jun Choi – Inlight

by Min Jun Choi

Often seen as waste, intestines are an underseen material that holds the potential of a delicate light diffuser. Pig intestines are initially gelatinous and flexible but once layered and dried, they achieve a leather-like hardness and texture. The material can be freely shaped depending on where it's dried. Utilizing these properties, I wrapped pig intestines around a structure and let them dry. After removing the mold, I connected the hardened pig intestines to create modular lighting designs. This modular design offers the advantage of extending in length by increasing the number of modules, adapting to the size of the space in which it is used.

Helena Choi – Flat to surface

MAS DESIGN FOR LUXURY & CRAFTSMANSHIP

Helena Choi – Flat to surface

by Helena Choi

The Flat to Surface collection features a lamp, stool, and tray crafted from a single pattern using origami techniques. These items are designed to form their own structures through folding, requiring only simple stitches or knots to maintain their shapes. Depending on the product, various types of leather are used, chosen for their transparency and flexibility.

Sacha Dufour – Conversation artificielle

MAS DESIGN FOR LUXURY & CRAFTSMANSHIP

Sacha Dufour – Conversation artificielle

by Sacha Dufour

Artificial Conversation is a fluid language - an exploration of liquid forms as they interact with the body. This work merges human and technology to propose a new process for creating jewelry. Using photography combined with artificial intelligence, I compose images destined to become jewelry. Experimenting with different techniques, crossing, and superimposing them until an idea is reached. I search for the form that embodies the liquid, sculpting artificial images in the same way I compose photographs. It's a game between a body, a liquid and an intelligence that needs to be guided.

Related courses

See all courses

MAS DESIGN FOR LUXURY & CRAFTSMANSHIP