Innovative concepts, appealing designs, colourful and original stone-settings and above all elegance and creativity, are terms that one can happily use when describing the impressive Façonnable timepieces. Façonnable's watches are watches with a difference, perfect examples in the art of how to decorate wrists with flair and a touch of extravagance. They offer far more than the time of day since, like all good pieces of jewellery, they enhance the wearer's appearance with their eye-catching difference and surprise with their technological innovations.



Being different

In the five short years that Façonnable has been a watch brand, watch production has increased by leaps and bounds. In 2002, 15,000 watches were sold, 90% of which were jewellery watches that skilfully combine stainless steel with either coloured semi-precious or precious gemstones or diamonds.

Michel Benatar, the effervescent designer and International Director of Façonnable Timepieces, is the man behind the company's successful foray into the highly competitive horological world. From the outset, it was his intention to take Façonnable into a specific sector, jewellery watches, where he could allow his designs to be more inventive and bold and yet offer collections at affordable prices.

“Our goal is to be different from everyone else in this particular niche,” Michel Benetar explains. “We are not masters of watch complications, but we adapt designs to innovations and we innovate so that we can design differently. For example, we have a square curvex sapphire crystal, diamond and precious stones set into the hands of our watches, a new case shape in the men's Hydra Chronograph. All these technical and aesthetic innovations give Façonnable a special place in the watch industry.”



The Cocoon collection

Bold and innovative in form, the latest collection from Façonnable, the Cocoon, introduces a very striking stone-set chronograph in a TV screen-style. In stainless steel, the watches are equipped with an ETA quartz chronograph movement and two sides of the bezel and the four lugs are set with either citrines, topaz, black sapphires or garnets and diamonds. There is a mother-of-pearl dial with oversized 2, 5, 7 and 10 numerals and counters that blend into the numerals and to complete the extravagant yet aesthetic look of the Cocoon, there are different stamped alligator straps with an ingenious and simple changing system.

As Michel Benatar underlines, “We need to create watches that are strikingly different so that we can make an immediate impact in retailer's displays. We want to encourage impulse buying which remains an important element in customer satisfaction.”

The prices for the various Façonnable models allow for those 'impulse' purchases. The prices are established at three different levels: 650 euros to 1,000 euros for watches set with semi-precious stones, 1,400 euros to 1,600 euros for those with coloured precious stones and coloured diamonds and 2,000 euros to 4,000 euros for watches with white diamonds.

With 85% of the brand's sales being for ladies watches - all of which are stone-set - and with the brand being available in 30 countries throughout the world, Benatar has clearly secured for Façonnable the niche he had planned.