The true nature of time
Pierre
Pierre discovered his fascination with time's invisible forces during his studies at EPFL, where a simple question about making time visible sparked what would become abc lab's revolutionary vision.
At 24, this quiet visionary has dedicated himself to creating what he calls "objects of wonder" - timepieces that transform technology into living art. What draws you to Pierre is his genuine belief that they're not just making watches, but crafting meditative experiences that bridge science and spirituality.
For Pierre, each abc lab creation represents a moment where physics becomes philosophy, where the act of checking time transforms into a contemplative ritual that connects the wearer to time's deeper mysteries.
Guillaume
Guillaume met Pierre at EPFL, where late nights in the physics lab sparked an unusual question: what if time could be made visible? His background working with nanotechnology at CERN and in aerospace applications taught him that the most fascinating discoveries often hide in the smallest details.
At abc lab, Guillaume spends his days solving puzzles that didn't exist before—like how to make ferrofluid stable enough for luxury timepieces, or how to build mechanisms with components 1,000 times smaller than traditional watchmaking allows. What drives him isn't just the technical challenge, but the poetry he sees in magnetic fields dancing with liquid metal. When Guillaume talks about "liquid time", there's a quiet excitement in his voice that suggests he's found something he believes the world needs to see.
Time's Hidden Truth
What Einstein Knew That We Forgot
Albert Einstein revolutionized our understanding of time, revealing it as fluid, malleable, and intimately connected to space itself. Yet somewhere between his breakthrough and our daily lives, we lost this wonder. We reduced time to ticking seconds, enslaved ourselves to schedules, and forgot that time itself is alive.
At abc lab, Pierre and Guillaume's midnight revelations at EPFL weren't just about ferrofluid mechanics—they were about rediscovering what Einstein glimpsed: that time flows like a river, not a metronome. Their liquid time displays don't just show the hour; they reveal time's true nature as a living force that ebbs and flows with consciousness itself.
The Consciousness Connection
Modern neuroscience confirms what mystics have long known: our perception of time changes with our state of mind. In moments of deep focus, hours vanish. In crisis, seconds stretch into eternity. This isn't mere psychology—it's fundamental to how consciousness interacts with temporal reality.
abc lab's nanotechnology doesn't just make time visible; it makes this dance between mind and time tangible. When ferrofluid responds to magnetic fields in their Shapeshifter Pioneer, it mirrors how consciousness shapes our experience of duration. Each watch becomes a meditation on the mystery of temporal awareness.
Why Time Flows
The arrow of time—why we remember the past but not the future—remains physics' greatest puzzle. Yet in abc lab's workshop, time takes on new meaning. Their liquid displays suggest that time's flow isn't just about entropy increase or thermodynamic inevitability. It's about beauty, consciousness, and the poetry hidden in physical law.
Scientific Foundation
The Poetry of Magnetic Fields
Ferrofluid appears magical, but its science is elegant simplicity. When Guillaume and Pierre first witnessed ferrofluid dancing in response to carefully choreographed magnetic fields, they weren't just observing physics—they were watching time itself come alive.
abc lab's breakthrough lies in precision control. While others see ferrofluid as a curiosity, their EPFL training revealed its potential as a temporal canvas. Their nanotechnology doesn't fight the fluid's natural behavior; it conducts it like a symphony, creating patterns that speak directly to human intuition about time's flow.
Nanotechnology Meets Horology
Traditional watchmaking measures time. abc lab's approach reveals it. Their magnetic field systems operate at the nanoscale, creating force gradients so subtle they can sculpt ferrofluid into forms that seem to breathe with temporal rhythm.
This isn't mere miniaturization—it's a fundamental reimagining of what a timepiece can be. Where Swiss movements count seconds with mechanical precision, abc lab's nanotechnology makes time's passage viscerally beautiful, turning each glance at their watch into a moment of wonder.
Research Partnerships & Innovation
Born from EPFL's culture of radical innovation, abc lab continues pushing boundaries through strategic research partnerships. Their work bridges disciplines that rarely speak: horology and nanophysics, consciousness studies and materials science, traditional craftsmanship and quantum mechanics.
Each partnership helps decode another aspect of time's mystery, translating cutting-edge research into experiences that transform how we relate to temporality itself.
Philosophy & Meaning
Chronos vs. Kairos: The Two Faces of Time
Ancient Greeks understood what modern society forgot: time has two distinct natures. Chronos—quantitative, measured, mechanical—dominates our schedules. But Kairos represents qualitative time: the pregnant pause, the perfect moment, time that has texture and meaning.
abc lab's liquid time displays embody this duality. Their precise mechanisms honor Chronos's demands while their flowing, organic movements speak to Kairos's deeper truth. Each Shapeshifter watch becomes a bridge between clock time and lived time, reminding wearers that temporal experience transcends mere measurement.
Bergson's Duration Made Visible
Henri Bergson argued that real time—what he called "duration"—differs fundamentally from the physicist's time. Duration flows, accumulates memory, creates meaning through continuity. It can't be divided into discrete moments without losing its essential nature.
When Pierre and Guillaume created their first liquid time prototype, they unknowingly made Bergson's philosophy tangible. Their ferrofluid doesn't just mark moments—it flows between them, creating visual continuity that mirrors consciousness itself. Each display becomes a meditation on duration's reality.
Living Time vs. Measured Time
Industrial society trained us to think of time as uniform, mechanical, external. But lived experience tells a different story. Time stretches in childhood summers, compresses under deadline pressure, stops entirely in moments of profound beauty or terror.
abc lab's approach acknowledges this complexity. Their timepieces don't just measure temporal passage—they make its qualitative variations visible. The ferrofluid's organic responses mirror our own temporal experience, creating watches that feel alive because they honor time's living nature.
Mindfulness & Temporal Awareness
Contemporary mindfulness practices often focus on "being present," but abc lab suggests something deeper: becoming aware of time's flow itself. Their liquid displays invite contemplation, turning routine time-checking into opportunities for temporal mindfulness.
This isn't escapism from scheduled reality—it's deeper engagement with time's fundamental nature. Each glance at a Shapeshifter becomes a moment of meditation, a reminder that time consciousness can transform ordinary experience into something approaching the sacred.
Cultural Impact
Art Collaborations: Where Science Meets Soul
abc lab's technology transcends mere timekeeping, becoming a new medium for artistic expression. Their ferrofluid systems offer artists unprecedented tools for temporal sculpture—creating works that exist in time as much as space.
Collaborations with contemporary artists explore questions that haunt both science and art: What does time look like? How do we visualize the invisible forces that shape reality? These partnerships produce installations that make abc lab's time philosophy accessible to broader audiences, spreading temporal consciousness beyond luxury watch collectors.
Museum Exhibitions: Democratizing Wonder
abc lab's is exploring concepts for museum exhibitions exploring time's nature. These installations will allow millions to experience liquid time firsthand, democratizing access to wonder that was once confined to physics laboratories.
These exhibitions serve multiple purposes: educating the public about cutting-edge science, introducing abc lab's philosophy to people around the world. Each museum partnership plants seeds for a broader conceptual shift in how humanity relates to time.
Academic Partnerships: Building the Future
abc lab's relationships with leading universities extend far beyond their EPFL origins. Partnerships with institutions studying consciousness, time perception, and nano-materials research ensure their innovations remain grounded in rigorous science while pushing theoretical boundaries.
The Time Consciousness Movement
abc lab's ultimate cultural impact may be catalyzing a broader "time consciousness movement"—a shift from mechanical time slavery toward more organic temporal relationships. Their watches become symbols of this transformation, worn by individuals choosing mindful engagement with time's mystery over mere schedule compliance.
This movement connects diverse communities: mindfulness practitioners, artists, scientists, philosophers, and luxury consumers united by shared fascination with time's deeper nature. abc lab provides a symbol for this emerging consciousness.
Where are we headed ?
Using a completely novel and artistic approach to display time, crafted with the extraordinary attention to details known of traditional watchmaking, we are building a powerfull brand resonating with Switzerland's rich history in watchmaking and innovation.
Between two worlds
Located in the Science Park of the Swiss Institute of Technology, our manufacture thrives in an internationally renowned technical environment, between the depths of the lake and the peaks of the mountains.