Born in Switzerland, his father, an entrepreneur from Valais, and his mother, an Italian with a strong artistic sensitivity, passed on to him an extraordinary work ethic, an insatiable love of the arts, and a deep respect for authenticity. He graduated as an architect from the University of Engineering and Architecture of Fribourg (formerly the School of Engineers and Architects of Fribourg) in 1987. After a period of travel, filled with music and discovery, he joined a design office in 1993 and explored graphic design and packaging. He recalls, not without humor: “The first object I truly designed was a coat hanger. My first watch sketch dates back to 1996.”
Authenticity as a Compass
For him to design a watch, there must first be “a meeting with people who believe in their project.” Once this authenticity is established, he can “try to please them while always keeping a touch of originality, a singularity, that will also please me.” Thus, when he created the Speake Marin Academic One & Two in 2017, he reinterpreted the brand’s distinctive Roman numerals through an architectural approach “that brings them to life through empty space.” Similarly, in 2025, he paid tribute to the first Speake Marin piece by delicately redesigning everything, such as the modern railway track that comes to life on the immaculate white enamel dial. Sometimes, a single detail is enough to breathe new life into a creation.
Deconstructed Architecture
For Carl Suchy, in 2025, he had to revisit a product “that already had a lot of personality.” He delved into the brand’s roots, in early 20th-century Vienna and its architectural movement developed by Otto Wagner and Adolf Loos. The alternating black and white lines create a hypnotic animation. His approach was similar with the Geometry by Schwarz Etienne in 2023. He explains: “They wanted to continue exploring guilloché. We chose three simple guillochés and I deconstructed them into four sections. It creates a kind of disconcerting classicism.” With Guebly, a young brand launched in 2024, he took the prototype and finalized the dial and case by refining and simplifying, stretching the lines.
Overflowing Creativity
This apparent search for simplicity actually reveals a creativity that is uniquely his own. It expresses all its freshness with MB&F, for whom he has designed almost every model since its founding. The M.A.D 2, launched this year, a tribute to the DJ culture of the 1980s, is the result of his love for music and incorporates the strobe light, vinyl records, ghost logo, and turntables. Watchmaking creativity in the service of meaning. That, perhaps, is the signature of Eric Giroud.
