Founder of Studio Diode, Denis Hayoun, has specialised in watch photography since the new millennium, with two studios (Geneva and La Chaux-de-Fonds) creating the high-quality photography we’ve come to recognise is his signature. His work featured on the first cover of GMT magazine in 2000, depicting a Roger Dubuis Much More, and the rest is history. Denis Hayoun is also a member of the jury of the Watch Photo Awards, the first international watch photography competition that is open to participation by private individuals.
Whether lifestyle or product-focused, his shoots are always very sophisticated, with an aesthetic rigour perfectly adapted to the requirements and the attention to detail of watch brands. When it comes to highlighting contrasting surface treatments, or mastering the way light interacts with different materials, nothing is beyond the skills of Denis or his ten-strong team. Depending on how much creative discretion is permitted in any given shoot, the art of suggestion can generate considerable emotional impact.
Suzanne’s Choice
In the words of our editor-in-chief, Suzanne Wong, who chose him for this shoot, “Denis is a photographer whose talents are well known in our industry. It’s a privilege to have his work featured on WorldTempus.”
It was also Suzanne who decided on the green colour scheme for this series of original photos. “Green is such a powerful colour. It is highly symbolic, with many different interpretations, but what it conveys above all is growth and renewal.”
ShowCase — An Idea Whose Time Has come
Denis Hayoun, who is completely at ease with the latest technology, and close to the watch brands, recently created the ShowCase (in association with Fabrice Rabhi of the LeTruc agency). This small, portable video presentation studio is designed to enable retailers and manufacturers to present their watches when they are unable to meet clients in person. The product being displayed can be turned to show every angle by the sales assistant’s two hands from inside the ShowCase itself, which comes equipped with the optimum lighting to reproduce the conditions in a professional photography studio. Close-up shots are taken by a video camera designed to be positioned just a few centimetres away, making it easy to focus in on the details of a hand, a tourbillon or a diamond. For customers the process could not be easier, and interaction is seamless. They are simply given a meeting link that works in any browser, with no need to download an app.
In fact, WorldTempus has decided to invest in this technology itself. The ShowCase will be used to organise regular watch presentations for WorldTempus readers, at new events planned for the coming summer.
