In the early part of the decade, he designed a line of silver watches for Longines, with geometric, sculptural cases often shaped like belt buckles. It remains one of the earliest partnerships between an independent designer and a major watchmaking house.

His furniture and lighting are characterised by a design language that is both geometric and sculptural. Chromed or lacquered metal, brass, bronze and wood are combined with the utmost attention to craftsmanship. His creations reveal a taste for solid, architectural forms, playing on arcs, spheres and balance, whilst drawing on the French tradition of decorative arts and cabinetmaking. Manzon thus ranks amongst the designers who, in the 1970s, revitalised metal furniture and research into materials.

His path crossed that of Pierre Cardin, who produced several of his designs from the mid-1970s. As a patron and catalyst, the couturier gathered designers such as Maria Pergay, Christian Adam and François Cante-Pacos around him. In 1977, Cardin opened the Évolution gallery on Rue du Faubourg-Saint-Honoré, a space dedicated to contemporary creation where fashion, furniture and design met, and where Serge Manzon’s works were exhibited. His pieces were also sold at the Espace Cardin under the signature ‘Pierre Cardin, ligne de Serge Manzon’. The most famous is the ‘Éclair’ lamp, designed in 1975 in lacquered metal, chromed metal and brass.

This limited-edition production sat alongside unique pieces and specific commissions. Manzon also worked with the Mobilier National through its Atelier de Recherche et de Création (ARC), founded in 1964 on the initiative of André Malraux. In 1978, the ARC produced a cabinet and a television unit to his designs. His work was included in the 1984 exhibition ‘Créateurs au Mobilier National’ at the Centre Pompidou, alongside César and François-Xavier Lalanne.

Long known only to connoisseurs, his work is now sought after by collectors and interior designers, and his lighting regularly appears in major sales of 1970s French design.