From New York City to Basel, Switzerland, the Cortez Groupe made the journey to the greatest watch fair in the world, BaselWorld 2014. We had the opportunity to ask Christopher Cortez, one half of the design collective, some questions about his trip to BaselWorld this past week. With the unveiling of so many great timepieces as well as a beautiful city as the backdrop of the fair, inspiration can be found almost every step you take. As a designer he sees things differently, walking around a city like Basel, from the architecture to handmade olive oils, inspiration can come from just about anything. From the booths to the streets of Switzerland, we give you a taste of BaselWorld through the eyes and lens of the insider:
A&H: Being a designer, do you view the other watch releases as design inspiration?
CC: Absolutely, our inspiration is the evolution of products and the ever-growing supply and demand for another timepiece.
A&H: What was the most inspiring thing you saw at Basel, could be another watch or something you saw when walking around the town?
CC: There was many, but if I had to pick one. It would be Vom Fass Basel which makes hundreds of handmade flavored olive oils that are bottled for you on site.
A&H: How is the design process for the watches different from designing a clothing collection?
CC: Watches are much more “technical” as a mechanism, but in design theory it is not. We look at design of any product as a formula that you run for any classification.
We always tell a story of function, color and quality materials.
A&H: Favorite watch or your dream watch?
CC: It always changes, but at this moment Girard Perregaux’s Constant Escapement.
For more photos check out his instagram @christophercortez