We had the distinct pleasure to interview award winning designer Betina Greca Menescal about their original and creative Watch design work. Betina Greca Menescal is an award-winning fashion designer, that makes our world a better place with their original watch works.
Betina Greca Menescal ("BGM") answered Design Interview ("DI") questions about their award-winning work Moels and Co 528 Watch. Interview questions prepared by Frank Scott.
BGM : My goal while designing Möels & Co 528 was to communicate a message of a strong unity in which all elements of the design fit together and feel like they all belong to each other in a unified piece. I believe if a design isn't unified, then it's disjointed. In any design I create, it needs to have a strong unity. No matter how beautiful a design can be, if there's not some type of unity bringing all the elements together then the design will ultimately fail in its goal. In terms of inspiration I was influenced by vintage style and culture from the 50s, 60's and 70’s, they are the base for creating my mid-cent inspired designs.
BGM : Together with my team and partners we want to become one of the coolest watch brands in the industry, we will make collaborations with artists and launch signature limited editions. We will re-invest 50% of our profits into R&D and production, we will have a prototyping workshop in-house and will set-up a service network worldwide for maintenance and repairs. We will also implement a loyalty program with rewards for those who stay faithful to our brand and we will open a flagship store in London. We have 5 new concepts in the pipeline but for now we will concentrate on evolving the 528 model. We intend to offer precious metal cases and also other high end movements. We also have plans to offer an integrated steel bracelet and two case sizes, one bigger and another smaller.
BGM : This is my first product and building a product from scratch is challenging, especially with no academic background in industrial design. I spent a long time on researching and educating myself, but my biggest challenge was finding the design path. It took me 2 years to find it but after that the development went smoothly despite the pandemic.
BGM : This design was not commissioned and it is born out of hard work and passion. Thanks to my architecture background I am highly influenced by the Bauhaus and Mid-century Modern. I believe that many people like me are experiencing feelings of nostalgia for long-lasting products from the past that bear much simpler aesthetics so I decided to get back to basics and create a product using the same solid design principles from the past and added the best possible components and modern manufacturing.
BGM : My design is not being produced or used by another company. I did not plan on leasing product rights but the world is full of opportunities and I plan to listen to them all.
BGM : I found myself steeped into horology since I was 11 thanks to my father who is a watch enthusiast and also a collector of vintage timepieces, but that’s not the main reason. I observed that most established watch brands are highly hesitant about launching new designs and have come to a standstill in terms of creativity. There are many reissues and a deficit of new watch models on the market and prices are still unreasonable, so I saw this as an opportunity to develop something different and created Möels & Co 528.
BGM : My main inspirations and the base for my designs are Raymond Loewy, Walter Gropius, Le Corbusier, Marcel Breuer, Mies van der Rohe, Charles and Ray Eames, Alvar Aaalto, Eero Saarinen, Oscar Niemeyer and Dieter Rams. Dieter Rams is one of the most influential industrial designers of the last 50 years, has had a truly remarkable impact on the design industry and the overall concept of product design as we know it today. He attempted to express what he believed to be the 10 most important principles for good design which I follow to create my own designs. He is also the author of one of my favourite pieces, the L 2 speaker, 1958, by Dieter Rams for Braun
BGM : This design is for customers willing to stand out from the ordinary, and as I said before for customers who are experiencing feelings of nostalgia for long-lasting products from the past that bear much simpler aesthetics.
BGM : I would say the overall design which is highly distinctive thanks to its rectangular case shape and the asymmetric dial that was sectioned according to the golden ratio. The dial is painted with a silver metallic base mixed with a pigment coating that provides a brilliant and luminous finish and depending on the light circumstances the colour of the dial changes creating an effect that is highly unique and attractive. In addition, the design is sleek, without frills, complications or needless decorations and the 10 ATM water resistance rating which is much greater than the 3 ATM rating common to most dress watches. Möels & Co 528 is truly unique timepiece on today’s market.
BGM : The528model is named after the Solfeggio frequencies, the528Hz Frequency, also known as the love frequency, is thought to resonate at the core of everything in the universe. This frequency is the mostsignificantof the Solfeggio Frequencies, it has a deep-rooted relationship with nature and appears in many songs, most famously John Lennon's Imagine was composed in528Hz.
BGM : For me, it all starts with a paper and a pencil, they are the greatest tools a designer can have along with proper research. When I design, research is my best friend, I believe observation is my greatest craftsmanship, it allowed me to take inspiration from what has already been and with the internet I was able to learn from the best. From sketching, to digital drawings, to cardboard mockups; from learning not only the dimensions and dial design but figuring out how it all comes together, how it all fits on the inside. Obviously nowadays pencil drawings aren't enough so I used Vectorworks (CAD software) and Photoshop to develop in depth my designs.
BGM : The perfect proportion of the asymmetric dial that is based on the ‘golden ratio’ widely used in the arts, architecture and music, from Leonardo Da Vinci, Debussy and Piet Mondrian to Le Corbusier. Combined with the use of unique colours and the horizontal satin brushed finish.
BGM : I designed everything from scratch and worked by myself through the creative part of the process. For prototyping and production, I set up partnerships with reputable manufacturers that developed my drawings in depth and with a level of detail I could not achieve alone.
BGM : I used only social networks and received amazing feedback from the general public, watch enthusiasts and even from industry insiders. In just two weeks in reputable watch groups and forums I have received almost 5000 likes and more than 1400 positive comments about the design and 99% of them expressed they would definitely purchase a Moels & Co 528 timepiece due to its unique design, technical specifications and price point. This positive feedback was enough for me to valid my design and move forward.
BGM : The last two years have been very difficult for most of us, this year, 2022, has certainly been better on multiple levels, but not yet ideal. We’re still living in a world full of uncertainties, but my biggest challenge was not the pandemic, but to find my own design path. Horology is a world where everything has already been done, so coming up with something new in a very traditional and established industry requires a lot of creativity and courage. I was afraid my design would fail, but surprisingly it has been well accepted by most people, including watch enthusiasts and industry insiders so I feel proud and motivated to move forward.
BGM : I found the A’ Design Award by chance and I instantly recognised that submitting my first design to such a honourable competition would be a great opportunity for me to grow as designer, learn from the best of the best in the industry and help my design reach its fullest potential. The whole experience has been very rewarding to this point and I am looking forward to what comes next.
BGM : One of the most important skills I developed as a designer was learning to understand which ideas and concepts are not working and give up on them, no matter how much work I have put into it already. Sometimes our ideas fail and we simply need to restart with fresh eyes, but we can never think of it as wasted time and learn from our mistakes.
