The best designers of the red dot design award 2007 in interview: Sandro Reginelli

For this year’s red dot award: product design several trend-setting design creations have been submitted in the category fashion, jewellery, luxury goods, which meet the general demands of luxury in all product sectors. The Pontos Décentrique GMT watch created by Maurice Lacroix is a unique combination of traditional Suisse watchmaker artisanship, modern design and high-tech materials and won the red dot: best of the best for its innovative form. We talked to the designer: Sandro Reginelli.

What inspired you to create this particular product and what was the intention behind it?

For the Pontos Décentrique GMT, I was inspired by pure architectural shapes as well as by the lifestyle of active people with a distinct feeling for exceptional aesthetics. A creative process gave birth to a watch which represents a unique link between the traditional Swiss art of watchmaking with modern design and high-tech materials like high-quality titanium. The fascination of the Pontos Décentrique GMT lies in the innovative off-centre arrangement of its functions – an unusual design element in the world of high-quality watchmaking and provides us with an ideal platform for other exciting developments. 

What does being awarded with the “red dot: best of the best” mean to you?

To be awarded with the „red dot: best of the best“ makes us very proud. This shows us, that our work and our design language go in the right direction. This award is therefore both a distinction and confirmation.

What particular challenges do you think designers have to face these days?

In few words, I would simply say: Translate people’s dreams. Design has to relate a story and touch people emotionally. More specifically at brand level, it is most of all important that a brand does not constantly change completely the orientation of its design. Although the design of a product naturally must be adapted and improved continuously, the face of the brand always must remain identifiable. The task of a watch designer is therefore less to let his entire creativity run free with each new watch, but to preserve and cultivate the brand image and product DNA. Most of all, this requires much detail and precision work. In most cases, the small, fine details are the ones with the greatest effect.

As a designer, what would you still like to accomplish in the future?

My aim is now, to continue applying passionately our love of product and get inspired by the path of innovation.

What do you think is the economic significance of design?

I would add the function to your question – because design and function are inseparable. I am convinced that nowadays, taking all industries together, if you want to have success, these two elements most strongly be merged and sublimated. At Maurice Lacroix, this way of thinking and acting became a natural way of expression – each individual detail, no matter how small, plays the 1st role.

A unique link between the traditional Swiss art of watchmaking with modern design and high-tech materials: the Pontos Décentrique

The Pontos Décentrique GMT watch has been designed against the backdrop of this tradition and its language of form represents a contemporary link between traditional values and high-tech materials. This watch thus has the exclusive look of a luxury item and a number of fascinating elements that leave a lasting impression. One of the most distinctive design features of this watch is that all the functions are arranged off-centre. The hours, minutes and seconds are not indicated from the centre in the usual way, but in a discreetly designed circle segment with wider index marks for the hours and narrower marks for the minutes. This segment is slightly shifted towards 10 o’clock and tapers towards 6 o’clock. The round day and night indicator for a second time zone is also intriguing and has been generously situated between the centre of the dial at 2 and 5 o’clock. In order to make it always clear whether day or night hours are indicated, the sun and moon turn on the same disk. Another attractive feature is the mix of polished and unpolished parts of the sapphire crystal above the display. To further underline the exclusivity of the watch, it has been made of high-quality materials such as titanium grade 2, and features sophisticated details such as the special surface treatment of the automatic movement, which makes it shine in black gold. These and other innovative functions highlight the playful functionality that knows how to fascinate its wearer.