After working for Pirelli in Milan (1968–72) and for Pentagram Design in London (1972–76), Jean returned to Switzerland to establish a design studio in Zürich with his partner Käti Durrer. A small product with a big name cemented the Robert- Durrer reputation: Swatch Watches. From 1983 to 1989, under Jean’s direction, Robert-Durrer created the now famous Swatch style by designing the first 350 Swatch models. Since 1990, Jean has focused his energies on art and culture, designing books and corporate identities as well as posters for renowned private and state museums, publishers, and cultural institutions including the Kunsthalle Zürich, the Swiss Foundation of Photography, and the Museum of Design Zürich. In 1995, together with his brother, photographer François Robert, Jean published Face to Face, in which everyday objects, from cameras to handbags, are shown to contain faces with an astonishing range of ‘expressions’.