Dezeen teamed up with Rado and Les Couleurs Suisse to host a panel discussion on how iconic architect Le Corbusier's Architectural Polychromy colour theory has influenced the brands' new watch collection as part of Virtual Design Festival.

Matthias Breschan, CEO of Swiss watchmaker Rado, Hakim El Kadiri, vice president of product development at Rado, and Matthias Naumann, CEO of Les Couleurs Suisse, spoke to Dezeen's founder and editor-in-chief Marcus Fairs during a live panel discussion.

The talk coincided with the release of a new collection of watches produced by Rado in collaboration with Les Couleurs Suisse, a Zurich-based company that works in collaboration with the Corbusier Foundation to license the palette of colours developed by Le Corbusier in the 1930s for use in architecture and design.

Together, the brands have created a limited edition collection of ceramic watches in colours from Le Corbusier's Architectural Polychromy palette.

The Architectural Polychromy colour theory and palette was first introduced in 1931 with a collection of 43 colours and was extended in 1959 with an additional 20 colours. The 63 colours are arranged into nine groups, which include both solid and graduated shades.

Derived from shades found in nature, Corbusier's colour palette was devised for use in architecture. He believed that the colours could be combined in any way to achieve specific spatial effects on a building, and could have a "human effect" on the building's inhabitants.

The panel explored the history of the Architectural Polychromy colour theory and its principles, the connection between Le Corbusier's colour theory and the Rado brand, and the collaboration with Les Couleurs Suisse.

Developed as part of the watchmaker's True Thinline collection of high-tech ceramic watches, the watch collection comes in nine colours, each representing a different group in Le Corbusier's colour palette.

The panel discussion also teased Rado Design Week, a new collaboration between Dezeen and Rado at the end of October, which will take the form of a week of articles, videos and live interviews to celebrate a series of new launches from the brand.

Founded in 1917 in Lengnau, Switzerland, Rado is known for their high-tech luxury watches made from ceramic materials and has previously collaborated with designers such as Konstantin Grcic and Jasper Morrison.

About Virtual Design Festival

Virtual Design Festival runs from 15 April to 10 July 2020. It brings the architecture and design world together to celebrate the culture and commerce of our industry, and explore how it can adapt and respond to extraordinary circumstances.

To find out what's coming up at VDF, check out the schedule. For more information or to join the mailing list, email [email protected].