R3 Art of Fusion, “living” dynamic installation.

During Baselworld 2019, Hublot had a surprise in store with its dynamic installation combining innovation and poetry. Consisting of 13 synchronized screens, this contemporary display case treated visitors to a show which subtly unveiled the brand’s latest products. The real timepieces disappeared, reappeared and played with images in a rhythmic animation.

This innovation was the fruit of the friendship between Xavier Dietlin and Xavier Perrenoud. At a very early stage, they both agreed that traditional display cases were outdated. So the two companions set out to create a display case that took the form of an animated sculpture rather than a conventional case. Eighteen months later, the “Raptor 3” was unveiled.

With a simple, functional design, this module absorbs a watch which appears to undergo an on-screen operation before reappearing with a new aesthetic design. Used together, several Raptor 3s form the installation entitled “Art of Fusion”.

Why a sculptural design?
The two friends had already worked together on numerous occasions on display case projects and interactive installations for exhibitions. They both felt that the commercial aspect was omnipresent while there was a distinct lack of creativity in presenting products in the watchmaking industry. It was time for a revolution…

During a conference at ECAL in September 2018, Xavier & Xavier stopped in front of a temporary installation consisting of 3 screens placed in a row. And so the idea of positioning images next to each other was born. Having explored the work of Korean artist Nam June Paik and of Jean Tinguely, they decided to work together on creating a living video wall in which watches would appear and disappear. Art of Fusion is a bridge between the Swiss engineering of the Fribourg-based artist and the Korean creator’s world of video art. Together, they create a gateway between the past and the future, between the art of watchmaking and the digital world.

This is without a doubt the next challenge for the watchmaking industry. In technical terms, this installation required a multidisciplinary know-how based solely in the region of Lausanne (Romanel Valley). It took more than 1,000 hours of work to create the sculpture. 300 m of cables connect each of the components to all the others, enabling them to communicate. The products can retract at a speed of 10 m / second and an ingenious system of infra-red sensors detects the presence of visitors who are proving to be a little too curious.

What a show!
Lasting 90 seconds, the show was performed every 3 minutes at Baselworld 2019 (250 times a day). It was a hit on social media and won the approval of the brand’s retailers around the world.

Art of Fusion will soon be traveling the world to be presented at all the major events organized by the watchmaking brand from Nyon.

Biography, Xavier Dietlin
Xavier Dietlin was born on November 5, 1969. Following a serious injury that brought his footballing career to an end (3 official selections with the Swiss national team under Roy Hodgson), he joined the family business in the metal construction industry. In just 10 years, he had shifted the company’s focus towards display cases, with a strong emphasis on innovation. The company made its key breakthrough in 2005 on behalf of Hublot, with the Raptor display case with no glass that is nevertheless secure: through the use of sensors, the object on show is retracted into the base of the case in only a few tenths of a second as soon as a foreign body comes near. The watchmaking industry began to entrust him with a number of hugely complex projects around the world, closely followed by jewelers, prestigious museums and multinationals including Mercedes Benz, Nestlé and Philip Morris. Today, the company is renowned the world over for inventing and producing the most innovative, cutting-edge display cases.

Biography, Xavier Perrenoud
Xavier Perrenoud founded XJC in 2001 and is a professor with a Master of Advanced Studies in Luxury Design from ECAL, Lausanne, Switzerland. He has specialized in creative direction and the design of luxury products, in particular for the watchmaking and jewelry industries. Having worked for numerous years with prestigious, internationally renowned brands, the extensive know-how he has acquired in this field enables him to provide a wide range of services including creative direction, structure and design of collections, product design, display cases and display stands for a wide range of products. Since 2011, in addition to brand mandates, XJC has developed a number of innovative research concepts, some of which have been presented at national and international exhibitions. As a consultant, Xavier Perrenoud also organizes continuing education workshops on creativity and the creative processes;