Open Science
Why Open Science?
How long does an idea remain on its own before finding the hand that will bring it to life? And, for that matter, can an idea even come into being on its own?
In the 17th century, numerous European intellectuals, from Leibniz to Huygens, corresponded by letter across the continent, circulating more ideas in a few decades than any of them could have produced alone. Three centuries later, at CERN, the young engineer Tim Berners-Lee invented the World Wide Web to enable physicists scattered across several continents to share their findings more quickly. Today, Wikipedia brings together tens of millions of articles written by contributors, the vast majority of whom will never meet.
As we can see, an idea kept to oneself generally loses its value.
The independent watchmaking industry faces this tension. A workshop with just a few people cannot cover the full range of necessary expertise: materials, patents, micromechanics, and the market. Isolation is a constraint that all too often prevents inventions from coming to fruition.
The Dominique Renaud Foundation is addressing this issue, convinced that the best solution lies in networking. It aims to bring together the entire watchmaking ecosystem—watch brands, manufacturers, suppliers, watchmakers, engineers, researchers, and experts—by providing opportunities to collaborate, share challenges, exchange knowledge, and thus co-create new solutions.
DOM, the next-generation open science tool
The Dominique Renaud Foundation’s first concrete step toward realizing this goal is the launch of DOM, a revolutionary ideation tool.
A unique solution, DOM has learned the specific “grammar” of watchmaking: its vocabulary, mechanical constraints, and history. DOM explores vast realms of possibilities before helping to narrow the focus to R&D avenues worth pursuing. Exploration is a central mode of operation for DOM.
An idea rarely travels in a straight line. Did the Japanese Shinkansen train produce a deafening sonic boom when emerging from tunnels? The solution came from the kingfisher’s beak, shaped to slice through the water without splashing as the bird dives for its prey. The train’s nose, redesigned accordingly, eliminated the loud bang. DOM takes the same approach: it methodically explores distant fields, patents, materials, and practices from other industries to identify the slightest difference that, once applied to watchmaking, makes all the difference.
DOM does not make decisions for the watchmaker; rather, it explores more quickly and broadly than a single person could. It is then up to the watchmaker to choose and set the direction.
What time does not know about itself, the Foundation has been exploring since its inception through the Amplitude symposia. What an idea does not know about itself is the thread running through its second pillar.
You can explore DOM right now.