Preview: Taking A Look At The Versailles By Anemoic — A Student Design Project
Do you remember your internship from when you were a student? I remember mine, but it doesn’t sound half as cool as Magnus Swann’s internship at Studio Underd0g. He helped make the pizza watches a reality. But he also worked on the more recent Gimlet and the Un0riginals, for example. After that, he decided to dedicate his final major project to a watch of his own, the Versailles by Anemoic. Today, we’re looking at what he’s been up to.
Getting that internship at Studio Underd0g took quite some effort from the young watch enthusiast. He first contacted Richard Benc directly through LinkedIn, but the company was still very small and didn’t offer any placements. Then, Magnus saw how Richard turned an 11-year-old’s sketches into a pumpkin-themed watch. That was when he knew how to grab Richard’s attention. He created a trio of Studio Underd0g-inspired design concepts and posted them on his Instagram.
To his surprise, Richard noticed and even shared them. That led to an animated Zoom call between the two, but Richard still didn’t bite. However, a little while later, Richard contacted Magnus for some potential freelance work, which eventually turned into a year in the industry at Studio Underd0g. That shows quite some persistence, a good characteristic for Magnus to have as he creates his watch brand, Anemoic.
The term “anemoia” refers to the phenomenon of feeling nostalgic for a time or place that one has not experienced before. The idea behind the Anemoic brand name is that each watch is designed to capture and synthesise one’s anemoia for a chosen time, place, and atmosphere. The first time and place where Magnus is taking us is 1970s France — Versailles, to be more specific.
The Battle of Versailles
In 1973, a now-historic fashion show called the Battle of Versailles took place in the Palace of Versailles to raise money for its restoration. Five French designers, including Yves Saint Laurent and Pierre Cardin, and five American designers, including Oscar de la Renta and Anne Klein, competed against each other, with eight designs each. Guests like Andy Warhol, Liza Minnelli, and Josephine Baker were there. The event became a legendary one in the world of fashion and far beyond.
The supermodels were wearing jewels, sequins, and silk while getting lost in the candlelit corridors of the palace’s faded opulence, with royalty and celebrities alike looking on. This time and place of old-world grandeur and modern audacity is exactly where Magnus wants to take us with his first watch.
An aquamarine crystal
The watch’s main attraction is its tinted and faceted crystal. Usually, a watch’s dial carries the color. However, inspired by the jewelry worn at the Battle of Versailles, Magnus moved the aquamarine color to the crystal. The inspiration for the facets came from the chandeliers found in the Hall of Mirrors at the Palace of Versailles.
The aluminum dial underneath features a CNC-machined guilloché pattern, vertical brushing, minimal printing for the logo and hour markers, and a double layer of clear lacquer. It’s a shame we haven’t got any prototypes yet because the combination of the crystal and the dial promises to put on quite the show from different angles.
The rectangular case is 39mm long, 28mm wide, and 7.5mm thick, including the faceted and tinted crystal. Its bezel mimics the crystal’s faceted design, while the mostly brushed case has very slim polished chamfers. The case back has a concave shape to improve wearability. Inside the Anemoic Versailles beats a manual-winding La Joux-Perret D101 movement. It runs at a frequency of 21,600vph, features 18 jewels, and holds a power reserve of 50 hours.
Best of luck!
The estimated price of the Anemoic Versailles is £1,900. Magnus is working hard to get an actual example ready for his final presentation sometime in July. The watch will come on a goatskin leather strap by The Strap Tailor with a custom stainless steel pin buckle.
I asked Magnus whether he could say something about the chances he’s going to take his project to the market. He said that it depends a bit on the reactions he gets when the Versailles is presented. So please let us know what you think in the comments below. Please be honest because, even if you don’t like it, Magnus already has a plan B. Studio Underd0g offered him a full-time position as a junior designer.
In any case, I’d like to wish Magnus the best of luck on his future ventures!
