By now Emmanuel Gueit needs no introduction, but I’m going to write one anyway. Watch design is pretty much a family trade for Gueit, whose father Jean-Claude created some spectacular pieces for Piaget, but Emmanuel is best known for what is one of the most important controversial watches of the era: the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore.
At the time, it was considered a beast, too big, too aggressively macho. And yet, time proved Gueit a visionary, as the Offshore not only did fantastically well for Audemars Piguet, but reframed the ‘correct’ watch size. Since then, he has created watches for Harry Winston, Hermès, and Zenith and revamped the Rolex Cellini back in 2014, among countless other projects. Most recently, Emmanuel has come to the fore once again with a watch that’s pretty much the opposite of the Offshore in Dennison’s gorgeous and accessible A.L.D collection.
So, who better to talk to for our design issue? We caught up with Emmanuel after a very busy Milan Watch Week and while Emmanuel’s watches speak for themselves, there’s a lot more to the man than his enviable eye for watch trends.
What was the last watch you bought?
The last watch I bought was actually a vintage Corum, but I bought it for a purpose. I was talking to them about being their new head of design for the relaunch of the brand, but we didn’t have the same vision. I wish them all the best of course, but we just had different ideas of where the watches should go. I’m sure they’ll get someone great and make Corum great again, but I just didn’t see the opportunity there for me. The last watch before that was an Anoma. Why? The shape, the shape and the shape. I like wearing things that are different, different from what other people are wearing. It’s what I did when I designed the Offshore. It was different and I loved that nobody knew what I was wearing. And then when it became super famous, I needed to stop wearing it.
Do you collect anything outside of watches?
Glass and lamps. I like any kind of lamps, Italian designers of course but honestly anything that catches my interest. With glass I love the transparency of it, the way light comes through it. It’s something I don’t entirely know how to explain, but I think it’s a fantastic material. That said, I’ve made some sketches of glass and of lamps, but I’ve never tried to make any. I’m famous for watches and jewellery, not for glass.
What’s at the top of your wishlist?
I just want to continue making people happy, to get better every year and surprise people every year. You know, when I see people wearing my designs or buying my designs, I’m proud of myself. Buying a watch is a joy, a pleasure, so whether you receive it or buy it for yourself, it’s something positive. And I want to continue providing that positivity for people.
What is a recent find or discovery?
I recently discovered a love of dogs. I really didn’t want a dog, but my partner has been keen on one for the last 15 years. I was always saying we travel a lot, we’re living in an apartment in the city. But then I gave in and had this dog arrive in my life from a shelter in Bosnia with only one eye and I think it’s the best thing that ever happened in my life. It’s the unconditional love and the connection you can have with a dog, to know that he understands you and you can understand what he wants. Even if Winky only has one eye, he can express so much with it. And now I’m starting to love every dog I see.
Dennison ALD Dual Time
What inspires you?
Everything. Everything from having a shower to walking down the street to watching people in a restaurant. Shopping, going to the museum, reading a newspaper, everything. I travel a lot, so I’m fortunate to see lots of different styles. If I go to London or I go to Milan, things are very different. My brain is working 24/7, all the time. It’s tiring but that’s how I function and keep functioning, to have ideas coming to me. Waking up in the morning is like having mental pop-ups as ideas come to me, as I’m very creative in the morning. In the afternoon, you don’t need to ask me anything about design, but in the evening when things are slowing down and getting quieter, the ideas start coming again.
What is a book, podcast or album that changed the way you think?
This question is too intellectual for me! I guess my psychotherapist helped me open my eyes and understand who I am and how I have to interact with people. But there’s no book, podcast or specific album. That said, I can’t live without music. It inspires me a lot, any kind of music… except techno, electro and hard rock. But I have music in the air all the time.
Roger Federer
Who is a celebrity of person of note that you admire?
I’m going to be very patriotic and say Roger Federer. I admire him a lot because he went through his entire career, win after win until his body finally said enough is enough. I hope that one day I’ll be able to keep going until my brain says, ‘OK, enough.’ Another one – very different – is Queen Elizabeth II. She was one of the only people on this planet to bring an entire country together to celebrate. It didn’t matter if you were straight, gay, black, white, from the left or the right. Any time she did anything publicly, everybody went onto the streets not to strike or complain but to celebrate together.
What’s something interesting about you that not many people know?
I have to say that I’m a forerunner. By that I mean that I see ten years ahead, I have a vision of where trends are going that most people – including many of employers – just don’t understand. They’ll call me crazy and then, as with the Offshore, I’m always proven right. When I’m onto something like that I get a pain in my stomach, an exciting pain, when I see something that I know is going to work. I follow that excitement, even if nobody else agrees.
French Alps
What is your ideal long weekend?
In a chalet in the Alps in the middle of nowhere, with my dog and some music, watching the mountains. I’ve been going to Crans-Montana every year since I was two, so it’s like a second home to me, but I don’t really mind where in the Alps I go. I’m a big fan of the sea and beaches, but I live in Switzerland; if I can see mountains from the window, I’m very happy.
What would we always find in your fridge?
Cheese! I’m half French and half Swiss, so I love all cheeses.
What is a rule or mantra that you live by?
Be positive. All the time. Always see the glass half full rather than half empty and greet every day with a big smile on your face, even the bad ones.
What does the year ahead look like for you?
I live day by day, so it’s hard for me to see the year ahead, but I want to continue making my clients happy. I have very strong clients that are very happy and I hope to keep doing that, to keep getting good news and to, you know, make some things happen. I’m working on different projects and just looking forward to seeing where everything goes.
