Over the next weeks, we will be posting more background information on our inspiration for the development of the new Ateliers deMonaco brand, as well as some insights on the unique features of our time-pieces. Please share your thoughts with us as well!!
This first edition is about the inspiration for our look & feel of the brand.
1) Look & Feel – Monaco is getting its distinct look and feel by being a world of opposites, visually and culturally. For instance, the velvet blue lines of the Mediterranean are contrasted by the sharp brown rock formation on which the Principauté is build. Its belle époque architecture is interrupted by modern high rise buildings and it’s usually calm streets are being taken over once a year by the loud noises of Formula 1 racing. This tension between scenery and culture has made the Côte d’Azur the birthplace and inspiration of many important works of art. Painters like Seurat, Picasso or Chagall, but also writers like Hemmingway and Cocteau all had some of their best creative periods in the region.
And it is this tension and dualism we are trying to capture in all we do. So, our straight lines of our case designs are contrasted with convex curves applied on the in-and outside panels of the case. The tonneau shaped inner index ring contrasts the case shape. And when and where possible, we use contrasting materials and finishing. For instance on the dial of our most iconic design, the Black Casino, the beautiful deep black gemstone with a fine texture is contrasted with the multi color dimensions of the mother-of-pearl. As so often in life, opposites create the tension as well as the attraction!
