It is fascinating how Russian art was moving slowly until it suddenly ignited one of the most radical revolutions in history. Following Peter the Great’s reforms and establishing a consistent dialogue with Europe, Russian art evolved cautiously, mirroring European trends, striving to catch up despite remarkable discoveries and outstanding figures. In general, it remained provincial. Yet, at the dawn of the 20^th century, Russian artists found themselves at the forefront in the search for a new artistic language through abstract and non-objective forms. Russia became a birthplace of abstract art, shaping the visual representation of the contemporary world. Three Russian artists gave the world non-objectivity: Larionov with his Rayism, Kandinsky, often called the founder of abstraction, and Malevich with his Suprematism.

Triumph of Pure Forms

Paul Cézanne was the first to assert that the core of the universe consists of simple geometric shapes: “Everything in nature is moulded upon spheres, cones, cylinders; we must learn to paint on the basis of these elementary forms, and, if you master them, you can achieve anything you desire”. Cézanne’s paintings, characterized by their strange perspective, are nothing more than clusters of geometric figures: rectangles, squares, circles. His influence in Russia was so profound that it birthed the phenomenon of Russian Cézannism, through which artists like Larionov, Kandinsky (to a lesser extent), and Malevich passed. Their quest for non-objectivity in many respects overcame Cézanne, liberating them through even more radical experiments. Such was the case with Malevich’s Black Square, exhibited 110 years ago at the Last Futurist Exhibition 0,10.

To Malevich, the Black Square was not merely a geometric shape but an existential signpost, marking the endpoint of old norms and the starting point of the new “zero form”, the fundamental Suprematist cell. Crucially, unlike a circle or a cross, a square is man-made, not found in nature. By reducing representational art to the “zero form,” Malevich transcended material and physical boundaries, moving beyond visible objects and appearances into the realm of pure spirit and primary ideas.

Suprematism serves as a reference point for contemporary design. Of all the abstract artists of the 20^th century, Malevich’s plan for transforming the surrounding environment through his Suprematist vision was the most radical. In the 1920s, following the 1917 Revolution, Russian avant-gardists received carte blanche from the new Soviet authorities to reshape reality entirely. They organized city festivals, designed furniture and tableware, created posters and signs, contributing to creation of a utilitarian world of objects. Nonetheless, by the late 1920s, this movement had dwindled, but Malevich’s paintings travelled to Europe during his trip there in 1927, sparking renewed interest in him following his major exhibition at Amsterdam’s Stedelijk Museum in 1958. While, in the Soviet Union, the Black Square was basically banned, hidden away in the Tretyakov Gallery’s storerooms, Russian Suprematism was recognized and revered internationally.

Time to Check Time by Malevich

Setting Kazimir Malevich on a watch dial was first conceived by Swiss luxury brand Jaeger-LeCoultre, which released the Reverso model with Malevich’s Peasant Woman on the dial in 2012. Even so, the Swiss refrained from experimenting with pure non-objective forms, the foundation of Suprematism.

In 2021, Russia’s premier watchmaker Raketa, whose watches are manufactured at the Petrodvorets Watch Factory, one of the oldest enterprises in the country, took the leap. Four years previously, Raketa unveiled the Raketa Big Zero Malevich, featuring a black square on the dial, collaborating with the Tretyakov Gallery for this release. Building on this success, in 2024, Raketa presented the Malevich Triptych series in collaboration with the State Russian Museum.

Each handcrafted dial in this series is fashioned from natural semi-precious stones: black agate, white agate, and tinted transparent agate. The stones are carefully selected to maximize visual alignment with Malevich’s cycle of paintings. The colour-and-form minimalistic series invites limitless interpretations, echoing the essence of Malevich’s artworks. Each model in the Malevich Triptych series is issued in a limited edition of 500. Collectors can acquire a complete set of the three models, thereby compiling their own geometric triptych of Malevich’s oeuvres, composing their personalized Suprematist view of the world.