Next we meet Alexandre Labails, Founder and Chairman of LABAILS Watches. Alexandre grew up in a modest family of musicians and artists. Aged 23, he graduated from the French school, Ecole Supérieure des Techniques Aéronautiques et de la Construction Automobile (ESTACA), as a mechanical engineer specialised in aeronautics engines.
He has used his engineering background to build a Haute horology brand. He didn’t know it at the time, but it would lead to the creation of one of the most ambitious projects in the watchmaking industry. We hear his views on his business and the future direction of the company.
MWM: How is business?
AL: Business is going well, thank you! Despite having already worked for several years on the development of our first timepiece Temerity (below). we started to communicate about the brand only last year and so far the feedback we’ve received from the market is excellent and very promising. It is really great to acknowledge the fact that our work can touch so many people’s sensibilities all around the world.
MWM: What are you currently working on?
AL: We are still working on producing our first collection. As any exceptional product, it takes time to make it happen and this one especially requires the best watchmaking expertise at every step of its development. We are also preparing the evolution of this first collection and I’m starting to draw the first lines of the future collections as well. A lot of ideas, of potential innovations, of designs that I need to clear out somehow! It’s not easy but it is definitely exciting!
MWM: Tell us something we don’t know about LABAILS Watches?
AL: I didn’t start to work on my haute horology brand 7-years ago with the ambition of becoming one of the most exclusive brands on the planet. At that moment, I fell in love with this product and I just knew that I could do something incredible in this field. When I think about it, the past years have been very introspective journey, about who I am and what I want to bring to the table. I think I am passionate about the exceptional, about what is extremely difficult to achieve. So, when I met Jean-François Mojon (the founder of the manufacture Chronode) and the designer Benjamin Müller in 2018, the project shifted as I knew I was surrounded by people able to help me to reach my unspoken ambition to create something exceptional. After that, it was a step-by-step process where every decision was made to push forward, trying to not compromise with the original idea of my dream watch, praising both brilliant mechanical engineering and outstanding craftmanship, relentlessly trying to find the right balance and to elevate our timepiece to the rank of a work of art.
MWM: Which watch do you wear?
AL: Actually none. I made the vow to not wear any other timepiece than my own. So, when Temerity will be ready, be sure I will update my answer!
MWM: Which watch would you like to own?
AL: Basically, every timepiece I have in my mind that I want to create and every timepiece which I have not yet imagined!
MWM: What do you like best about the Watch business?
AL: It is a difficult question as I like many things about it. However, I think what I like best is its duality, at the border between engineering and art. The watch, as a product, shifted from being an absolute tool, necessary to organise the life of an individual as the life of a society, to being an accessory, a vehicle of emotions. In my opinion this shift allowed this product to be considered differently than it may have been previously. Therefore, I believe it had a positive impact on the field, liberating more creativity from the brands.
MWM: What is next on the horizon for you?
AL: Besides the production and the development of further collections, one important thing for us is to continue to build a team of talented individuals sharing our values and our ambitions. I consider myself as a Conductor of an exceptional orchestra. if I want to create a symphony, I need to be surrounded by highly qualified musicians whom, of course can play the music, but also understand how I want the music to be played. Both engineering and art are human creations, therefore humans are key.
Alexandre Labails is a Friend of MrWatchMaster