Among the many baubles that architects love, timepieces hold a prominent position. The Markuse Corp. recognized this years ago, which is partly why the Bedford, Mass.–based company works with architects to design its watches. “If you look at the description that accompanies our name—‘architecture you can wear’—that pretty much tells the story,” explains company president Jack Markuse.
It makes sense to enlist architects, Markuse says, because they bring a different sensibility. “Architects look at these watches as architecture—miniature construction entities, if you will. The architect focuses on the overall structure of how the watch is built.”
César Pelli, FAIA, Moshe Safdie, FAIA, FRAIC, Daniel Libeskind, FAIA, and Laurinda Spear, FAIA, are among the names with which Markuse has worked. One of the company’s recent introductions is Michael Graves’ Witherspoon watch, a product that embodies the company’s philosophy. “The overall design of the watch has more of a complete design feel with matching stitching to the dial as well as a matching color crown to the dial,” Markuse says. “We feel that if the overall design is good, then the details can be left up to the technical people.”
