Watchmaking is defined by design and engineering, and in equal measure by inspiration. One such genre that brings these three together is that of Brutalist watch design. Brutalism has been in focus these past few months thanks to the Brady Corbet-directed ‘The Brutalist’, which on Monday won three Oscars - Actor in a Leading Role, Original Score, and Cinematography - at the recently held 97th Academy Awards.
The word ‘Brutalist’ originates from the Latin word ‘Brutus’, which means heavy, unable to speak, and cruel. In architecture, the concept and style were first implemented by Swiss-French architect Le Corbusier in his designs, highlighted by the use of concrete, geometric shapes, and minimalist construction, following a monochrome theme. This type of architectural design was mostly used in institutional buildings like universities, libraries, city halls, courts etc. The coining of the word ‘Brutalism’ by British architectural critic Reyner Banham in the 1950s firmly established the architectural movement.
Several watch brands have referenced Brutalist architecture in their watches post the 1960s. For example, legendary Swiss watch designer Gerald Genta crafted an H-shaped case for Audemars Piguet and an angular Rolex King Midas. Watch brands are continuing to reference the concept to bring out distinctive watches. Here’s a look at how watch brands are incorporating Brutalist design in their watches.
1. Richard Mille - RM 16-02 Automatic Extraflat
The most recent release to follow the Brutalist style is Richard Mille’s RM 16-02 Automatic Extraflat. The watch is inspired by the brand’s first rectangular watch in the collection released in 2007, whose design aesthetics comply with the Brutalist style - a distinctive 36mm x 45.65mm robust and slim case, with functional charm and urban aesthetics.
There are two variants joining the line, a titanium version and a new colour, Terracotta Quartz TPT®. Read more about the watch here.
2. Toledano & Chan - B/1.2
Right from its asymmetric sapphire crystal to its case and bracelet, the Toledano & Chan B/1.2
is a complete follower of the Brutalist style. The distinctive design of the watch is a result of a common love for Brutalist architecture shared by co-founders Alfred Chan, a watch designer and Phillip Toledano, a visual artist and watch collector based in New York. Further, the watch also draws inspiration from the Rolex Midas launched in 1964.
The watch appears like a concrete object, which is neither a perfect rectangle nor a square. The case dimension measures 33.5mm in width and 10.40-9.10 in thickness. Despite that, the angled case grabs the attention. Adding more to it is the asymmetrical sapphire crystal topping the dauphine hands on the minimal Tahitian mother-of-pearl dial, and the integrated tapered bracelet, where every link has a different dimension.
3. ALTO - Art 01
Released last year, the futuristic-looking ALTO Art 01 embraces the bold side of Brutalism. The relatively new French independent watchmaking brand ALTO, an acronym for ‘Art and Limited Time Objects’ was founded by Thibaud Guittard, former marketing manager for Audemars Piguet in the French market.
The Art 01 is the first watch by the brand and after its debut, instantly had people talking about it. Limited to 25 pieces, the watch is heavily inspired by the wedge design of the cars made in the 1970s. Further, the inspiration comes from brutalism architecture is seen in its sharp line and angled polyhedron titanium case and faceted sapphire crystal with a hemispherical inner surface, which is designed in such a way that maximum light can enter the stepped dial. The Caseback has the same faceted sapphire crystal revealing the uniquely arranged micro-rotor self-winding calibre A01, which is made in-house by the brand.
4. Audemars Piguet - [Re]Master 02 Selfwinding
Referred to as “A Tribute to Brutalism”, the [Re]Master 02 Selfwinding (Ref. 15240SG.OO.A347CR.01) is a reinterpretation of the Model 5159BA, an asymmetrical watch created by the brand in 1960 that was inspired by the Brutalist architecture movement. Both the case and the dial design of the watch display hints of brutalist architecture, like the asymmetrical rectangular rigid and functional shape of the case, which purposefully matches the dial’s geometric lines, thanks to which the dial devoid of hour-markers, is easy to read.
Crafted in 18K sand gold alloy– formed with a mixture of solid gold with copper and palladium, whose colour oscillates between white and pink gold - the watch is a limited edition of 250 pieces. Read more about the watch here.
5. Maven Watches - Brut
Winner of the 2022 Red Dot Award for Design, Brut by Maven Watches, a Hong Kong-based brand, is another example of a Brutalist watch. The brand itself calls it a ‘Brutally honest & brutally simple’ watch due to its concrete 32mm case structure. Adding a functional element to the blocky case are the engraved minute and hour markers and the central minimal sun-brushed dial featuring hour, minute, and seconds hands and a date window at 3 o’clock.
6. Ollech and Wajs OW 8001 'TUNDRA'
The OW 8001 'TUNDRA' by Ollech and Wajs is a result of a collaboration between OW and the Norwegian Architectural Design Collective, MIR. The watch is a fusion of Nordic and Brutalist design - it has a 39.5mm X 12.7mm stainless steel tonneau-shaped thick case with sharp features and laser-etched markers on a fixed bezel and a milled integrated oyster-style bracelet. Adding a Norwegian touch to the watch is the double-lacquered ‘Tundra Green fumé’ dial that draws inspiration from the rugged Norwegian landscape. In comparison to the above-mentioned watches, its watch dial has more elements including Super-LumiNova-coated baton hands and hour markers and a date window at 6 o’clock.
7. Rado - Le Corbusier True Square
Rado is vocal about the Swiss-French architect and designer Le Corbusier’s impact on its True Square Thinline Les Couleurs™ Le Corbusier (Ref. R27062152), launched in 2020, and we believe that the line has some Brutalist codes. Le Corbusier was a key figure in Brutalism and his impact was particularly felt on materials and textures. There is also a coloured True Square Thinline Les Couleurs™ Le Corbusier and nine variants of True Thinline Les Couleurs™ Le Corbusier in round-cased high-tech ceramic models in the line.
Rado’s True Square watches feature a monobloc case with refined aesthetics and a dial that shows only minimal elements, which is a principle rule for brutalism design codes. Except for the skeleton dial watches in the line, the dial is kept simple with thin hour markers and hour and minute hands and devoid of a second hand and a date window. Read more about the watches in the line here.
Images: Courtesy brands
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