Architecture and watchmaking, united in a brand created by a former student of the School of Architecture

Architecture and clocks have points in common that Asier Mateo, from Pamplona and an architect from the University of Navarra, has managed to unite. After finishing his programs of study at the School of Architecture, he decided to specialize as a lighting consultant . But, after living in Paris and New York and working in prestigious architectural lighting programs of study , he realized that he did not want to devote his entire professional life to this field.

It was then that the passion he already had as an architecture student for objects with a timeless and durable design and for watches came to the surface: "I began to study them and to acquire some pieces with iconic designs such as the Braun by Dieter Rams or the Junghans by Max Bill. The hobby grew over time until the creation of Lebond. In fact, the name of the brand comes from Le Bon Design (French for "the good design")," says Asier. With his brand, Lebond creates exclusive watches for lovers of watchmaking and architecture through collaborations with prestigious architects.

The return from New York was a turning point for him. He was eager to take on new challenges and many ideas were floating around in his head. A trip to Switzerland and a paddle surf board inspired him to start his project: "It was summer and I visited my sister Ana, who lived in Switzerland, with my family. We were having a picnic in Vevey, on the shore of Lake Geneva, very close to the Villa Le Lac that Le Corbusier built for his parents in 1923. My sister had bought a paddle surf board and I decided to try it for the first time. I wasn't very good at it, but I came up with the business idea of combining my two passions: architecture and watchmaking. I would hire the best architects in the world to design watches that would be produced in Switzerland and sold worldwide. When I got out of the water, I discussed the idea with my family and they were thrilled. After letting it sit for a few months and studying the feasibility, I decided to create Lebond."

At the beginning, as in any business process, there were drawbacks, but he also highlights the advantages: "It was very exciting. Everything was to be done, so there were no ties and total freedom. I am aware that a good idea with a bad execution does not work, so I decided to hire very good specialists who helped me to consolidate the base of the brand(naming, branding, brand registrations, web, marketing, suppliers...). Of course, Lebond's first architect was essential : the Portuguese Álvaro Siza. I have met some outstanding professionals from whom I have learned a lot and some have become friends".

Drawing that the architect Álvaro Siza gave to Asier Mateo as a gift.

It was with Álvaro Siza with whom he designed his first watch: Lebond Siza. Afterwards, he also collaborated with the Portuguese architect Eduardo Souto de Mourawith whom he created Lebond Souto Moura. He assures that, although it is no longer possible, there is certainly an architect with whom he would have liked to collaborate and, in some way, he was present in that moment of inspiration he experienced on vacation in Switzerland, while he was taking the plunge to try paddle surfing: Le Corbusier. "I really like his revolutionary architecture, but I also greatly value his bequest as a designer, painter and theorist. He was a privileged mind who, for sure, would have designed an impressive Lebond Lecorbu. In addition, he was born in La Chaux-de-Fonds, considered the cradle of Swiss watchmaking and very close to where our watches are produced," explains Asier Mateo.

As for upcoming architects with whom he would like to collaborate, he is asked about someone from Navarre: "My favorite architects from Navarre are the master Rafael Moneo, Patxi Mangado and Pereda-Pérez. However, to be honest, what would make me most excited is to collaborate in the future with architects who studied in my class at the University of Navarra's School of Architecture , like Moest y FILOwho are doing some very interesting projects and I predict an excellent trajectory for them".

Designing a clock, an "architecturalproject ".

"Architecture and level watchmaking are disciplines that require mastery in composition, proportions and choice of materials. In addition, light is paramount in the perception of buildings and clocks," says Asier. Therefore, his experience in the world of architectural lighting has also helped him a lot with his designs. That relationship between the two disciplines in Lebond reaches the point that "the process of design of the clocks is structured in a very similar way to any architectural project ," says the architect. 

In the first phase, the beginning of the creation, the architect chosen for partnership defines the concept and essence of the watch. "This first step is documented through beautiful hand-drawn sketches illustrating the origin of the watch," explains Asier. Once the concept is defined, the team at design begins the phase of creating plans, renderings and volumetric mock-ups of the watch. "Then, Swiss engineers and watchmakers prepare the precise technical drawings and build 3D printed watches. This so-called package is presented to the architect for approval," he continues. In the final part of design, Lebond manufactures fully functional prototypes for testing to verify that the watch is perfect and ready for production.

Throughout this process, in addition to uniting those commonalities between watchmaking and architecture, the characteristics shared by Asier and his brand are also on the table: "Asier is ambitious, perfectionist and crazy enough to create a brand of Swiss watches designed by architects. Lebond has enough of all three attributes," he says.

Crazy or not, Asier plans to launch one watch a year to increase the collection and satisfy collectors. "In addition, if Lebond evolves as we hope, we have a very ambitious and exciting project parallel to the watches more linked to pure architecture that we will develop in the future. But this would give for another interview, so I better invite you to follow us on social networks to keep abreast of developments," says the architect.

When asked about the skill of smartwatches in the market, he assures that it is non-existent: "Analog watches are totally different objects. It is incredible the functionalities that smartwatches have acquired but, personally, I find that they make you be too connected (considering that we already have the smartphone). There are times when one wants and needs to disconnect from digital, and put on a mechanical watch instead of the smartwatch financial aid. Nowadays, mechanical watches have lost functionality to gain in sentimental value and romanticism. For each person, their watches have an intangible value that evokes special moments in their lives, as well as being beautiful objects that tell the time."