When cars take their inspiration from watches
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Christophe Roulet
Editor-in-chief, HH Journal
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It used to be that watchmakers took inspiration from cars. Now the tables have turned. The Grande Carrera by Tag Heuer is the muse of car designer Ken Okuyama. He tells us why.
The first thing to strike visitors arriving at the Tag Heuer stand at Baselworld 2008 isn’t so much the watches on show but rather the concept car that has screeched to a halt out front, and the crowd massed around it. Nothing incongruous about that, you might say. After all, Tag Heuer’s expertise is intimately linked to the world of car racing. Indeed, one of the brand’s new developments this year is an innovative application of its famous Calibre S, this time as a chronograph which calculates, to the nearest hundredth of a second, the driver’s lap time and then calculates the fastest time out of twenty, all in a single application.
Also on the menu this year is a Grande Carrera Concept Chronograph with a Tag Heuer Calibre 36. It ingeniously adapts the principle of the slide caliper to the watch, so that time can be read to one tenth of a second by means of a centre seconds hand driven by a mechanical movement. And that’s when it clicks: this Concept Chronograph has its twin in the concept car, parked just a few metres away. An osmosis which designer Ken Okuyama, the proud father of this mean machine, explains.
So what are you and your car doing at the Tag Heuer stand?
Ken Okuyama: First of all, I’d like to say I’ve been a big fan of watches for many years and that I own several Tag Heuer watches. Also, after working for General Motors and Porsche on the Boxster and the new-generation 911, among others, and after a stint as Design Director at Pininfarina, supervising projects such as the Enzo Ferrari and Maserati Quattroporte, I set up my own company, Ken Okuyama Design, two years ago. This concept car is my first creation under my own name. It has a 2000cc Japanese engine and was presented at the Geneva Motor Show last March before being shown at Baselworld today. So why Baselworld, you’re asking?
Well, I was introduced to Jean-Christophe Babin, CEO of Tag Heuer whom I hadn’t met before, by the brand’s representative in Japan. Of course I took along a photo of what would be my first product, without really knowing where it might lead. And that’s when I found out Tag Heuer was launching its Grande Carrera. For me this was perfect timing, as it meant I could design this concept car’s interior to match the characteristics of this new model and all that it evoked. As you know, until now watchmakers have looked to the automotive industry for inspiration. This collaboration between Tag Heuer and myself, a partnership that is made to last, has turned this equation on its head.
What made you choose the Grande Carrera as your source of inspiration?
My work as a designer can be summed up in three words: modern, simple and timeless. I want to create and produce objects whose design will look as fresh, contemporary if you like, twenty years down the line. This means choosing simplicity and resolutely modern forms. For me, the Grande Carrera fits perfectly with this philosophy. It’s a magnificent watch that will sail through the next two decades without ageing a day.
Does your design studio work exclusively in the automotive sector and what future will this concept car have?
My company employs 35 people in its automotive department but 140 overall. In other words, we’re also active in other sectors, such as eyewear and furnishings. In fact we’ll be presenting our furniture collection at the next Milan Fair.
As for the car here in Basel, we will be producing an initial 20 models this year, all of which have already been pre-sold to an “inner circle” of fans. After that we’ll enter more regular production of 99 cars in 2009 and again in 2010. And I can promise you one thing: Jean-Christophe Babin will be driving one…
