With a background in engineering and passion for mathematics and art, William Suquet set about creating a project which would all but take up almost two years of his life: Systéme Formel. Systéme Formel translates literally to a system constituted of a morphology and a set of rules allowing the representation of a language. His interesting in marrying the foundational aspects of abstract art and is total apparent lack of coherence with mathematics, the polar opposite of art, made up of symmetries and core structures led him to create the Triangle, the first of a 9-series collection of watches, with each series comprised of 10 pieces.
The Triangle is a celebration of mathematics and aesthetic abstraction. William has used the dials as the canvas to depict these visual abstractions, with each dial being uniquely hand-painted. It brings the theme of the Pythagorean theorem to life and in time the differentiation between the Series’ themes will provide enlightenment to their own individual design directives.
The stainless-steel cushion-shaped case measures 38mm across, 48.40mm in length and 11.20mm in height. The hand-painted dials are finished in acrylic paint and protected with multiple layers of UV varnish, all of which is completely visible beneath the domed mineral glass.
From an aesthetic perspective, the unique dials contribute a sense of individuality, of artistry and of attention to detail. The precise nature of this watch is contrasted beautifully by these somewhat directionless, highly abstract dials. Interestingly enough, watch is assembled in their workshop in France near Nantes and comes with a guarantee for an above-market-average of 5-years.
Turn the piece over and you’ll see an ETA 2801-2 calibre doing its thing. This calibre has been modified somewhat and decorated by Systéme Formel, with a guillochage of the gearwheel bridges, as well as galvanic treatment with ruthenium to the ratchet wheel and crown wheel. The movement is definitely interesting from a design outlook, but technically it still does well to intrigue. It features a hacking mechanism, a beating frequency of 4Hz and a power reserve of 48-hours when fully wound via the crown.
In terms of overall quality, Systéme Formel’s first step into the world of watchmaking is certainly not a bad one. There’s a beautiful blend of individuality throughout the piece, accompanied by some sound mechanics. Who will this watch appeal to? Well, to be quite frank with you, really anyone who has a taste for flair and eccentricity. This is by no means a conventional watch, nor is it so totally against the grain that we’re focusing on a very specific and very small target market. Definitely excited to see their next series, which I’ve been told will be released soon.
The Systéme Formel Triangle is priced at €2,800.
Comments