LIONEL FAVRE

The Jaeger-LeCoultre Product Design Director has deep roots in watch and jewellery that make him uniquely suited to tackle icons such as the Reverso

- ASHOK SOMAN

“Watches have always been a part of my life. When I was a child, I spent a lot of time in my grandfather’s watch shop. He was a watchmaker and I helped him to clean the watches before placing them in the window (displays). I spent hours looking at them in detail. I have always been fascinated by watchmaking mechanics. Very early on, I knew I would design watches.

“My first watch design, I did it when I was a student in art school for a contest organised by a famous brand, where I had to create a watch and realize the brass model 1:1. I started by drawing a watch with two decors at 12 and 6 o’clock, which were used to hold the strap.

“I made the technical plans for the external parts before starting the model and I quickly realised that my design was technically unfeasible. I had to review the whole design and find solutions so that the aesthetics would not be modified too much. I really enjoyed this second step: a constant struggle between aesthetics and technique.