iW Magazine Fall 2019 | Page 72

DISCOVERY BY GARY GIRDVAINIS DRIVEN BY DETAILS ORN AND RAISED IN PARIS, designer and brand namesake Alexandre Meerson continues a long-standing family tradition and legacy in haute couture and fashion. As a designer, he was involved early on with the family watch and jewelry business. This experience laid the groundwork for a curriculum vitae that led Meerson to work with some of the world’s best-known fashion brands, including those from the stables of luxury fashion at Richemont, LVMH and others. His lifetime passion for horology brought him full circle, and like so many designers and watchmakers he was determined to create his own brand. He launched his own eponymous watch brand and his first collection in 2014. B EDGE OF CONVENTION Meerson set out to explore the unique relationship between a watch and its owner. He designs timepieces for “people who create their own luck, and do what is not expected of them.” Meerson thrives on the edge of convention. His unrelenting search for individuality means he personally oversees every detail from design to manufacturing. He is obsessed with creating the unique experience embodied in owning a Meerson watch. Clearly Meerson watches are crafted to appeal to self-actuated personality types; those who that have matriculated beyond the herd and have left behind the need for the social approbation ascribed to recognized brands and archetypes. Meerson watches are not necessarily pieces unique, but a Meerson customer is definitely a rarity and has an appreciation of craft without the need for recognition, and a desire for subtlety over crass signals of success. 72 | INTERNATIONAL WATCH | FALL 2019 Alexandre Meerson makes watches for customers who appreciate craft without the need for recognition and desire subtlety over crass signals of success.