Once, motorsport used to be a world of oil, smoke, noise and confusion. But all that has changed. Now, it is the ultimate combination of high tech engineering and amazing design with large amounts of time, skill and money allocated. Today, motorsport represents the pinnacle of speed and style, of sophistication and luxury. And of course, nowhere is this more so than in the ultimate form of motorsport: the Formula One world championship.
I have long been fascinated in Formula One and, in fact, in all forms of motorsport. Coming from my background of design and engineering, it has been an obvious source of inspiration and influence for me for many years. And today, nothing has changed. What truly fascinates me: the link between car design and jewellery design. At first, this might seem strange – but when you look closer, it makes perfect sense.
In Formula One, everything is about that perfect marriage of optimized engineering with flawless design. Both elements are inextricably linked and must complement each other perfectly. The same is true of the perfect piece of jewellery. Detail must go hand-in-hand with precision. The finest materials and most precious of stones are worth nothing if the overall whole is not engineered, constructed and assembled in the right way.
I was in Monaco recently with our global brand ambassador and F1 legend, Jenson Button, and it was a privilege to walk the paddock and see the precision of these stunning, stylish, elegant machines. I had the pleasure to meet with the McLaren F1 team and speaking to the engineers was, for me, a real revelation. It inspired me and we now look to take our brand’s relationship with Formula One beyond our relationship with Jenson. Exciting things are happening and I can’t wait to get started and explore this connection between cars and our jewellery pieces in the months and years ahead.
Formula One cars are really things of beauty, with billions of dollars spent on design and research. The detail and the precision that goes into every single element… the smallest, most intricate of parts… with reliability sometimes coming down to the tiniest thing. The synergy between the world of F1 and our world is very real… and we will continue to explore this further.
This is what makes our brand so different and unique. Taking inspiration from new, original sources. Seeking new ways to create incredible new designs. And we have only just started.