A Taxonomy of Watch Design

The project arose from a simple observation: there are a multitude of publications dedicated to the history of watchmaking, brands, movements, complications and manufacturing techniques. However, no book offers a focus specifically on the design and archetypes of wristwatches. This research, which remains entirely unprecedented to date, therefore aims to present an exhaustive inventory of a significant and emblematic aspect of the watchmaking industry, exclusively based on formal language.

Based on the model of taxonomies applied in the fields of biology and natural history, this project primarily depends on the choice of criteria for selecting, comparing and classifying all references relating to the research. The systemic approach enables the main components of a watch – regardless of the technology, brand or era of creation – to be identified and assigned to specific categories, based on their function and aesthetic.

This taxonomy project has compiled a collection of 271 wristwatch references, illustrated with schematic diagrams; all have been selected and categorised according to nine typologies defined by the shape of the case. The lugs and the various types of wristband attachments complete the classification of components, thereby highlighting the remarkable diversity and creativity that make the world of watchmaking so unique.