From the Cosmos to the Wrist: Alex Teuscher’s Dennison
For renowned photographer Alex Teuscher, watches are only one part of a much wider visual world. His work moves between watches, portraiture, architecture and hospitality, but it is his ability to capture the texture, character and emotion of a watch that has made him one of the most recognisable photographers working in the industry today.
His relationship with Dennison has now moved from behind the camera to the drawing board, resulting in a highly personal edition of the ALD Dual Time, limited to just 50 pieces.
Fittingly, the idea began with an image.
“The idea just sort of came to me one evening,” Teuscher explains. “I think I was watching Interstellar, and there was a very striking visual of the vastness of space and the specular glow of the stars that got me thinking.”
That fascination with space became the foundation for the watch. Teuscher settled on a combination of black aventurine and meteorite, two materials that take on entirely different characters depending on the light around them.
“I’ve always had a deep interest in space, and the Dual Time base design was a perfect canvas to marry the materials and create something that brings to mind the moon and stars.”
The combination feels particularly appropriate for a photographer. Teuscher has spent his career thinking about the interaction between light, surface and texture, and those same considerations informed his approach to the dial.
“Texture and the play of light is very important. The meteorite brings texture, and the aventurine light.”
Meteorite introduces something physical and ancient, its naturally occurring structure making each section subtly individual. Aventurine provides the counterpoint: a dark surface scattered with points of light. Together, the two materials transform the architecture of Dennison’s Dual Time into something almost celestial.
What eventually became a 50-piece edition, however, was never intended to become a collection at all.
“Yes, originally it was after a unique piece for myself,” Teuscher says. “But after a few discussions with Toby, we realised it was quite a special watch that people might want to own.”
A Personal Dennison
The collaboration grew naturally out of Teuscher’s relationship with Dennison and co-founder Toby Sutton. Beyond the people involved, it was the architecture of the ALD case that gave Teuscher the freedom to experiment.
“The team is just wonderful and I love the design of the case. It’s a wonderful canvas that allows for a wide variety of dial options. The fact that they are also very accessible in pricing is a great bonus.”
Teuscher approached the project from several perspectives simultaneously. He is a photographer, but also a collector and, ultimately, the person who originally intended to wear the watch himself.
“It helps being a creative obviously, as well as a collector.”
That personal approach extends beyond the dial. Teuscher selected a grey nubuck strap produced in Geneva by Atelier du Bracelet. Rather than treating the strap as an afterthought, its texture and colour became part of the wider composition.
“The grey ties the whole package together and the cratered texture of the leather brings to mind the moon, while the nubuck gives it a soft and luxurious feel while making the watch more casual for daily wear.”
For Teuscher, this final detail matters more than it might initially appear.
“I find most brands tend to neglect the importance of a delivery strap. It is something that very much completes the design and feel of the watch. There are hundreds, if not thousands, of aftermarket options, but I wanted to deliver the watch with something that collectors would not want or feel the need to change.”
It is an approach that makes the watch feel complete rather than configured: dial, case and strap considered as parts of the same object.
Finding Emotion in the Object
Teuscher’s involvement in the project also raises an interesting question: what happens when someone accustomed to interpreting other people’s watches through photography is given the opportunity to create one himself?
His answer can perhaps be found in the way he approaches photography in the first place.
“Photographing watches is just part of what I do, honestly. It’s a very meticulous type of photography that I enjoy a lot and find quite peaceful — when I’m not rushing to meet a deadline.”
Technical precision is essential in watch photography. Highly polished surfaces, crystals, microscopic imperfections and reflections make watches notoriously unforgiving subjects. But for Teuscher, technical competence alone is not enough.
What separates a good photograph from a memorable one?
“Emotion.”
“Watches at all levels are the product of human creativity and technical know-how. It’s important to get this across, which is why I believe in perfect imperfection, and I do find it a shame that many brands insist on imagery which is indistinguishable from a 3D render.”
It is an idea that runs through both his photography and his Dennison. Neither is intended to feel completely sterile.
When photographing a watch, Teuscher believes there must be a balance between accurately representing the object and allowing the photographer to leave something of themselves in the final image.
“It’s important that you present the product faithfully, of course, but you have to give something of yourself as well to give the image its soul.”
Years spent examining watches at this level have inevitably changed his relationship with them as a collector too. “My personal tastes have changed a lot just by seeing how much is out there,” he says. And when asked whether his profession causes him to notice details other collectors might miss, his answer is suitably knowing: “Let’s just say retouching is an important part of watch photography.”
Beyond Watches
Despite his reputation within the watch world, Teuscher resists being defined solely as a watch photographer.
“Photography is my passion, and I like being capable of photographing different genres professionally and personally. I would struggle if I was only photographing one thing for my entire life.”
Portraiture sits alongside his commercial work, while travel continually provides new visual references. A recent visit to Istanbul proved particularly memorable.
“It’s an incredibly visually rich city with so much going on at any given time, you learn to slow down and observe. In such a fast-paced city, slowing down and taking the time to appreciate what’s around you is enriching on many levels.”
His equipment similarly moves between two very different approaches to photography. A Fujifilm GFX 100 II acts as his medium-format professional workhorse, while the Leica M11 provides what he describes as “a completely different type of experience and a very pure form of taking pictures.”
More recently, he acquired a Leica M11-P Safari — a camera he considers one of the most beautiful ever made and a personal grail. Yet despite the increasing technical capabilities of modern cameras, Teuscher remains convinced that equipment is ultimately secondary to the person using it.
“We all see and perceive things differently. At the end of the day the camera is a tool that allows us to express what we see in our own unique way.”
It is difficult not to see the same philosophy in his Dennison.
The ALD provided the tool and the architecture, but the finished watch is distinctly Teuscher: space translated through material, texture and light. What began as a watch intended for his own wrist has become an edition that allows 50 collectors into that idea.
Photographing the finished piece has consequently felt different from another commercial assignment.
“There is definitely a sense of pride and ownership when it’s something you’ve helped create,” he says. “I have some ideas for future pieces that I think would look fantastic. Let’s see.”
And what does he hope those 50 owners take from the watch?
“I think everyone gets something different from the watch they wear, but I can only hope they enjoy the piece and feel that they are wearing something special.”
For a project that began with the vastness of space on a screen and ended as an object small enough to sit on the wrist, that sense of something special is perhaps the most fitting conclusion.
