Silberstein’s return promises era of playful watch designs

He was the original maverick watchmaker, an avant-garde artist who eschewed the traditions of timepiece design in favour of bright colours, alternative shapes and a shameless sense of fun.

And now Alain Silberstein is set to bring back his special spirit of horological joy as he prepares to relaunch his own, eponymous dial name after a hiatus of more than 15 years.

Silberstein, now 75, was a practising interior designer before he burst on to a decidedly grey watch scene in 1987, when the Swiss industry was still struggling with the so-called quartz crisis and the six-year-old Swatch seemed to be the only other brand doing things differently.

Inspired and encouraged by the much-admired watchmaker Gerd-Rüdiger Lang, Frenchman Silberstein translated the Bauhaus design principles he had been taught at his Paris art school into a horological language the like of which had never before been seen.

Instead of the 19th-century Breguet-style watchmaking of muted tones, linear hands and circular crowns being practised by traditional makers struggling to get back on to their feet, Silberstein called on the primary colours used by some of his favourite artists, such as Wassily Kandinsky, Joan Miró and Pablo Picasso.

He applied the bright tones to the crowns, push pieces and hands of his watches — which were equally unconventional in being triangular, square, round or, in the case of the seconds hands that became a Silberstein signature, serpentine squiggles that appeared to snake around the dial.

But his assault on horology went more than skin deep. Silberstein’s name became synonymous with an adventurous attitude to movement design, too, with his Tourbillon Krono of 1997 being one of the first (if not the first) watches to combine a tourbillon regulator with a chronograph. Limited to 10 pieces, the model cost an eye-watering £137,500 — the equivalent today of more than £260,000.

But Silberstein’s watches were by no means aimed exclusively at wealthy collectors, with his simpler three-hand, chronograph and GMT models falling in the £2,000-£5,000 price range, enabling the brand to shift more than 30,000 units before things turned sour in 2008.

“We were doing well, but then the beginnings of the financial crisis in 2007 followed by the Lehman Brothers crash the following year put us out of business,” says Silberstein.

“Russia and Singapore were our major markets at the time. Our Russian partner was the Mercury Group — which accounted for 30 per cent of our turnover — and suddenly it couldn’t pay.

“When you lose that much business in one second, you are dead. I tried to find investment, but it was impossible in that economic climate.”

I love to design watches for swimming, playing sports and so on. I want to get back to the old tradition of having one watch for life

But far from fading into horological oblivion, Silberstein’s name became almost more recognised in the watch world as he made up for the demise of his own company by offering his services as a pen for hire, adding his distinctive design touches to the products of other makers through a series of collaborations.

The first, in 2009, was with Max Büsser’s MB&F, for which Silberstein created its first “performance art” piece in the form of a model called the HM2.2 Black Box — the case band of which was engraved with the words Le vrai bonheur est d’avoir sa passion pour métier, meaning “true happiness is making your passion a profession”.

Numerous collaborations have followed with brands as diverse as Bell & Ross, Romain Jerome, Angelus, Ressence, Awake and, most recently, the ultra-accurate SilMach TimeChanger.

Silberstein’s most prolific partnership, however, has been with Louis Erard and the man who helped to turn it around, watch industry consultant and former Jaquet Droz and Romain Jerome CEO Manuel Emch.

The first collaboration in 2019, in which Silberstein created his own version of Louis Erard’s signature single-hand, regulator watch, sold out quickly and went on to win a Red Dot design award.

Another regulator followed, part of a trio set of watches called Le Triptyque which also included a mono-pusher chronograph, all of which have become collector’s pieces.

“The collaborations have helped me to stay in the market and to keep designing,” says Silberstein.

“But — and I am officially announcing it here for the first time — I will bring back my own brand in the next two years and it will enable me to tell stories that I have not been able to tell so far. I want to make watches for everyday use, but watches with a twist that are tongue-in-cheek.

“I love to design watches for swimming, playing sports and so on. I want to get back to the old tradition of having one watch for life.”

Although Silberstein does not expect to have the first models on the market until 2027, he claims to have already designed seven new movements, each of which will form the basis of four or five collections.

Prices will range from around €20,000 all the way to €100,000, but with most models falling in the €30,000 range.

“Maybe I needed those years of collaborations to be able to start again,” he says. “I was talking with [industry veteran] Jean-Claude Biver recently and we agreed that, while we are both old grandpas, we will never lose the passion, and I am looking forward to making watches for a new generation to add to the three generations that already know me.

“The new generation, I believe, cares less about price. If they like it, they buy it — but you must give them innovation, quality and service.”

And, while he embraces the benefits of the internet that have dramatically changed the watch retailing landscape since he launched his original brand, Silberstein plans to take a traditional approach when it comes to selling.

“I intend to work with long-term partners and friends, some of whom have stores run by their children who I knew when they were still babies.

“There are 15 to 20 retailers worldwide just waiting to offer visibility to my brand, and I will go to them and train their sales people so they can educate their customers. When you have a shop dedicated to brand, you have a paradise for watch lovers.

“And when watch lovers see my new designs, they won’t be surprised — but, at the same time, they will be . . .” he promises, cryptically.