Less than a mile from me are the Lawn Road flats, the first building in the U.K. designed to Bauhaus principles. When Walter Gropius, the head of the Bauhaus was forced out of Germany, he initially came to London. The guy who built the Lawn Road flats offered his place to Gropius, who gladly moved in. And within months promptly moved out, Bauhaus principles were OK for the proletariat, but not for an intellectual like himself.
People love these sorts of stories about modern architects hypocritically unable to live in their own creations, but Gropius lived out his days in a house of his own design in Massachusetts. The flats weren’t the issue, it was the UK.
I feel it’s worth noting that Brutalism was created, in part, as a sort of equalizing force between the common man and the bourgeoise. I have mixed feelings about Le Corbuiser, but his ideas were honest and Tayloristic, not oppressive. As far as AP goes, this is about as far away from the ideals of Brutalism as you can get. I like the watch, but them calling it “Brutalism” is not just groan inducing, it’s kind of insulting.
Jack, your last sentence deserves a prize--it's one of the most, um, brutal yet brilliant takedowns I've ever read! Beyond that, I'm reminded of the celebrity who, in a Talking Watches episode on Hodinkee, referred to his Royal Oak as "brutal"--and for that thought, took probably the most brutal slagging from the commentariat that the 'dink ever permitted. Brutalism, it seems, comes in many guises.
And beyond that, well, I'm with you--not a fan of the new AP. If anything, with its lopsided (sorry, asymmetrically configured) design it reminds me of a domesticated version of the Omega ProPlof, minus the dive functionality.
As for Brutalism itself, anyone who's ever walked through the Yale campus has probably experienced one of the best--and at the same time worst--examples of Brutalism in this country: the Art and Architecture Building. Yes, it's a fantastic example of Brutalism at its purest, but my God: the unfinished corrugated concrete exterior walls will flay anyone who's unlucky enough to bump into them while walking by. And beyond that, generations of art students at Yale absolutely despised the building because its interior was almost completely unusable, carved up as it was into myriad oddball spaces that were, among other things, more or less devoid of light. The building is still there, with a somewhat improved interior that was refurbished after a big fire quite a few years ago. Worth a look for anyone who wants to see undiluted Brutalism.
I should probably clarify that I don't dislike the new AP – I just don't see the connection with Brutalism (although I'm part of the crowd that thinks it could have been smaller).
No need for clarification, Jack--what I should do is read more closely, because when you write "I like the watch" it's hard for me to imagine you being any clearer! My apologies, humbly offered.
This watch is chunky with no reason to be chunky - I thought a large part of brutalism is the unashamed display of the object's materials. Nothing hides the concrete slabs on the outside and inside. There is no attempt to make it "look good". An Accutron Spaceview is unpolished steel is the only watch that comes close, as far as I can think...
Less than a mile from me are the Lawn Road flats, the first building in the U.K. designed to Bauhaus principles. When Walter Gropius, the head of the Bauhaus was forced out of Germany, he initially came to London. The guy who built the Lawn Road flats offered his place to Gropius, who gladly moved in. And within months promptly moved out, Bauhaus principles were OK for the proletariat, but not for an intellectual like himself.
People love these sorts of stories about modern architects hypocritically unable to live in their own creations, but Gropius lived out his days in a house of his own design in Massachusetts. The flats weren’t the issue, it was the UK.
Brutalism in watchmaking? Sounds like a concrete idea until the watches prove too heavy-handed for most wrists.
🙄🫠🤣
I feel it’s worth noting that Brutalism was created, in part, as a sort of equalizing force between the common man and the bourgeoise. I have mixed feelings about Le Corbuiser, but his ideas were honest and Tayloristic, not oppressive. As far as AP goes, this is about as far away from the ideals of Brutalism as you can get. I like the watch, but them calling it “Brutalism” is not just groan inducing, it’s kind of insulting.
Jack, your last sentence deserves a prize--it's one of the most, um, brutal yet brilliant takedowns I've ever read! Beyond that, I'm reminded of the celebrity who, in a Talking Watches episode on Hodinkee, referred to his Royal Oak as "brutal"--and for that thought, took probably the most brutal slagging from the commentariat that the 'dink ever permitted. Brutalism, it seems, comes in many guises.
And beyond that, well, I'm with you--not a fan of the new AP. If anything, with its lopsided (sorry, asymmetrically configured) design it reminds me of a domesticated version of the Omega ProPlof, minus the dive functionality.
As for Brutalism itself, anyone who's ever walked through the Yale campus has probably experienced one of the best--and at the same time worst--examples of Brutalism in this country: the Art and Architecture Building. Yes, it's a fantastic example of Brutalism at its purest, but my God: the unfinished corrugated concrete exterior walls will flay anyone who's unlucky enough to bump into them while walking by. And beyond that, generations of art students at Yale absolutely despised the building because its interior was almost completely unusable, carved up as it was into myriad oddball spaces that were, among other things, more or less devoid of light. The building is still there, with a somewhat improved interior that was refurbished after a big fire quite a few years ago. Worth a look for anyone who wants to see undiluted Brutalism.
I should probably clarify that I don't dislike the new AP – I just don't see the connection with Brutalism (although I'm part of the crowd that thinks it could have been smaller).
No need for clarification, Jack--what I should do is read more closely, because when you write "I like the watch" it's hard for me to imagine you being any clearer! My apologies, humbly offered.
This watch is chunky with no reason to be chunky - I thought a large part of brutalism is the unashamed display of the object's materials. Nothing hides the concrete slabs on the outside and inside. There is no attempt to make it "look good". An Accutron Spaceview is unpolished steel is the only watch that comes close, as far as I can think...
Also let's not forget about this not-that-small baby from Hublot with concrete case
https://www.hublot.com/en-us/news/hublot-style-endures-inspired-new-york-city-introducing-newest-concrete-jungle
"To break the rules, you must first master them." - Audemars Piguet, upon the completion of the 3D printed prototype case