This one almost doesn’t count. I mean…
Some of you will be dismissing this quickly and rolling your eyes. Technically it's not a horological object, but it's definitely made like a watch and finished in some ways like one too! Roland Iten, known as the Philippe Dufour of
Belt Buckles, did debut a cool and new skeletonized belt buckle this year. And all I can say is that the genius here is
amazing. I had the pleasure of
interviewing Roland Iten twice this year, once virtually over a conference
call, and once more in person at his studio in Switzerland. All I can say is the man is a great
combination of mad genius – I saw sketches for amazing projects, incredible
out-of-the-box thinking mentality, and some incredible one-of-a-kind pieces custom
made for the Henry Graves and James Ward Packards of today. You can read the original article I wrote here:
I asked Iten what motivates him, who
his customers were, and if business was steady.
Iten is exuberant and expressive about his work, but also modest at the
same time. It was unfair of me to make
the man uncomfortable, as I was a guest in his atelier, but I had to push for
journalistic value too. I hope the
following is satisfactory for you, the reader, and I hope it gives you enough
to gain a perspective about Monsieur Iten, the Philippe Dufour of belt buckles!
What motivates Roland Iten?
A little too modest to say anything immodest, Roland was a little hesitant at first. But it was apparent, Iten’s mind thinks
at supersonic speeds and he’s just trying to write it all down or sketch it all
down and that he’s only capturing a small percentage of his ideas – sometimes some
of his best ideas come in the middle of the night and he’s not able to record
them.
Who is the Roland Iten client?
Cheerfully declining to name specific people, Iten’s customers include some of
the most famous, cultured, and/or successful people in the world, but even when
I pressed for names again, he wouldn’t give any names nor specifics – other than movie star
Sylvester Stallone whom I already knew wore his pieces. Iten
mentioned his policy is not unlike a Savile Row tailor’s and like a Savile Row
tailor, they honor gentlemanly discretion.
How is business?
Iten explained business is very busy; clients who come to Roland Iten are looking for the best solution one that is elegant and technical. The need to continuously impress existing clients requires tremendous ingenuity. The most demanding client is a former client. Iten is also not just designing belt buckles - far from it - he's designing solutions... elegant and mechanical solutions for valuable objects. I can't say specifics, but imagine you have a gigantic million dollar irregularly shaped piece of jade that you want to carry in a discreet way... Perhaps you may ask Iten to make a mechanical device to hold this possession. Yet, once the product is designed, there’s a question of “will it work?” Prototypes are made. Some prototypes are designed to carry something valuable, worth millions. The device cannot fail and must hold this jade securely. Then, another requirement is added, the holder must also be compatible with a special art frame on a wall and a special holder on the owner's desk. Complications and redesigns ensue! And how about a single belt buckle? A young bicontinental client named “Frank” made an order in November 2021 for a “standard R8 model” belt buckle and will likely receive delivery in March or April 2022.
Five months for a personalized belt buckle? That's not too bad, a simple Rolex can take a year nowadays! My interview with Roland Iten was over and I jumped onto a
train to head to the airport for another flight – in November 2021 (Covid
times), one has to get to the airport early!
I barely made my flight since the train to Geneva had an
unexpected major delay. But the amazing
ingenuity and crazy sketches I saw will influence my psyche. It was beyond “out of the box.” It was so far out of the box that “out of the
box” isn’t enough to describe it.
Roland Iten wouldn’t be soon forgotten. Later that month, during Dubai Watch Week
(also November 2021), amongst the cultured elite of Dubai, many of whom are
bankers, developers, etc. you are surrounded with luxury. Setting the scene; the driveway is filled
with Bentley and Rolls-Royce vehicles (the most plebian vehicle I saw was a Mercedes-AMG G-Wagon). Everyone
sports an incredible timepiece and the ladies are all carrying alligator or
crocodile Hermes handbags that retail as much as a petite complication Patek
Philippe. To paint the picture, five
ladies sat next to me at a presentation at Dubai Watch Week and down came four Hermes
handbags of various colors of crocodile or alligator and one Gucci Himalayan
crocodile handbag. The watches these
women wore were perhaps even more special.
Amongst the men, superb watches that were of the finest makers graced
the wrists; a special edition version of Journe’s tourbillon, a Dufour Simplicity, a
Chopard LUC Minute Repeater, and a slightly complicated Patek Philippe Nautilus. But what watch was garnering the most
excitement amongst the men? Trick
question, it wasn’t a watch… One of the men
was wearing a Roland Iten belt buckle. Apologies
were given about gawking at the man’s waist, but the conversation shifted
entirely to the belt buckle. Belt buckles aren't of great importance anymore, they hold your pants up. But what about watches in today's age of mobile phones? Yet, as readers of WatchProSite, we all still like watches!
In Conclusion...
There’s no
denying, that Iten’s creations stand out, and command attention – even among
the best. And like Philippe Dufour who has created between 200-300 watches bearing his name on the dial, Roland Iten has created an incredibly small number of belt buckles bearing his name as well.
Thanks for reading about my Reflections of 2021! Hoping for a great 2022 for all WatchProSite readers!