ROUGH DIAMONDS
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ROUGH DIAMONDS -
360° APPROACH
INTRODUCTION
Unearthed from the depths of Earth’s ancient treasures, Rough Diamonds emerges as a groundbreaking collaboration between heist-out and Sotheby’s, set to shake up the traditional landscape of watch auctions.
This one-of-a-kind watch sale breaks conventions by spotlighting a new category of often overlooked vintage timepieces. These watches will be revealed in all their splendour, like raw diamonds polished to a brilliant shine.
CONCEPT
Rough Diamonds was a new auction concept we developed in collaboration with Sotheby’s in 2024, dedicated to avant-garde and long-overlooked vintage timepieces. Together, we brought twenty-four rare watches back into the spotlight, curating them as true “rough diamonds” for their disruptive design, technical innovation or historical significance. Each piece, created at least thirty years earlier, came from iconic maisons such as Patek Philippe, Audemars Piguet, Piaget and Vacheron Constantin. We designed an immersive underground exhibition in Geneva to echo the breakaway aesthetic at the core of the project, transforming the venue into a narrative space. With estimates ranging from CHF 2,000 to CHF 100,000, the sale appealed to both seasoned collectors and curious newcomers. Above all, Rough Diamonds reflected our shared ambition to rethink traditional auction formats and celebrate the visionary designers who shaped some of watchmaking’s most daring chapters.
IDENTITY
We developed the entire visual identity of Rough Diamonds in-house, establishing a universe that felt both subversive and luxurious. Working hand in hand with @royyyy_ulbright, we created a set of illustrations that reinforced the concept of “raw yet refined” — graphic, sharp and slightly underground. Beyond the core identity, we also produced fully illustrated visuals for the five “top lots” of the sale, not necessarily the most expensive pieces, but the most atypical and conceptually daring. This identity shaped every touchpoint of the project, from digital teasers to exhibition visuals, ensuring a cohesive and memorable aesthetic throughout the campaign.
SOCIAL MEDIA
Our communication for Rough Diamonds was all about building intrigue and bringing these overlooked timepieces back into the spotlight. We launched a dynamic Instagram campaign mixing teaser videos, curated carousel posts, stories and a raw lifestyle photoshoot that echoed the underground atmosphere of the sale. Each watch was revealed like a rediscovery, supported by its own moodboard and a bold blend of storytelling, design insight and strong visual language.
↓ MOODBOARDS ↓
TEASER #1
We also focused on building a cohesive and visually striking Instagram feed that fully aligned with the identity we created for Rough Diamonds. Alongside this visual work, we crafted the full editorial ecosystem for the project, including the press release, the fact sheet and the “About the Auction” text, all available through the buttons below. These materials were designed to clearly articulate the creative intent behind Rough Diamonds and to position the sale as one of 2024’s most unconventional and forward-thinking watch auctions.
INSTAGRAM FEED OVERVIEW
↓ LIFESTYLE PICTURES ↓
SCENOGRAPHY
The scenography of Rough Diamonds was conceived as an extension of the auction’s disruptive mindset. Hosted in the underground wine cellar of La Corne à Vin in Geneva, the exhibition embraced the idea of bringing hidden treasures back to light. We transformed the space into a raw, textural environment where each watch appeared almost excavated from the walls, echoing the “rough yet refined” identity of the sale. Minimal lighting, mineral surfaces and controlled shadows guided visitors through the twenty-four pieces like a slow descent into an horological mine. The result was an immersive, cinematic atmosphere that amplified the narrative of rediscovery and positioned the watches as artefacts waiting for their moment to shine.