Chris Rackett

I am currently the Lead Designer at Rotary Watches, where I drive the creation and communication of innovative watch designs using advanced tools and techniques, including SolidWorks, Adobe Creative Suite, KeyShot, and 3D printing. With extensive expertise in design principles and production processes, I also oversee product costs and margins to ensure sustainable and efficient development.

Previously, I served as a Mid-Level Industrial Designer at Christoph Behling Design, collaborating with prestigious international clients such as Tag Heuer and Zenith to craft exceptional designs for the luxury watch market. My contributions spanned product styling, color, material and finish design, 3D CAD modeling, photorealistic rendering, concept ideation, product strategy research, and high-impact presentations.

I hold a BA in Industrial and Product Design from Bournemouth University, where I honed my creative and technical abilities and cultivated a deep passion for design. My achievements in the industry include being recognized as a Retail Jeweller's 30 Under 30 Rising Star and receiving the Highly Commended Advancing Knowledge Award for excellence in watch design.

I am continuously driven by the opportunity to learn, innovate, and tackle new challenges. Additionally, I have gained valuable experience at CWD London, a design consultancy specializing in consumer electronics, further diversifying my design expertise

Lead Industrial Designer - Rotary Watch Ltd - August 2021 to Present

• Explore watch designs quickly and communicate them effectively through the use of 3D software (Solidworks), 2D Design (Abobe), Photorealistic

Rendering (Keyshot) & 3D printing (FormLabs Laser Printer)

• Extensive knowledge about the design techniques, tools, construction and principles involved in production of watches.
• Prepare and deliver specification packs and Technical Drawings to communicate designs with Far East Suppliers.
• Present designs to retailers and Independent Jewellers to generate potential sales and gain interest on watch collections.
• Manage product costs and margins to maintain a sustainable product development process for the company
• Liaise with the CEO, Sales Department and Marketing Department in collaborative way to produce a coherent product strategy
• Collaborate with Productions Manager/Engineers to transition samples to production ready products.
• Lead/mentor Junior designers
• Plan/Control the Product Strategy for the upcoming Rotary Launches. Discover Gaps within the Rotary product portfolio.

Mid-Weight Industrial Designer at Christoph Behling Design - July 2017 to August 2021

A multi-award winning Industrial design studio focusing on high end design for a range of international clients, such as Zenith, Geberit and Tag Heuer, amongst other leading brands. Working closely with the clients to realise a range of briefs, from concept to production.

My responsibilities currently include but not limited too:

• Product styling and Aesthetic development
• Colour, Material and Finish Design
• 3D CAD Development (Solidworks)
• Photorealistic Rendering (Keyshot)
• Concept Ideation
• Producing presentations
• Product strategy research
• Technical drawings

Industrial Design Intern at CWD London - July 2015 to July 2016

During my time at CWD London I gained a huge amount of valuable experience from working on a variety of interesting projects which included tasks such as research, brainstorming, user centric design, graphic design, product/industrial design and FMCG, right through to solid implementation, having covered all aspects of the creative process being involved with end to end stuff.

My main tasks in the studio consisted of concept and ideation sketching, 3D modelling, CAD rendering, Photoshop rendering, researching , compiling mood boards, prototype Building and producing presentation material.

Bournemouth University - BA Production Design - 2:1