Overview

Xavier Dietlin couldn’t be more natural. From his origins in the Swiss Jura, he has retained a straightforward character, a warm spontaneity and a rebellious streak. Born into a family that had long specialized in the metal construction industry, this former footballer with unrivaled energy who adores challenges and innovation, worked with his brother and sister. For Xavier, who seems favored by the gods, the dream became reality. In just a decade, he developed a cutting-edge segment of the metal construction industry: showcases. The company made its key breakthrough in 2005 on behalf of Hublot, with the Raptor display case with no glass that is nevertheless secure: through the use of sensors, the object on show is retracted into the base of the case in only a few tenths of a second as soon as a foreign body comes near. While the major watch brands quickly acknowledged his talent, globally renowned designers and architects, such as Peter Marino, also began calling on his expertise on a regular basis. Major multinationals such as Mercedes Benz, Philip Morris, Huawei and such famous museums as the MoMa in New York followed suit, tasking him with creating increasingly avant-garde solutions. Loathing hierarchies, he creates direct and personal relationships with his customers. For this creator of surprises, every means is good for attracting attention: intriguing, challenging, amusing… even annoying. As long as the potential buyer stops and is drawn to the object lying there in its case. Today, the company, with a staff of ten, is renowned worldwide for inventing and producing the most innovative, cutting-edge display cases. Xavier Dietlin has a gift for transforming the conventional into the exceptional. Every day, he is amazed by the unsuspected possibilities offered by technology. At the end of the day, the main thing is to retain his inner child, for whom play is the watchword of life. By Bernadette Richard (Le Temps magazine)