It’s not everyone who has the courage to go out on their own and create something completely new. But to take the entrepreneurial spirit, and combine it with the passion of an artist creating unique and one of a kind timepieces… well then you have Mikael Bourgeois.
And now, A few Minutes with Mikael Bourgeois –
James Henderson – What was your first watch, was it a gift? Is there a storybehind it?
Mikael Bourgeois – My parents gave me my first watch at the age of 6, a watch called “Kiplé” to help me learn to tell time. It had a small manual-winding mechanical movement! By strange coincidence, this watch was manufactured in the city where we are located manufacturing MB Watches.
JH – When you were a boy, what did you want to be “when you grew up”?
MB – I did not really think much about it. I drew a lot. I really liked to take virtually everything apart. I was always curious to see “how it does this work?” During my studies I became interested in the little mechanics of our region and its how-know. I remember having a teacher who was very surprised that I could already combine real a true aesthetic with technology in a small mechanical assembly, I was 17.
JH – What got you started in watch making in the first place?
MB – By the time I was 22 I was already independent, my first job in the watch making world was mainly technical studies of boxes and bracelets, but I also helped to design very complex mechanical movements. A few years later some brands in Switzerland started to notice me, and see that I also had a talent for design.
JH – The Seven Deadly Sins – what was your inspiration?
MB – I’ve always been fascinated by this kind of theme that runs through time, these things that are dark and mysterious that surrounds us. It is also a way to show that a complex theme can also be adapted to watch making. I created this collection working only from the definitions of the 7 deadly sins, it took me seven months to create the design and technology for these 7 unique timepieces. They each have their history: forms, materials and functions were not chosen at random …People sometimes ask me:”Why is the dial of lust so simple? “and I answer: “Because it is naked!”or – “Why are there black titanium parts around the case of Avarice? “And the answer is because this is the safe that protects the rare and precious Valjoux movement.
JH – You have been “on your own” for awhile now. What have been the greatest challenges you have faced in being independent?
MB – Establishing a name, coming out of the shadows after 10 years of watch making and design studies for bigger, more established brands.
Perhaps, deciding to launch MB Watches after the death of my father with whom I established our first company in 1999.
JH – Of all the watches you have come up with, what is the one that you identify the closest with?
MB – It’s a very difficult question, I have worked on nearly 300 different models. It has become increasingly difficult, and it has also inspired me to create MB Watches.
JH – Who else out there is making watches that interest you?
MB – The know-how and quality is the most important thing for me, and I have great respect for those who work with the same mind as me. And so I really love what my friends do, like Laurent Besse for MB & F, or Frank Orny and Johnny Girardin or Christophe Claret. I work with them on the design of our very complex movements.
JH – If you weren’t doing this, what do you think you might be doing?
MB – Nothing! I don’t know anything else to do … and It would be a shame not to do it, I’m really passionate about my work.
JH – What is a typical “day in the life” of MB Watches?
MB – From very early in the morning at the house it is the same ritual, I check the visits on our site, then I log into facebook and I reply to the messages there.
Once I am in the office, the morning is devoted to the technical design of our watches: 3D modeling and technical drawings.
During the day I follow the manufacture and assembly of our parts. We manufacture only ten watches per year and I sign off on each piece. I love to choose the leather that will be used to manufacture our straps, I also like to visit the artisan who makes our cases…
To summarize, when I’m not engrossed in the design or drawing a watch, I’m in the workshops with those that manufacture, assemble, and decorate our watches.For now we are a small team and I also take care of our communication and events, but it will not be this way forever. More than anything, I want to focus on the creation of our watches.
I’m more of a creator in the evening, and often work at home on the design of our custom-made watches. And behind all this there is also a family, I try to be very present, but fortunately they support and encourage me!
And a few times a year, I make and deliver a watch myself, sometimes halfway around the world!
JH – So what advice do you have for the next generation of Watch-Maker/ entrepreneurs?
MB – Be yourself, be passionate and always remember the values of the real watch making
Visit Mikael and share some of his vision – www.mb-watches.com