The digital revolution

I remember how admiring we were when Tissot launched a whole series of functions that were activated by touch technology. This was a significant breakthrough, all the more so as it responded to the specific needs of sportsmen and women. It was well thought-out and well appreciated. Necessity truly is the mother of invention; were this not so, rather than opening our eyes to a possible new vision, each trend would be in danger of being one step removed from a gadget.

If I tell myself a watch dial should allow me to check my emails, update my status on social media, take photos and connect to others, surely I would be better off choosing a next-generation smartphone instead! After all, the real estate on a dial is at a premium and therefore hardly conducive to reading and writing in comfort. Fine Watchmaking should perhaps welcome those innovations which do not distort a timepiece’s symbolism and fascination: not because we want to be old school but because we want to be coherent. When we purchase a Fine Watch, we do something important: we buy a watch that will last a lifetime and more, that will always be beautiful, and which can be handed down to future generations. Something far removed from a world which announces the next big thing every three months.

Duration in time becomes the measure of time. Fine Watchmaking has its own rules. Technological and digital revolutions have theirs. To bring them face to face does not necessarily mean we must sacrifice beauty, utility and workmanship for the sake of newness.