After studying textiles and leather, and working with an automotive company, Aurelie Picaud’s position at Fabergé today can be seen as quite a jump. “Working with SMP Automotive Global in Germany was a fantastic experience, but I couldn’t help feeling thatI would prefer working on a product I could be more passionate about,” she says. Picaud charted a more organic growth in watchmaking, moving first to Swatch and then adding major brands like Omega and Audemars Piguet to her work history. Fabergé, though, marks the beginning of a new journey.
Tall order
When Picaud joined as the head of the timepieces department in November 2013, her brief was to create a new family of watches. The then 35-year-old put together a team that, in less than 18 months, launched not one, but four lines that made waves at Baselworld 2015. This included a women’s complication (Lady Compliquée Peacock), a ‘conversation piece’ for men (Visionnaire I), a jewellery watch (Summer in Provence) and a core collection (Lady Fabergé). Since then, she has been busy: in three years, her team has developed four new dedicated movements and five new timepiece collections. Most recently, she was presented the 2017 Eve’s Watch Woman of the Year.
The job did come with its own challenges, though. “Fabergé watches express key design attributes that are common to both our jewellery and watch collections. These include interesting proportions, vibrant colours, layering of materials and, of course, an element of surprise. It is extremely important to us to include the characteristic of ingenuity, express emotion, and present unexpected time displays, as Peter Carl Fabergé did with the incredible clock objects,” she explains.
Fabergé Lady Libertine
Changing notions
Being a woman in a largely male-dominated field, she feels, takes patience, strength and tenacity. “I think women still need to prove that they are capable before being considered. But this is slowly changing,” she affirms, adding, “For decades, women’s watches mostly consisted of a quartz movement, mother of pearl dial and added gemstones. However, women appreciate the beauty and complexity of a mechanical movement just as much as their male counterparts.” While she does not prefer to dwell on the subject, she lets her work do the talking.
For example, the Lady Libertine III, to Picaud, represents a bold, non-traditional approach. “We incorporated traditional techniques such as enamelling, guilloché and gem-setting, while utilising the artistic talent of two women — Fiona Kruger and Anita Porchet,” she says. Kruger is known to blend watchmaking with fine art and design, and is the creator of the Skull line of watches. Porchet, an independent Swiss enamelist, has worked with brands like Patek Philippe and Vacheron Constantin.
Fabergé Summer in Provence timepiece
As for an increased focus on women’s watches, Picaud says it is trending for two reasons — the business opportunity, and the fact that the consideration of women in society is now a daily topic. “Revisiting previously defined conceptions provides us with an opportunity to question their suitability. For example, creating movements adapted to the requests and taste of women, using it to express emotion. It could also be innovated with non-clichéd designs: look for character, but pay attention to the little details which will still make it a women’s watch,” she concludes.
