Q Alexandre, what were the main reasons behind deciding to start your own watch brand? What were you setting out to achieve when you began two years ago?
A I am a designer, and creating is a necessity for me. I decided to found my own House to offer something new and to express my individuality. It offers me the opportunity to experiment and explore new areas freely. I also believe that if you want to create you have to be accountable without seeking validation from anyone else other than your clients – and there is no better accountability than starting your own business. My objective is to build MEERSON into a perennial House that creates a very close relationship with clients through its own workshops and showrooms – very much like haute couture. MEERSON is a ‘Maison de style et d’horlogerie’ that is rooted in watchmaking and expresses its unique, luxurious style.

Q The Haute Horologerie market is very competitive: did you have any doubts you would succeed?
A As a luxury brand, we create and manufacture beautiful timepieces in our very own style, and with passion. This passion is what brings us together with our clients. There are many illustrious brands around, it is true. When our clients order a MEERSON, they do so for love of the piece and for the House, not as a result of a comparison. They want us to craft a piece for them and to the highest standards of excellence. A luxury purchase is not a choice between comparable products, it is the ultimate expression of love. I had doubts at first, of course. Things changed when I saw the first watch coming together: my team had managed to build exactly what I had designed. At that precise moment, I knew we would be successful.

Q Your father, Emerich, was a Parisian watch and jewel designer. Did this spark your initial interest in the industry?
A As I build my House, I perpetuate a long family tradition in entrepreneurship and creation – in fashion, jewellery and watchmaking. During my formative years in Paris, I have been influenced by masters and mentors from illustrious ‘Maisons de Luxe’. From my father, I learned a sense of time, of independent creation that does not try to please others, along with an obsession for excellence and an untameable curiosity. Today, I follow my own path, and am writing a new chapter in my family’s history.

Q You have worked in the luxury goods industry for a long time. Do you feel having this background was essential for success?
A There is a culture to luxury and being an insider gave me access and understanding. Being independent gives me freedom – far from misconceptions and dogmas. I believe that creating beautiful design requires intimacy between the designer, the client and the artisans. Working for some of the most iconic luxury brands in the world has given me incredible access and insight. It allowed me to explore new territories – technology, methods, craftsmanship – and to meet the artisans who today endorse us with their talent.

Q You obviously have a sense of style coupled with functionality. How important do you feel these aspects are in the watches you produce?
A Being beautiful is not enough for an item to be a luxury product. It must also have a purpose and a meaning for that beauty to endure. Each of my watches is fit for purpose – they are all incredibly legible, balanced and refined. On the wrist, they embody my style: a contrast of strength and finesse. They are also the most comfortable timepieces you will ever wear.

Q Production is in Switzerland – was this an easy decision to make?
A Yes, because we work with integrity. Very much like wine making has its ‘terroirs’ in Champagne, Bordeaux or even Napa Valley, watchmaking has its own lands: Switzerland and Japan. We chose Switzerland for our first collection and I dream of manufacturing a collection in Japan someday – their craftsmanship is fabulous. But this is not enough. I did not choose Switzerland for the ‘Swiss made’ label which has become deceptive and obsolete. It has lost a lot of its lustre and interest. For me, producing in Switzerland meant entrusting 100% of the manufacturing to over 80 individual artisans. Making this decision was easy – making it happen was the hardest part as it took us over four years to build our team and supply chain.

Profile: Alexandre Meerson

Alexandre Meerson was raised in France and inherited a passion for luxury accessories, and a relentless pursuit of excellence from his father. He was initiated into the art of design and watchmaking between the family’s studio in Paris and its workshop in Besançon. Whilst he later pursued a career on the other side of the business, for many years working for the world’s most iconic luxury brands, it is a lifetime of passion for horology and design that brought him full circle in 2007 to start the next chapter in Meerson’s history.

Alexandre is passionate about couture, fashion and architecture. He is also fascinated by the imprint of the handmade the moment before the machine and the relationship between design, craftsmanship and luxury.

Q What are the main influences on the watches you design?
A Couture, fashion and architecture are very strong influences. But people and nature remain my primary sources of inspiration. People for the way they walk, speak, what they say (or don’t) and how their bodies express their feelings. Nature speaks to balance and harmony. In my constant travels, I pursue its contrasts, textures, and sheer organic strength.

Q Your inaugural collections were the Altitude Officier and Altitude Premiere, what were the reasons for producing these?
A In a world of complication and tension, I decided to inaugurate our brand with my interpretation of the classic dress watch. I called it Altitude. This collection explores the contrasts between striking architectural aesthetics and organic, intuitive shapes. Altitude has the understated elegance of a genuinely classic timepiece. With an air of quiet discretion, it speaks of refined taste. A multitude of meaningful details reveal themselves to those in the know. The signature lugs, with their strong geometric styling yet subtle finesse in providing a perfect, comfortable fit on the wrist, are only the beginning. Its integrity is in every facet, and especially in its beating heart: the AM-4808 movement, which is visible through the curved crystals of the case back.

Reminiscent of Art Deco and inspired by a stay at the Peace Hotel in Shanghai, the Premiere is an homage to classic minimalist horology.

The Premiere’s pioneering asymmetric hands lead the eye for easy readability at a quick glance. Its indices are individually shaped by hand to follow the unique curve of each dial, and are framed in the luxurious textures and subtle and exclusive shades of the dial face.

The Officier retains the understated elegance of the Premiere, but has been designed with the more active individual in mind. With a flair of MEERSON styling, the handcrafted numerals pay tribute to tradition in watchmaking, while the framing ‘railroad track’ shows time with precision. Tuned to meet the highest standards of accuracy, it is efficient, resilient and quietly brilliant.

Then came the MEERSON D15 Mk-1 GMT, our sport-inspired traveller’s watch.

Q There is a fair degree of personalisation available between these designs. Is this key to the watches’ appeal?
A Owning a MEERSON is an experience at every stage. Personalisation is a natural component of this experience. Every timepiece can be customised, this means the client is part of the process from the start. The client is then invited to follow the process online and even to meet with us and visit for fittings – exactly like a haute couture experience. This process takes from two to seven months. We are also working on ‘Piece Uniques’ – absolute bespoke creations for specific clients – and here the process runs from eight to 16 months

Q What would you say is your optimum target market?
A Our clients – men and women – are accomplished individuals. Very often, they are successful entrepreneurs. They are confident and have in common humility and a form of understatement. When it comes to quality and service, they are intransigent and expect excellence. They genuinely understand luxury and are extremely open and curious of creation. They want something new and unique, that is made for them. A piece of enduring beauty that will not shout wealth, but quietly convey their sense of style.

Q The company has official outlets in Paris, Florence and New York, with the head office located in Surrey. Why Surrey?
A MEERSON is a British House – and Surrey has been my home for 12 years already. England, and Surrey in particular, has welcomed me. It is a stunning location and a unique place allowing people to really be who they want to be, who they really are if they work hard.

Q Did you expect the company to become established in such a short time? What are the plans for 2017 and beyond?
A We are very pleasantly surprised by the way our House has grown. Our idea is to maintain low volumes of production because exclusivity, personalisation and artisanal process underpin our values of integrity and boldness. By meeting our clients one by one we are delivering pieces of enduring beauty, and hopefully for many years to come.

Q How would you describe your watches to someone who had never heard of Alexandre Meerson watches before?
A MEERSON watches are exclusive luxury timepieces – each one is unique, numbered and individually manufactured. They are built to order by 88 of the most talented Swiss artisans after an individual meeting with the designer himself to determine the level of customisation required.

Whether you choose to wear the iconic Altitude Premiere, the more casual Officier or the masculine D15, you will own a timeless, subtle piece which projects effortless elegance at first, and reveals striking and meaningful details to the wearer over time.

essence info

Website: www.meerson.com

International clients

Owners and friends of the MEERSON brand provide insight on each watch’s legacy. Flying across Orlando, tearing around iconic race tracks or taking it easy at the Icebergs Club in Sydney, two of MEERSON’s many owners describe their experiences below.

Ann Scott (pictured above)
When it comes to taste, there are fewer names that hold as much weight in London than Ann Scott. Engrossed in the world of high culture, she has been a main stay in luxury travel ever since she founded her public relations company over three decades ago: being named as one of London’s 1,000 most influential people last year is tribute to this. She became one of the first MEERSON watch owners, weeks after the launch two years ago.
Ann says: “It was coincidental discovery, but one I am very happy occurred. I was invited by the Telegraph Luxury team to the Salon QP event, held at the Saatchi gallery, as one of their guests. I was drawn to the MEERSON stand, and to this piece in particular. I am not a collector of watches, I have a couple of timepieces for various reasons, but when I saw this very beautiful watch, I was instantly enthralled. It is very unlike me to be tempted to purchase a watch on the spot like that, but it was just so stylish and so clear, that I tried it on. Then, when I realised I could have number 002 from the inaugural collection, I bought it. I was impressed by the clarity and style – it is a simple but very elegant watch.”

Ann Scott’s watch: Altitude Premiere Date
Material: 18k 4N gold.
Dial: white silvered; 18k 4N gold appliques.
Indication: hour, minute, date

Adam Ashley-Cooper (pictured below)
If you have any sort of interest in rugby, you probably already know his name. And if you haven’t, Adam’s achievements speak for themselves. Born in Sydney in 1984, the outside back stalwart is one of only five Australian players to have reached the prestigious 100-game milestone. Widely regarded as one of the most versatile players in Rugby Union, he is also part of an elite group of players to have recorded 50 wins for the Wallabies. To date, only David Campese has scored more tries for Australia against the All Blacks. Despite the constant string of success in his life, Adam remains incredibly humble and courteous. Hard work, grit and determination got Adam to where he is today, and he outlines that it was seeing Alexandre apply this same ethic to his craft that convinced him to join the MEERSON family.

Adam Ashley-Cooper’s watch: MEERSON D15 Mk-1 GMT
Material: titanium.
Dial: white silvered; black gold & black superluminova.
Indication: hour, minute, second, GMT, date, AM/PM