The Real Time Show — Geneva Watch Days 2025

Guest: Gautier Massonneau (Trilobe)

Date: September 7, 2025
Hosts: Rob Nudds & Alon Ben Joseph

Episode Overview

This episode of The Real Time Show takes place live from Geneva Watch Days 2025, set in the famous glass igloo by the lake. Rob and Alon are joined by Gautier Massonneau, founder of the French independent watch brand, Trilobe. The conversation explores the evolution of Trilobe, the debut of its first fully in-house designed and produced watch – the Trende – and the role of French horology in a Swiss-dominated industry. The discussion blends deep technical detail, design philosophy, and playful banter, providing a rich insight into Trilobe’s ambitions and unique identity.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

Life as a Young Brand at Geneva Watch Days

• Why Geneva Watch Days?
  • Gautier describes the energy and necessity of showcasing at an international event:

    “Our vision is to construct the French house of high watchmaking. To do so, we’re convinced that being in places like this is important.” (01:23)

  • The brand, at just seven years old, is navigating the challenges of visibility among giants.
    • Quote:
      “My mother doesn’t even know what is Patek Philippe. And she says, Philippe Patek, my God. So, you know, the way ahead is quite long still.” (01:27)

In-House Breakthrough: The Trende Collection

• Debut of First Fully In-House Watch
  • Trende is Trilobe’s first watch with a movement entirely conceived, prototyped, engineered, and machined in Paris.

    “It’s a major step for us. An integrated bracelet steel watch...with something that we believe is a real changer, is really our vision of how we want to grow.” (03:27)

  • The model name, ‘Trende’, reflects the Parisian address of the brand’s workshop—a personal touch.

The Evolution of French Watch Design

• From Quirk to Maturity

  • The hosts discuss the distinctiveness of French design, from its quirky early days to the more “mainstream but still very specific” look of today’s models.

    “What you have done is sort of asked yourselves, okay, what is it that makes it a Trilobe, and you’ve extrapolated those to something much more mainstream, but still very specific.” (04:15)

• Philosophy on Rules & Creativity

  • Gautier emphasizes the importance of mastering watchmaking conventions before breaking them:

    “You need to first really master the rules… then you can play with it.” (05:03)

Live Reactions to the New Watch

• Hands-On Impressions

  • The hosts and guest react to the feel, weight, and especially the back of the Trende:
    • “It’s crazy. That’s so light. With a bracelet as well.” (06:32 — Rob)
    • “You never seen a bridge like that?” (07:13 — Gautier)
    • “That is not in any way what I expected when I turned it around.” (07:15 — David)

• Movement Architecture & Decoration

  • Key point: Making both the front and back of the watch instantly recognizable as Trilobe—uniquely decorated bridges, diamond-polished elements, all produced and assembled in Paris.

    “To match our vision, we need a watch that is identifiable 10 meters away, but the movement needs to be identifiable 10 meters away as well.” (07:22)

  • Price: Launched at €17,000 (08:19)

Design Language & Accessibility

• Maintaining Identity While Growing

  • Each new collection is seen as a “child” of the house:

    “It’s like children. You can have different children, different personalities. You love them all. You have a preferred one—it depends on the moment of your life, maybe.” (08:53)

  • On making French watchmaking accessible:

    “It’s a key element for us to say that we are able to make watches that are beautiful, made in-house...at the price that makes sense.” (09:55)

• Meticulous Detailing

  • The brand’s design language extends from the dial down to the clasp and crown, ensuring every detail is purposefully crafted. (10:14)

Movement Architecture: “Hiding in Plain Sight”

• Trilobe’s new movement artfully conceals most of the gear train, placing emphasis on the balance wheel and bridge.

  “We really wanted to have the balance wheel standing on itself, be really magnified…there’s some sort of huge landscape that allows it to pop up.” (11:00)

  • French humor: “We’re hiding the battery on the quartz under it.” (10:52)

• Rotor & Engineering

  • The automatic rotor is nearly empty—an engineering choice that improves winding efficiency (contrary to intuition).

    “The more empty it’s on the inside, the more torque you’ll get. The point of inertia is moved back...so you have actually a watch that winds really, really well.” (13:08)

• Contradiction & Surprise

  • The movement’s architecture is “hiding in plain sight”—concealing, revealing, and delighting at every turn.

    “You’re hiding. You can see the hiding part.” (13:28)

The Experience of French Watchmaking

• You Must Handle It to Understand
  • Both hosts agree the watch must be handled to be fully appreciated:

    “I don’t think you can actually fully appreciate until you hold it and until you turn it over. The turning around really is surprise for me.” (13:44)

• Retail & Availability
  • Visitors are encouraged to come to the Paris workshop (appointments for tours and hospitality) or visit one of 30 global points of sale. (14:08)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Building a French Maison:

  "Our vision is to construct the French house of high watchmaking. That's a vision over the next decades." — Gautier (01:31)

• On French Design and Personality:

  “It’s like children. You have…different personalities. You love them all. You have a preferred one. Depends on the moment of your life, maybe.” — Gautier (08:53)

• On Watchmaking Philosophy:

  “You need to first really master the rules...then you can play with it.” — Gautier (05:03)

• Live Reaction to Movement:

  “No way…Oh, wow…Wow…Chapeau. A lot of love in there. A lot of sweat as well.” — Rob & Gautier (07:02–07:08)

• On Movement Architecture:

  “For us, it's very important that...the movement needs to be identifiable 10 meters away as well.” — Gautier (07:22)
  “We really wanted to have the balance wheel standing on itself, be really magnified on it…some sort of huge landscape that allows it to pop up.” — Gautier (11:00)

• On French Humor in Watchmaking:

  “We're hiding the battery on the quartz under it.” — Gautier (10:52)

Timestamps for Key Segments

| MM:SS | Segment | |---------|--------------------------------------------------------| | 00:36 | How Geneva Watch Days went for Trilobe | | 01:23 | Why Geneva Watch Days matters for a young brand | | 03:02 | Introduction of Trende, the fully in-house collection | | 04:15 | Evolution of Trilobe design and French quirkiness | | 05:03 | Watchmaking philosophy: rules and creativity | | 06:26 | Impressions of the Trende – hands-on & live reveal | | 07:22 | Unique movement design, in-house decoration | | 08:19 | Price revealed | | 08:53 | Design language and family of collections | | 09:55 | On maintaining accessibility and design philosophy | | 10:52 | Concealed gear train & movement architecture | | 13:08 | Technical deep dive: rotor efficiency | | 14:08 | Retail/visitor information; global presence |

Closing Thoughts

The episode concludes with warm endorsements from the hosts, excited reactions to the Trende’s surprising movement architecture, and a heartfelt invitation to discover French watchmaking firsthand. The conversation captures both the spirit and technical edge of Trilobe, providing a compelling window into the future of independent French horology.