The interview: Marco Borraccino on Singer Reimagined’s art of keeping surprise alive in watchmaking

Founded in 2014 by Rob Dickinson of Singer Vehicle Design and watch designer Marco Borraccino, Singer Reimagined set out to merge automotive craft with fine watchmaking. Borraccino sketched a chronograph that defied convention while preserving the elegance and function of a sporting classic. What he lacked was the right engine. The answer came with master watchmaker and founder of Agenhor, Jean-Marc Wiederrecht, who had spent nearly a decade developing the AgenGraphe—a central chronograph movement also featured in watches by Ming, Fabergé and H. Moser & Cie. It became the heartbeat of Singer’s first watches, just as the Porsche flat-six defines Singer’s cars.

At the 2025 edition of Geneva Watch Week, Singer Reimagined unveiled its latest creations powered by vintage Valjoux 236 movements. Once used in timepieces from Patek Philippe, Rolex and Vacheron Constantin, the Valjoux 236 calibre has been carefully restored and reinterpreted into a collection that bridges history with contemporary design.

For Borraccino, surprise has always been central to Singer’s philosophy. Boulevard sat down with Borraccino to discuss the challenges behind reviving vintage movements, and what makes the latest collection a defining moment for Singer Reimagined.

Left: Marco Borraccino, co-founder of Singer Reimagined. Singer Heritage Chronograph SR602 in Empire Green (right) and Piano Black (top).

Boulevard: Can you talk about Singer Reimagined’s first central chronograph and the launch of your new novelties this year?

Marco Borraccino: We introduced the first central chronograph, the Track1, with this incredible automatic column-wheel chronograph movement that took years to develop. We took the world by surprise—no one expected a completely new brand to introduce a totally new function with a never-before-seen movement.

We immediately gained attention thanks to the complexity of the movement, the design of the pieces, and the strong seventies inspiration. Very quickly, we started winning prizes—at the Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève, Mexico and Europe. From that moment, we realised we had to keep this element of surprise alive, because it was essential for drawing attention to the brand. But it wasn’t only about visibility, it was also about creating products that offered real content and meaning.

Today, Singer stands for innovation in every single watch we release.

Track1 SKLT Carbon Edition SR009.

After the chronograph, we introduced the FlyTrack, the “little brother” of the chrono. It’s a simpler watch—hours, minutes, seconds—but with an instant flyback function that lets you use it as a one-minute timer, in a very intuitive way. As a designer by training, ergonomics and the interaction between wearer and watch matter deeply to me. That philosophy drives all our product development.

Last year, we pushed the potential of our movement even further by introducing the only existing mechanical diving chronograph. Diving watches have been around for ages, but most offer limited functions. We introduced a watch that tracks dive time, decompression, surface intervals and when it’s safe to fly—all this, with a bold design.

Left: 1969 Grey Chronograph SR201-S. Right: Flytrack Barista SR106.

Blvd: You have a background in design—was that within watchmaking, or outside the watch space? 

Borraccino: I started as a designer, with the dream of designing cars. But I quickly realised it wasn’t going to bring me joy. The car industry is a very difficult environment—unless you own a design firm or car brand—you’re just one of many designers, who are only often responsible for small details like a rear-view mirror or a door handle. That didn’t fit with my idea of being a designer.

Soon after my design degree in Milan, I had the chance to work in the watch industry, and I found it incredibly exciting. From there, I built my career mainly in watches, though I also designed phones, sunglasses, bags and furniture. Still, watches always kept coming back in one way or another.

“We realised we had to keep this element of surprise alive, because it was essential for drawing attention to the brand.”

While living in Milan, I was hired by Panerai, and the CEO at the time gave me the opportunity to establish and lead the design department. It was a great experience, and I learned a lot. But after a while, the creative limits of such a strong brand pushed me to move on. I left Milan, left Panerai and then relocated to Geneva, where I opened my own design studio.

There, I began working with many brands on a wide range of projects. I loved it, because every project brought different challenges, and every challenge needed a solution. The harder the problem, the more creative you had to be. That’s really where my passion for challenges comes from.

Divetrack Automatic 24-H Central Chronograph.

Blvd: What inspired the direction of Singer Reimagined’s latest collection, and what challenges did it present?

Borraccino: The latest collection is about bringing back to life something that truly matters. Besides being a designer, I love vintage watches, and I love collecting them. Among vintage movements, a few are mythical in the history of watchmaking, and I dreamt of using one of these in a Singer timepiece.

After three years of research and discussions, we were able to acquire a stock of unused vintage Valjoux 236 movements from 1974. This is the calibre that once powered famous watches from Patek Philippe, Rolex and Vacheron Constantin. When you see it, you immediately recognise it—it’s a milestone in watchmaking. We secured just over a hundred pieces, still unassembled, essentially raw parts for one hundred movements.

“The harder the problem, the more creative you had to be. That’s really where my passion for challenges comes from.”

We then carefully assembled and tested each one, disassembled them again, and began restoring the movements individually. Today, we are unveiling the Heritage Collection, which represents a milestone for the company. Until now, our focus has been on exceptional contemporary watchmaking with our chronographs. Now we are introducing a new pillar for the brand: restoring vintage movements to create entirely new timepieces. The watches are inspired by the history of the movement, but reinterpreted with a fresh perspective—bringing something legendary back to life with a new purpose.

Go further with the 2025 edition of the Watches and Wonders in Geneva.

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