After years working to a brief as a consultant for some of the world’s most significant watch and jewellery brands, the French designer Alexandre Meerson established his own eponymous house in the Surrey hills. “I’m trying to write a new chapter in my family’s long history of design,” Meerson explains to us. “My father was one of the guys who invented the concept of the fashion watch in the 1950s, focusing predominantly on style.” Meerson’s father inspired him to pursue a career in design, and after craving creative freedom for so long, his independent watch brand was born in 2007.

“My aim is to design modern-classic timepieces from A to Z,” he explains. “While the entire design for each piece is completed at our UK-based studio, we have more than 88 Swiss artisan watchmakers that we coordinate to build every component of the movements to our specification.” Meerson’s ethos is about integrity, and each piece is hand-built to order and bespoke to the customer. “I design the silhouette, but each is personalised with different materials, colours, engraving and made-to-measure leather straps.”

The latest model is the slim and tasteful D15 GMT, which employs a complication for travellers that allows for the hour hand to be adjusted in one-hour increments on the wrist. “Over 76 hours of polishing goes into the waterproof case alone,” explains Meerson, “I wanted the lugs to be as sharp as a Japanese sword, but not so sharp they cut the skin.” The design and finish are fabulous, prompting you to look closer every time you’d merely wanted to glance at the time. Meerson likens his approach to that of Pagani, with its low-volume, highly personalised modern supercars that are forever in demand. “I don’t want to flood the market with my watches,” he comments, “and while this might increase the price, it also increases the exclusivity.”  With all the right ingredients, could these watches be looked back at in the same way as the Zonda in 10 years?

Photos: Alexandre Meerson