A perfume bottle designed to stand the test of time

Precision, creativity, craftsmanship, heritage, and innovation; the art of watchmaking and perfume have much in common. With this in mind, prestigious Swiss watchmaker Franck Muller decided to explore this special relationship with the creation of five Franck Muller eau de parfums. The product development team, comprising the packaging manufacturer and provider Quadpack, made the magic happen for this very special project.

All great design is born with an idea. Quadpack presented the client with a series of sketches for bottles inspired by the form of a classic, elongated watch face, with the cap representing the watch’s crown. Once the hand-drawn concept was approved, Quadpack provided a digitally-generated image of the design that both Franck Muller and the bottle manufacturer, guided by Quadpack, refined, tweaked, and tested to ensure sure all facets of the manufacturing process were doable, with no surprises on the production line.

According to Quadpack’s Design and Advanced Technologies department, its use of 3D printing for the custom bottle design accelerated the early stages of the package’s development and made it more cost-effective. With an accurate prototype of the perfume bottle in hand, team members were able to feel the final result, such as the bottle’s weight, dimensions, how it would look on shelf, and how comfortably it would sit in the—all vital considerations for a product as sensual and personal as fragrance.

The decoration and finishes of the bottle had to express the haute prestige values of the Franck Muller name and involved a number of sophisticated techniques. The bottle sides and cap were screen-printed in a shiny gold, leaving the interior frames on the front and rear faces clear. A composition of clock-face numbers were laser-cut onto the rear face, which, when viewed from the front, seemingly “dance” through the perfume’s liquid sheen. The front face was silk-screened with Franck Muller’s elegant logo and the fragrance reference. It was the final touch in what is destined to be a perfume bottle that will withstand the test of time.