James Henderson – What was your first watch, was it a gift?Is there a story behind it?
Janek Deleskiewicz – My first watch was a gold mechanical (manual winding) watch that I still have. My dad gave it to me when I was 12 years old. It is 24 K Gold, which is very soft. I wore it for some time and the case is all scratched and needs some reparation now. It is small, around 32 mm in diameter. At the time they made very small watches!
JH – When you were a boy, what did you want to be “when you grew up”?
JD – I had a lot of ideas, but I am not sure I thought much about the future. I was happy spending my time on the beach and I enjoyed a lot of different activities like drawing, playing… activities that allowed me to express myself freely – I cannot say I had any duties to perform then. And those activities – sports, music, dance – with no competition whatsoever, this lent a lot to my future life
JH – Where did you go to school, what did you study?
JD – It is at school age that I chose my occupation. I opted for mathematics and technical studies and I received a BA in technical studies, continuing further to the Institut Universitaire de Technologie. Then I started to work more with people that were interested in combining technology and the arts – lighting, painting, colors. It was not at all the core of my studies, but I was part of a group of 4-5 people and we spent 80% of our time on projects of this kind out of sheer interest. At the same time I continued my passion for music, being part of a band. I thought then that all my interests were eclectic and its only later that I realized it was all in line.
JH – How did you get started in the watch industry?
JD – In the beginning, I worked for the car industry and in various agencies for different areas such as mass consumption, sports, art exhibitions for a few Paris Museums – Grand Palais, Centre Georges Pompidou. I entered into the watch industry in 1980-81. I worked in France and later, in 1988 I started working with Manufacture Jaeger-LeCoultre. I met Mr. Henry John Belmont and Gunther Blumlein and I really felt that my values were the same as theirs in terms of the human approach and technical development. Their proposal for a new adventure seemed very interesting to me. I never thought I would eventually stay for such a long time, and today I am very grateful to them for the chance I got.
JH – Coming from France, how has the adjustment to life in Switzerland been?
JD – I cannot say I saw many differences, there was no cultural shock as Switzerland is in the heart of Europe and close to France. The French, Mediterranean or Anglo-Saxon influence, we find it here in this country. In cultural and stylistic aspects, this influence has a major role for the development process.
JH – Sitting where you do now, you are in one of the most relevant and important watch companies in the world. Whatis the next big thing for JLC?
JD – We have been challenging the market for a long time. And now that we are in the leading position in some areas, it obliges us to switch to a new way of thinking and work to stay ahead, enrich our personality, and this is what we do here with our teams.
JH – Do you ever consider doing something else?
JD – Definitely. I could do one day scenography for example. Not necessarily for theatrical performances, more for an exhibition, perhaps in a museum. I also could see doing research in artistic expression. Ethnological aspects interest me – how the African cultures or North American or Russian cultures expressed themselves. And new phenomena – the young people. A long time ago I had a project to set up a Museum for Surfing. I have not launched it yet, but maybe I will do it one day.And I continue playing saxophone, this is something I will never stop doing.
JH – What are some of the biggest challenges you have faced as a watch designer?
JD – The most difficult thing is to build the teams and make them work together on common projects and bring the project to a successful conclusion together.
JH – So Coltrane, Rollins or Parker – who in your mind was the best saxophone player (not including yourself, of course)?
JD – I love all saxophone players. The one that broke all the codes of jazz is John Coltrane. Even if Charley Parker played a big role…. John Coltrane is very emotional when he plays. “My favourite things” is the piece that I prefer. He plays soprano saxophone in this piece, an instrument which is not common either for him or for other saxophone players.
JH – And what about film? And literature? What are your favorites?
JD – In cinema I was very much influenced by the 70s – Fellini, Pasolini brought something strong to the films they made, and were linked to religious and social influences coming from the West and other cultures internationally. And I also like British cinema which is different and has always been apart. Recently I discovered Ken Loach. I like also Spielberg, and Woody Allen, Stanley Kubrick and many others too.
In literature: Ernst Hemingway and all the Americans who came to Paris in 1940-50s. F. Scott Fitzgerald and others. In French literature I prefer female writers – Francoise Sagan, Marguerite Duras, and writers working on the new French novel like Patrick Modiano for example.
JH – Realizing that it is difficult, but do you have a favorite “child” when it comes to what you have designed?
JD – It is certainly a Reverso, and certainly the Reverso Duetto devoted to women. First and foremost, it’s a unique watch, the concept and name explains its essence. It’s an emblematic creation that has 2 sides or faces – one glamourous with diamonds and the other more classical.
JH – Who else out there is making watches that interest you?
JD – I am interested in technical expression related to the evolution of society and our occupations – Dual Time, Alarm, Travel Time… watches with those functions interest me a lot. All creations related to ergonomics, to make watches easy to wear. The content of watches of course… a watch is like a perfume – for each person there is a different one, and it’s not something that we incorporate into the body, it’s something that we add to it.
JH – What is a typical “day in the life” of Janek Deleskiewicz?
JD – I work with my design team and each morning it’s a pleasure to see them again. In many ways this moment can be compared with an orchestras rehearsal. They all approach me with different problems for the projects they are working on – difficulties in placing hands, designing cases etc… Each of them works on a specific problem and they ask their questions all at once. Like a chef that comes to his restaurant in the morning – I guess he will receive the same sorts of questions from his team. And then throughout the day we enter into dialogue with other teams involved in the creative process. Designers are like sponges, they absorb different sorts of information from the inside and the outside world to gain inspiration that will be reflected in their work.
JH – One of my favorite Lichtenstein pieces is “Blonde Waiting”, how about you?
JD – I also like Lichtenstein a lot, and there are many other works of his that I like, such as WHAAM! It reminds me of comic books that I used to read when I was 15. Other artists – Van Gogh, Andy Warhol, even if they do not belong to the same period.
JH – What advice do you have for future artistic directors?
JD – It is to not to “close doors” – always have them open instead – be open to all technical and cultural aspects as much as possible.