"Perfect beauty interests me less than living beauty."
Hello Gabriel, could you introduce yourself?
My name is Gabriel, and I'm the co-founder of SERICA, an independent French watch brand. Before that, I spent many years in the world of media, imagery and watch culture, notably with Les Rhabilleurs.
Amid the bustle of everyday life, what still manages to take your breath away or stop your watch?
Often, fairly simple things. A particular light in a street, a song I don't yet know playing in a café, an object I discover through someone else, a car driving by — but not just any car — a piece of architecture, a detail nobody else seems to notice. I think what moves me most are the moments when time seems to slow down without warning, bringing an unexpected sense of calm. When something very ordinary suddenly feels exactly right. Or when the extra-ordinary comes knocking at my door.
What is your relationship with "Beauty" in your daily life?
I don't really see Beauty as something spectacular or untouchable, but as something necessary. For me, it often lies in rightness: a balanced proportion, a well-chosen material, a well-thought-out object, a precise gesture, an imperfection that tells a story. In my daily life, I pay close attention to it. I'll admit it may even obsess me. Is that a flaw? You tell me.
If you could steal just one image, one scent or one sound in the world and keep it all to yourself, what would it be?
I think it would be an image: waking up at dawn, out in nature, in a low, almost golden light, with the feeling that anything could begin.
A moment that is both simple and powerful. The silence, the movement about to come, the promise of something good just ahead, a discovery, an encounter. It's an image that speaks to me deeply, because it holds both calm and adventure.
Do you ever find beauty where others see only disorder or the ordinary?
Not necessarily… Very rarely, in fact. On the other hand, when I think of a working atelier, a slightly worn-down street, a vintage car that isn't perfect, a watch marked by time: these are things that may seem messy or ordinary, but they have real presence. I love objects and places that bear traces. Those details are what create depth, humanity, sometimes even elegance. Perfect beauty interests me less than living beauty.
