Discover Sir Terence Conran’s automotive-inspired watch, one of his last projects
The late Sir Terence Conran collaborated with Brooklands Watch Company on the Triple-Four Chronograph, inspired by motoring history
For his penultimate project, the late Sir Terence Conran sought out a new field, discovering the possibilities of watch design in a collaboration with British watch brand Brooklands Watch Company.
The connection with car racing history – the watch brand is named after the historic Brooklands racing track in Surrey, now a museum – held a personal appeal for the designer, whose father attended the track and mother learnt to fly at the site’s flying club. When Brooklands Watch Company founder Simon Jeffs approached the designer with the project in 2018, it felt like a natural fit.
‘Sir Terence said it was just the sort of project he would love to be involved with. The model briefing we provided specified the mechanism and Sir Terence visited Brooklands Museum to meet the museum team and view the exhibits. He found the Napier Railton car to be particularly inspiring,’ says Jeffs on the beginning of the partnership.
Inspired by the racing car built at Brooklands, the Triple-Four Chronograph intertwines automotive cues throughout its design. ‘A British heritage design with the watch made in Switzerland, the Triple Four is very clear and clean,’ Jeffs adds. ‘The watch has sports watch functionality but also dress watch appeal. The colours and finishes are very carefully considered. There are many design references to Brooklands but the main one is the one-piece face with a banked perimeter – just like the Brooklands track. The bi-compax layout also references the Brooklands timekeepers’ watches that were used for regular circuit races.’
The watch, limited to 500 pieces, encompasses both Jeffs’ experience as an aerospace engineer and Conran’s distinctive design codes. For Jeffs, Conran’s involvement was a dream come true. ‘I realised I needed a top British designer and called the Design Museum for suggestions. I decided to shoot for the stars and emailed Sir Terence. I didn’t expect a reply and at best [anticipated] a polite no. I was thrilled when he said he was keen to know more.’
INFORMATION
Wallpaper* Newsletter
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox.
Hannah Silver is the Art, Culture, Watches & Jewellery Editor of Wallpaper*. Since joining in 2019, she has overseen offbeat design trends and in-depth profiles, and written extensively across the worlds of culture and luxury. She enjoys meeting artists and designers, viewing exhibitions and conducting interviews on her frequent travels.
-
JW Anderson and Pleasing design a balloon-inspired collection of nail polishes and more
JW Anderson and Pleasing launch an uplifting new capsule collection featuring balloon-inspired metallic nail polishes and a take on the viral rainbow cardigan
By Hannah Tindle Published
-
Bottega Veneta drafts Venetian artisans for its unique ‘Bottega for Bottegas’ project, a gift list of local craft
Italian fashion house Bottega Veneta has sought out six craftspeople from in and around Venice to create precious objects – from playing cards to jigsaw puzzles – which arrive just in time for festive gift-giving
By Jack Moss Published
-
Agnès Varda, Luca Guadagnino and Wim Wenders: why Aesop’s love affair with cinema is more than skin-deep
Aesop’s new 2024 Christmas campaign celebrates its long love affair with cinema. Laura Havlin speaks with the brand’s head of global store design Marianne Lardilleux to discover why film is inherent to its DNA
By Laura Havlin Published