Fabrice Gonet’s star could not be shining more brightly. In his early 30s, the young designer, one-third of the HD3 design collective, has already broken watch making conventions without looking back, while respecting the artisanal side of Swiss haute horlogerie with his masculine, aggressive horological creations of the 21st century that are entirely unique.

His groundbreaking designs entice you to enter an alternate universe where the wild creature-like Raptor cyborg watch, carefully balancing mechanical and electronic watch making, reigns, as well as the Vulcania, inspired by the mysterious world of Jules Verne where science fiction becomes reality – both produced in limited series. His aim is clear : to share his passion and imagination, so that those who wear his watches see a bit of themselves in his dream world, and “creating objects that will please all , from purists who love classics to avant-gardists in search of novelty”, he says.

Creating is in his blood and Gonet’s passion for design stems from hours of hanging about his grandfather’s atelier and worktable as a child. An architect and cabinetmaker, his grandfather transmitted his enthusiasm for design and beautiful objects to the young Gonet, who would then stumble into horology when he arrived at the Hysek Styling design studio at the age of 17, where one of the world’s best-known horological designers, Jorg Hysek, would further hone his abilities. Gonet says of his mentor, “Jorg taught me everything. The most important lesson was the sense of detail, not to stop at my first idea or shape, but to go deeper still in my reflection to push the design even further. Another essential teaching was the importance of human relations.”.

It would be in teamwork that Gonet would find the most satisfaction, bouncing countless ideas off both Hysek and another talented designer, Valérie Ursenbacher. Together, they have cultivated a symbiotic hotbed of creativity that has spanned 15 years, where varied concepts are brought to the table and all are shared in a benevolent, non-competitive and forward-thinking spirit. The Three Minds watch is the result of this collaboration, displaying three overlapping rotating discs beneath fan-shaped apertures for hours, minutes and seconds, and a sharp, square case, which brings together three distinct yet coherent design languages. Gonet divulges, “The role of the designer in the world of horology is to bring something new and beautiful to each creation, all while playing with the technical and mechanical constraints of the job. It’s also about having a futurist vision of the product and transmitting a type of dream through the designed products. My philosophy is to please myself and get a kik out of designing crazy things that please the greatest number of earthlings”.

His design inspirations are numerous : the steampunk period, science fiction, cars, manga and other elements of everyday life that surround him. He redirects them from their original purpose and applies them to his design style to present us with cutting-edge watches that give new meaning to our world. In creating timepieces, he begins with either a mechanical concept or a shape inspired by totally different domain, and likes to think that they could then be easily integrated into imaginary futuristic world. For example, the Raptor in gold and titanium with a 100-hours power reserve, the fist production of a tourbillon chronograph –GMT offers a visible dial that shows off a tourbillon calibre, while the hinged case flips open by a simply pressing two buttons to reveal a hidden digital display with date, stopwatch and second time zone, much like the voluminous jaws of a manga bird of prey. Swiss high watchmaking tradition, exemplified by he magic of the mechanical tourbillon, is challenged by quartz functionalism, in response to how life is lived today, and topped off by refined craftsmanship for a watch that looks as if it has just stepped out of a science fiction film.

Gonet’s second watch for HD3, the Vulcania in titanium and platinum, featuring a proprietary bi-axial tourbillon and taking its name from the Jules Verne island of “Vulcania”, recalls the novelist’s ships and submarines of old with its tourbillon cage spinning on two axes for optimal performance, and minute and hour indication by a Chadburn telegraph-inspired disc and a wheel seen through a lateral porthole , respectively. The 80-hours power reserve indicator takes its design cures from the sextant marine tool, while a porthole offers an intimate view of the winding mechanism. The island’s outline and coordinates are engraved on the sapphire caseback and the crown is influenced by submarine turbines. Gonet professes a certain weakness for the Vulcania, which most faithfully represents his design style and speaks of his past with its Verne inspiration, embodying his fantasy of a machine to turn back time.

The HD3 timepieces he creates are the most authentic expression of what he appreciates in high-tech design. He produces innovative movements not just for their technical aspect, but also to seek out a new vision of reading time. He explains, “We have seen for several years that the design of a watch does not stop only with the case, but that the movement also becomes an important element of design. The engine of the watch becomes its face and no longer the dial: we speak today of a fusion between the dial and the engine”.

Gonet is part of a new creative moment in an industry undergoing immense change and reaching new audiences, given carte blanche to influence what is going to happen tomorrow. He has taken the opportunity to create futuristic complications that are odes to modernity and time machines for the wrist, of which even Verne would be proud. The maverick is crafting the art of today infused with furious doses of foresight and individualism. He concludes, “I believe that my process is artistic. I also paint, and we try, with HD3, to unite the world of painting with horological design to make others understand our philosophy and method of creating. If being a contemporary artist is to be a dreamer who’s a bit crazy, then yes, that’s me.”

By Y-Jean Mun-Delsalle, Revolution USA no 6