dot. (design of time) - the ALFEX mag 03

issue 0.1 / 2014 the alfex mag

issue 0.1 / 2014 the alfex mag

thursday 7:00 a.m. marcus weber_ceo alfex

_5

8:00 a.m. alfex and all watches

_7

9:00 a.m. a chat with Nicola_alfex head of sales

_9

10:30 a.m. swiss design culture_jรถrg boner

_13

12:00 a.m. introducing IKON collection

_17

1:00 p.m. collaboration_kreepz

_21

3:00 p.m. less complexity_baselworld 2014

_27

5:00 p.m. singapore_city report

_39

6:00 p.m. a swiss expat in singapore_giovanni fabio

_41

8:00 p.m. alfex news

_45

10:00 p.m. alfex in the world

_49

7:00 a.m. marcus weber_ceo alfex

This is already the third issue of our Alfex Magazine.

We want to take the opportunity to explain our product to you, accompanied by details of interesting personalities and a discussion of specific topics. In this edition we focus mainly on design matters.

stand out from those of our competitors. The fact that we have remained true to that strength even after more than 65 years shows that we constantly adapt to the market and take great pains to offer you the very finest product.

Defining design is no easy matter. Each of us has his or her own very special taste. In other words, every person has an individual perception of the meaning of design. Designers themselves, however, regard the continuation of a product which has already been developed as the most important point. The styling of our watches approaches the different “design orientations” in a way which is unmistakable and far from boring - even when you have looked at the object a great many times.

However, our affinity to design does not stop at the finished watch. We also endeavour to follow a distinctive and attractive line in our marketing and communication. The product must stand in the foreground.

You as a consumer should not buy an “illusion” which is put across to you by a celebrity. You should be able to fall in love with the product. Because a watch is an object which we wear nearly every day. A watch is much more than just a practical accessory.

A watch should make the wearer dwell for a moment on its appearance and enjoy doing so. That is precisely what makes design an important factor. How often have we been enthusiastic about something which we felt to be superfluous later on. Which of us has never bought a garment and already wondered whether we had taken the right decision when wearing the article for just the second time? With a watch that must not be allowed to happen. It must still give pleasure even after months and years. Alfex watches are a byword for permanence and timelessness. I hope you will appreciate our new collection as much as we do and enjoy the unique models.

I have been with Alfex now for more than 30 years, but I still ask myself day after day how it can be possible to “design” so many variants and features of such a small product as a watch while still always coming up with something new to surprise consumers and professionals. Alfex is working hard to that end, and one of the most rewarding tasks of the management is to seek out from the different designs those particular products which will in their view attract maximum attention. Unfortunately, technical and financial hurdles are also encountered in the evaluation process extending from design to the actual product. That is why only every third idea is implemented. On average, two designs fall by the wayside at the prototype stage for technical, qualitative and also financial reasons. Nevertheless we do succeed year after year in showing you new products which

Enjoy reading our magazine.

Kind regards, Marcus Weber

_5

1

2

3

4

6

5

8:00 a.m. alfex and all watches

1 Aptimos Bugis

2 Aptimos Lucky Plaza

3 Aptimos Wisma

4 All Watches Chinatown Point

5 Robinsons Orchard

6 All Watches Lucky Plaza

Established in Singapore in 1984, All Watches began as a timepiece specialist driven by the passion and extensive experience in the watch industry of Mr Sunny Ng. Through the years, All Watches has grown from one shop in Lucky Plaza to the current 6 points of sales in prestigious locations like Wisma Atria, Bugis and Chinatown, including 1 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. With 30 years of retail experience and success, trust and support, for now more than a decade All Watches is the authorised and exclusive retailer for Alfex.

All Watches diversified its business when in 2007 created a new watch boutique concept, Aptimos . Aptimos is the first watch boutique in Singapore which carries a variety of contemporary timepieces and jewellery, with over 30 reputable brands under one roof, including Alfex. This retail concept revolves around the idea that timepieces are no longer just a time-keeping device but rather a more personal statement of an individual’s dress sense and preferences.

The founder of All Watches, Mr. Ng, has given now most of the operational tasks to his children who are bringing All Watches and Alfex to new heights. In the past 2 years, Alfex sales through All Watches have increased tremendously and we are all looking forward to an even more exciting future.

The intense and successful relationship between Alfex and All Watches started in 2003 and will continue to grow in the future led by Mr. Ng’s children, Ms. Edna Ng and Mr. Darren Ng, who in the past years have already brought in the young energy and needed dynamism to continue on this path.

On the collaboration with Alfex, Mr. Sunny Ng, founder and managing director of All Watches, expressed his gratitude to Alfex Asia Pte Ltd. “2014 marks the 30th anniversary of All Watches in the horology industry and would like to thank our brand partners and loyal customers for driving our business today. All Watches is proud to be Alfex’s trustful partner and we are very thankful for the support they have given us all these years and many more to come.”

_7

9:00 a.m. a chat with nicola_alfex head of sales

Nicola Bobbio Pallavicini Alfex current Head of Sales joined the ticinese company in September 2012 after more than 10 years in the watch industry in marketing and sales department.

Nicola’s current role at Alfex is to manage the worldwide sales and oversee local market activities.

Today Alfex is present in more than 30 Countries and acts directly in Switzerland, Netherland and Hong Kong.

what was your career in the watch industry?

Freshly graduated from university, I started working in the watch industry almost 15 years ago. At that time, I had several options to choose from and I picked the watch industry. It fascinated me the most and the watch world is fantastic and every day full of challenges and opportunities, I’m still thanksfull I have made this choice. how many watches do you own? difficult to say. I have plenty of them and each has their own story to tell. Yes, they are are watches, however for me they are each a loyal mate with which you share your everyday life. what is your favourite watch? of course is my Alfex. At the moment I’m wearing the 5727 collection that has been just launched. An easy-going, modern and yet elegant watch which perfectly fits my working days. what is your specialization?

I spend the first 5 years of my career in marketing, however finally realized that Sales and Commercial topics are topics which fits me best and I can be most successful in. I really enjoy taking on big challenges and if I look back on my career, business development by means of opening of new markets and the relaunch of brands are the kind of challenges in which I exceed and get most satisfaction out. Alfex for me is the kind of brand that can make me feel alive in this way. Strong heritage, top quality product and a clear

growth strategy make this present experience a beautiful task. I’m lucky. what do you like most of your job?

Well I see my job connected to people, and I like to make people happy. Whenever you sell a watch you make a person happy. Imagine that moment when you finally buy the watch that you have been longing for all those last month’s staring at it through the window of the best watch dealer of your city. Or giving a watch to the person who you love as present for S. Valentine.

These are just a few everyday life examples in which a watch is the main player. Doing my job in the best way possible, I’m contributing to this happiness making sure great Alfex watches are as much available to our clients and this is giving me a great contentment.

Let’s speak a little bit about Alfex: what is the strategy of Alfex? It’s positioning in the market?

Alfex is a Swiss Made Company. This means Quality, Accuracy, Tradition and Design. Every single watch is the result of hours and hours employed in studying the correct design, the right “face” and aspect in order to meet the taste of our sophisticated customers.

Alfex strategy is to be one of the leading Brands in the Swiss made design watch segment. Our production team is everyday studying the best way to be and appear unique in the watch competitive arena. Innovation is nothing if not combined with the correct pricing that we try to keep as much “aggressive” as we can. Markets recognize these unique selling points in Alfex: top quality, innovative design and “right prices”.

_9

is this collection strategy having success? well looking through figures I would say yes. +50% in turnover in 2013 vs 2012, more than 30 countries where our brand is present and almost 10 new distributors that have chosen Alfex as Brand in their portfolio in 2013. where is Alfex most successful?

Switzerland as we are at “home”, North West Europe, Russia and Ukraine, Hong Kong and Singapore and the Middle East. what are the next targets?

At the moment we are approaching USA, Latin America, China and Japan where we have to increase our presence. I personally believe that 2014 will be the right year to complete our worldwide territorial coverage thanks to the big effort done by product and marketing teams.

I’ve seen a new line in the Assortment. Could you explain a little bit the choice done?

I think you refer to Alfex IKON collection. We have decided to launch a new line which is driven by the same modern and minimalist design, being on-spot in terms of market requests and aggressive in price.

This decision has been made in order to be competitive and stay ahead of the curve in the current challenging market situation. Our aim with the new Alfex IKON Line is to become active in niche market segment between 100 and 150 chf, presenting a unique collection that will become the benchmark for 2014.

We are convinced we have created a new milestone product for Alfex but even for the Swiss made watch industry. We are offering wonderful qualitative Swiss made watch at an incomparable price. We are sure this will catch the eye of customers. clear. Last question: Why to choose an Alfex?

Unique design, Swiss made quality and good value for money. In addition we are a small company with a very strong family- feeling heritage which makes us very close to our customers. Our wish is to make our Alfex family bigger and bigger.

_11

1

10:30 a.m. swiss design culture_jörg boner

1 jörg boner chair designer

In the CRESTA CHAIR, the understated strength of a traditional wooden chair in the Alpine style fuses with modern wood technology and contemporary aesthetic appeal. The chair made of solid wood must cut an equally good figure in an elegant setting or in a rustic Alpine hut. At first sight it seems to consist of no more than a seat shell and four legs. In fact the seat is made up of three parts: the seating surface and back rest are united through clearly visible mitre joints with a curved central section. The chair legs are also fixed in that section, making it in a sense the cornerstone and fulcrum of the design. Thanks to its body-hugging seating shell the CRESTA CHAIR made by craftsmen achieves a high degree of comfort. This chair is part of the collection of the young DADADUM label which has set itself the task of further enhancing the heritage of Swiss design and creating new contemporary objects.

Mr Boner, how did you hit upon the idea of the exceptional CRESTA CHAIR? Where did you get your inspiration?

I found the idea of making a chair entirely of solid wood very appealing. Demian Conrad, the founder and proprietor of the “Dadadum” collection, asked me whether I could imagine designing a chair in this natural material for his collection. Solid wood and chairs have a long and rich tradition in the Alpine region. That was how I began to deal with this topic for the first time. I took my inspiration from the typical wooden chair with a backrest which still demonstrates the rational and economical use of ecological materials. At the same time I endeavoured to take my own approach further. I wanted to transpose the findings of history into our modern age. That is why I took modern production technologies on board and attempted to give the chair shape a calm yet purposeful and clear expression. After all, the user is expected to sit on the product and not just to talk about it. That is how the modern “Alpine chair” was created.

Jörg Boner is the creative mind behind the artistic concept of the CRESTA CHAIR which won the Swiss Design Prize in 2013. The jury praised the contemporary interpretation of a traditional type of chair which is widely used in the Alpine region and can be integrated through its formal quality into a whole range of residential environments. The Swiss designer explained to us in an interview how he arrived at the idea of the CRESTA CHAIR and told us about his plans for the future:

How would you describe your creation in just three words?

2 x charm and 1 x comfort What is important for you as a designer?

In my profession, I deal with the objects which surround us. They are part of our culture. I consider it important for them to be created under good conditions and last for a long time, while being aesthetically pleasing in their design and satisfying ecological criteria. When I say “good conditions” I have in mind

Swiss Chair Designer – The CRESTA CHAIR by Jörg Boner

_13

more specifically the social conditions of the people who make the product. And what about the C02 emissions caused by the production process? Day in, day out millions of products are made all over the world. The quality of the production process varies and ranges from excellent to extremely poor. What I want to do is to make carefully manufactured products attractive.

What was the first Swiss designer piece which you bought?

Unfortunately I can’t remember (he laughs).

In 1996 you graduated from the then Design School of Basel as a product designer. Since 2001 you have been independent with the Jörg Boner productdesign company. You won the Swiss Design Prize 2013.

How important is that for you?

The award of the Swiss Design Prize is both a confirmation and an inspiration to continue. It gave me renewed energy.

Where will you go from here? What are your goals and wishes? What are you working on right now?

We are currently working on a great many fantastic projects. However, the tasks are becoming more and more challenging and involve increasingly complex production methods. As a result we have to become more closely involved in the production process. That is how you can make changes and above all improvements. I am very interested in that aspect. This is precisely the direction in which my aims and wishes for the future are tending.

Thank you very much for the interview.

It was a pleasure!

Apart from the Swiss Design Prize, Jörg Boner looks back on a great many other awards. A point which he has in common with ALFEX. Further information about him and his creations: jörg boner productdesign | grubenstrasse 37 | ch8045 zürich http://www.joergboner.ch

_15

black eclipse

12:00 a.m. introducing new IKON collection

_17

THE NEW IKON COLLECTION

At Baselword 2014, Alfex unites innovative materials with understated timeless design.

SURPRISINGLY SIMPLE – THE NEW IKON COLLECTION With the IKON collection Alfex designers remain true to their tradition and show their interpretation of minimalism in a new light: Nine models in black, white, blue, grey and lilac are turned into a stylish yet at the same time unconventional trendy object by the LED lighting. This is actuated by pressing a button.

The ergonomically perfect bracelets of the new models are made of silicon and harmoniously embrace the watch case. A Swiss quartz movement made by Ronda ticks away inside the IKON. With its new IKON, the Ticino watch manufacturer has achieved an absolute eye catcher: “For 65 years our products have stood for clear, minimalist design made in Switzerland. The IKON unites the same values as the regular collection by Alfex, while creating a highlight with new materials and sophisticated LED technology”, Pasquale Feola CEO of Alfex watches explains.

_19

1:00 p.m. collaboration_kreepz

“LESS COMPLEXITY” – ART ON WHEELS KREEPZ KUSTOM CYCLES DESIGNS FOR ALFEX His name is Emmanuel Schafer. He is 40 years old and lives in Fribourg (CH). He has turned his hobby into a profession. On request, the Swiss artist builds cycles for an exclusive circle of clients. Cycles from the House of Kreepz are works of art, tailored to the wishes of the future owner. Schafer does not like unnecessary flourishes: “I mainly build fixies and single speed bikes – complex gearshifts and other options are obsolete here” he explains. Single speed bicycles do not have a gearshift. Sometimes the cycle cannot even free wheel in which case it is said to have a rigid gear. In every day parlance, this is often referred to familiarly as a fixie. Some fixies even do without brakes. To slow down you have to back pedal.

Mäno, as Schafer is known on the biking scene, built a fixie for fun back in 2007. “The cycle stood in my studio and suddenly everyone wanted a bike like that”, the man who remains permanently true to his Fribourg origins explains. Under the Kreepz Kustom Cycles label, Emmanuel has since been making and distributing cycles all over Europe. “Already when I was a little child I played around with my BMX wheels and later as a teenager I converted mopeds. At the time I could never have imagined that one day I could earn money with my hobby”, Schafer tells us.

Straightforward design and extreme precision are distinctive features of Kreepz creations: “Made in Switzerland” is important for him and he would never deliver anything of inferior quality. As Schafer says “each of my cycles is tailored to the individual customer and as precise as a Swiss watch movement”, the artist points out. A cycle from the house of Kreepz is understated by definition. Emmanuel takes his inspiration from Charles Eames, Le Corbusier or Dieter Rams. He believes that the fixie scene has direct links with contemporary design which in turn influences the styling of these cycles. At the end of 2013, Kreepz Custom Cycles made contact with Alfex watches for the first time: “Modern, straightforward design and high quality products made in Switzerland are at the centre of our brands – cooperation was almost self-evident”, Pasquale Feola, COO of Alfex Watches points out. Alfex entrusted Kreepz with the design and construction of three fixies which were to embody in a playful manner the same values as the new IKON collection by Alfex. Read more in our accompanying interview with Emmanuel Schafer of Kreepz Custom Cycles.

Hallo Mäno, how are you?

Well thank you. I am delighted to have this opportunity to present my creations here in Basel jointly with Alfex. What about you? Have you already been cycling today?

“Less complexity – made in Switzerland” _21

Thank you, I am well too. No, unfortunately I have not yet been out cycling today. But let’s stick to our subject: what does cycling mean for you?

In the first instance, cycling stands for freedom. Can you remember how you felt as a little child when you were at last able to ride a bicycle for the very first time? It was a fantastic feeling of freedom to be able to get from A to B faster than ever. But I did not just want to ride. When I was small, I already wanted to have the finest bicycle in the school yard. In fact, nothing has changed in the meantime … Have you ever driven a car in Berlin or London? It takes you 15 minutes to travel just 1 kilometre. Pure horror. Many people living in Berlin or London get from one point to another quickly because they all use their stylish single gear cycles. The purpose of movement has become a lifestyle. That in itself is incredibly cool…

Tell us a little about your creations?

I like the word “creation”. Cycles from the house of Kreepz are creations. I do not want an off-the-shelf product. Anyone who chooses one of my bikes can rely on the fact that it will last a very long time and attract many admiring glances. When people see one of my cycles they ask me: “Mäno, could you build something like that for me?” My answer is always this: “Of course. Pay a visit to my studio and we will decide together what suits you best”.

In the first place, you build cycles with just one gear and no gearshift, why is that?

I like everything which is simple, especially when it comes to buildings, furniture or cycles. “Reduced to the max” has always seemed to me a brilliant motto. So if somehow or other I can remove the gearshift from a bike I do so. On a fixie you brake directly with the pedals. However, for safety reasons I do still always supply brakes. You never know what might happen on the road…

Isn’t that a step backwards? On steep slopes you surely need more than one gear.

Have you seen any mountains in London, Tokyo, New York or Paris? I haven’t and that is why the fixie trend has taken hold in those capital cities. People are all very design or fashion-conscious and on the lookout for new ways of getting around which reflect their lifestyle. They do not need 20 gears but at most a fox tail on the saddle. Original chairs by Charles Eames are not the last word either, but they are more popular than ever before because they are extremely functional and get by with understated design. Just like my bicycles.

What is important for you as a Swiss cycle maker?

Certainly the quality of my cycles. Anyone who brings a product “Made in CH” onto the market is more or less obliged to maintain a high quality standard. That

is how things are. In the watch industry, it is just the same…

Which brings us to our subject.

That’s right!

How did you begin to cooperate with Alfex?

The people from Alfex were on the lookout for a Swiss designer who shared the same values with them. Somehow or other they hit upon me. We had originally spoken about a new claim which is a byword for Alfex: “Less complexity”. The products of Alfex and Kreepz both stand for contemporary design and Swiss quality. Alfex asked me to build three cycles for them which were to be exhibited at Baselword 2014 together with the new IKON collection.

A word about IKON, what do you think of the new collection?

With its IKON, Alfex has undergone further development while remaining true to its fundamental values. I believe that the IKON collection will appeal to a somewhat younger target audience - people between 25 and 35 with style and a decent purchasing power. My bikes are monochrome and feature timeless styling, just like the IKON. So all this fits together well. From now on Kreepz riders will be wearing IKON watches.

The IKON features LED lighting. Isn’t that one gimmick too far for you?

Ha ha! Yes you might indeed ask yourself that question. Have you ever heard of monkey lights? They too are LED lights which you can fit into the spokes of the wheels of a cycle. When the cycle begins to move fantastic lighting effects occur and make cycling at night safer. Lighting is very popular on the fixie scene because it looks cool and has a specific function. The same goes for the IKON which combines style and functional quality.

What do you hope your cooperation with Alfex will bring you?

That’s a good question.

I believe that the Alfex and Kreepz Custom Cycles brands share a similar DNA. We do not need to change to appear together on the same stage. Both labels stand for timeless design and Swiss quality.

Many photos of the project were taken during the cycle design phase. We also made a film which was put on our websites at the time. I greatly welcome the fact that we were able to document this cooperation so effectively and share it now with a broad public.

Thank you for the discussion Mäno!

It was a pleasure, ride on!

Photos and videos of the project at: www.alfex.ch www.kreepz.ch

_25

3:00 p.m. less complexity_baselworld 2014

MODERN CLASSIC, NEW STRUCTURE and TREND CYCLES – those are the names of the families belonging to the 2014 Basel Collection styled by the prize-winning Alfex designers. For 65 years, Alfex has combined understated quality with emotion. At Basel, the Swiss watch manufacturer is presenting timeless-classical elegance for women and men. Carefully selected materials and quartz movements made in Switzerland live up to high standards of quality and precision. All the product families from the watch manufacturer based in the Ticino embody timeless design, in five completely different variants....

_27

infinity

MODERN CLASSIC The Modern Classic product line exemplifies traditional Swiss watchmaking with a pure minimalist character. The models designed for Baselworld feature convincing classical design. The collection comprises a total of 14 models with a sapphire crystal for women and men. Steel is the dominant material, both in the watch cases and in the bracelets. Swiss watch movements by Ronda and Isaswiss tick away inside the Modern Classic models.

_29

synus

_31

leaftime

_33

NEW STRUCTURE Clear geometrical forms make the watches in this product family a jewellery piece on every wrist. Square shapes, tough materials such as steel and ceramics, together with a choice of discreet colours, turn the models in the New Structure line into sought-after lifestyle objects for women who set the trend. High quality Swiss watch movements by Ronda and Isaswiss guarantee precision in daily use.

_35

TREND CYCLE The Trend Cycle collection is always one step ahead when it comes to design. In this product line, the focus is on innovation, extravagance and uncompromising character. With Trend Cycle, Alfex goes for avant-garde design in Basel. In all, four Trend Cycle models feature Swiss movements by Ronda and Isaswiss with familiar Swiss accuracy. Steel bracelets and watch cases flow together in a harmoniously rounded form and turn these timepieces into exceptional eye-catchers on the female wrist.

_37

1

5:00 p.m. singapore_city report

2

3

4

1 garden city

2 raffles hotel

3 chicken mandarin rice chili crab

4 hawker center

Singapore: The Switzerland of Asia The multi-ethnic population of the tiny island-state of Singapore is a significant characteristic to its unique background. Founded as a British trading colony in early 1800, Singapore took its first steps as a modern offshore and international financial center soon after its independence from Malaysia in 1965.

The increasing role of its financial system together with the efficiency of its government and its clean appearance gained the city the label of “Switzerland of Asia”.

Indeed, Switzerland is atypical in its successful political integration of a multiethnic and multilingual population, and is often cited as a model for new efforts at creating unification.

The Swiss Confederation originated in 1848 and is made up of relatively autonomous cantons, some of which have a history that goes back for almost a millennium. Its official ethnic groups and languages are the German-speaking Swiss, the French-speaking Swiss, the Italian-speaking Swiss and the Romansh.

Likewise in Singapore, the Chinese ethnicity makes up the largest group and Chinese is the official language along with English, Malay and Tamil. The culture and especially cuisine of Singapore are vibrant contributors to the unparalleled personality of this place where modernity melts together with traditional architecture. Despite its small size there are also many natural escapes in the way in form of parks and gardens earning the city-state Singapore the nickname “Garden City”.

As in many Asian countries, the lifestyle in Singapore is highly pulsating, and “shopping in Orchard Road” and food tasting are a “compulsory ritual” of everyone living here. Not to be missed out are the local dishes chicken rice for lunch and the famous chili crab for dinner, followed by the romantic Singapore Sling, the long drink originated in the iconic Raffles Hotel. The melting pot of different cultures brought together the most diversified cuisines that can be tasted at no-frill local “hawker centers” up to the high-end restaurants. Singaporeans are very outgoing people who love to experience new cultures and thus travel to all 4 corners of the world, in order to happily head back home into the safe and efficient environment. Thanks to the strict guidance of the government, today Singapore is one of the richest countries in the world, and this shows in the attentive choice of products the Singaporeans buy, from high end branded clothes to highly precise Swiss Made watches. Singapore has made an international name as a shopping hub and the availability of renowned luxury brands has led to an influx of shopping tourists. Swiss Made watches are increasingly popular and their demand is increasing since years. Indeed, the most appealing names in the watch industry are all Swiss Made and Singapore, as a strongly brand-oriented country, puts a lot of attention to the choice of what watch to wear. Here Alfex plays a key role. With its high quality and minimalistic design it stands out from the crowd and the Singaporeans have valued it by more than doubling the numbers of sold Alfex watches in the past year.

_41

Giovanni was born in Burgdorf, Switzerland, in 1966.

He discovered his passion for bicycle at a very early age “stealing� his mom’s bike to use it in the woods.

Soon, in his teens, mountain biking became popular and there he found himself riding down the slopes with many other enthusiasts.

In 2005, his job offered him the possibility to move to Singapore. Here he switched to road biking but soon found out that as well in Singapore there is an enthusiastic mountain bike community which he eagerly joined.

In 2013 he opened his first bicycle shop in Singapore with a partner, followed by a second one early 2014.

Giovanni lives happily in Singapore from where he explores new mountain bike trails and road bike adventures around the whole of South East Asia.

6:00 p.m. a swiss expat in singapore_giovanni fabio

Why did you leave Switzerland and decide to move to Singapore?

This was purely a coincidence, as it happens many times in life. The company I used to work for in Switzerland decided to open a regional office in Asia.

After an intensive market study their decision fell on Singapore, because of tax incentives, the central location within Southeast Asia and the English & Chinese speaking workforce

are strongly related. Although while riding a bicycle I still prefer to use the sun as my time measurer to tell me it’s…time for dinner.

Why did you decide to become an entrepreneur?

It was always my dream to once start my own business. It had to be something I could 100% identify myself with, and as cycling & mountain biking are my favorite hobbies the choice was easy. In fact, what better dream come true than making your hobby become a living?

We are experiencing a world wide bike boom, do you experience this trend as well in Singapore?

Yes, over the last 4 – 5 years cycling became a big thing in Singapore. Mainly, people use bikes for sport activities like race bikes, triathlon bikes and mountain bikes. There is still a huge community using foldable & mini bikes due to place concerns in their apartment.

The Singapore Government has built National Park Connectors all along the island which attracts a lot of leisure cyclists. The Singapore Government announced another project building 200km cycling tracks to make cycling saver and to motivate more people to cycle. In addition People realized that cycling is one of the best way to keep the body in a good shape with relatively low risk of injuries. I presume that’s why more and more sport enthusiasts are moving from running to cycling.

Tell us about your experience as an entrepreneur in Singapore ?

What’s certainly nice in Singapore is the support of the Government for new businesses like tax holiday, IT support etc.

One of the main challenges is to find highly qualified people and to let them work in a different style than locals do. We want our staff to be self-driven, to think out of the box and take initiative to please the customer. This way of managing people is definitely a big difference from local managers who mostly prefer to micro-manage and give step-to-step instructions to their employees..

Do you see yourself growing old in Singapore or would you move back to Switzerland?

Yes/no? Why? This is a tough question. Singapore is surely a lovely place to live when we are still in a working age. The climate makes Singapore a fantastic place to be as we can enjoy all year round a “summer time”. I think after retirement a more laid back place would be my favorite. I am not sure if that’s Switzerland, though, since I love the sun and its warm temperature.

What’s the main difference between Singapore vs Switzerland ?

There are many similarities between Switzerland and Singapore thus also the label “Switzerland of Asia” when we refer to this city-state. Singapore has adopted the same safety levels as Switzerland and increased them actually with quite severe punishment for trespassers (caning is still applied in Singapore!). Many years back, Singapore laid the basis to become the financial hub of Asia and indeed Switzerland is losing massively clients in favour of Singapore. However, Singapore is different to Switzerland in many other aspects. It oriented itself also on the American way of life, having 24/7 shops and eateries, entertainment opportunities which include casions, natural parks and even a ski-house, and that in the tropics! Despite its small space, it also attracted Universal Studios to please its population and attract tourists. Life in Singapore is thus much more vibrant but at the same time can also be very hectic.

Obviously, one main difference is the climate. So, funnily enough, you need to wear a jacket when you go INSIDE a building like a shopping mall, the cinema or even a taxi, as Singaporeans love their air-conditioning at the max.

What is your relation with time, both in your private life and when you ride a bicycle?

Time is something we have to cope with. There are days on which time runs slowly and some days time runs faster than we would wish. Of course in good times we always feel that 24hours are passing in an instant and when we are dealing with boring tasks a simple day feels like an eternity. The same goes if we spend time with our loved once or if we are alone and waiting for someone.

Time in relation to biking is a fantastic combination.

By clocking the time on the same routes, it’s the proof of becoming a faster rider. So time and bicycle

Do you perceive time as friend or foe?

Neither nor. I perceive time as part of our life but I do not let me stress about time. It’s the 4th dimension we all have to live with. So I accept what I can’t change.

_43

8:00 p.m. alfex news

alfex & febex at espaijoji barcelona

alfex & mosalt at watch fair moscow

alfex italia at vicenza fair

alfex worldwide windows japan

vietnam

switzerland

news from switzerland alfex collaborates with corriere del ticino

event l’eleganza langenthal

press clippings australia

russia

switzerland

12.00 p.m.

10:00 p.m. alfex in the world alfex in the world

_usa eurotime corp 145 huguenot street new rochelle 10801 new york ph: 914 235 6261 fax: 914 235 3190 e-mail: eurotime2@msn.com

_jamaica swiss stores ltd.

107 harbour street p.o.box 171 w.i. kingston ph: + 876 922 8050 fax: + 876 922 8403 e-mail: info@swissstoresjamaica.com web: www.swissstoresjamaica.com

_chile concepto tres s.a. av. americo verspucio no 1385 oficina 14, edificio b, condominio industrial spacio flex quilicura, santiago ph: 00569 2770 9800 e-mail: pvaras@conceptotres.com

_argentina itg international time group lavalle 534 3° piso (c1047aal) ciudad autonoma de buenos aires 1001 ph: 005411 5278 3001 fax: 005411 48141045

_america

_tunisia bmg. s.a.r.l.

11, rue h. bouzaiane 1001 tunis ph: 00216 71 344073 fax: 00216 71 342396 e-mail: bmg.tn@hotmail.com

_lybia alsanusi & sons al shabab building tripoli - libya 82936 ph: +218 21 714 2840 fax: +218 21 363 0768 e-mail: info@alsanusi.com web: www.alsanusi.com

_australia lion brands pty ltd 1070 glenhuntly road glen huntly, victoria, 3163 ph: 03 9572 9820 fax: 03 9572 9899 e-mail: info@lionbrandsaustralia.com.au

_egypt kiro time 17 omar ben el khattab st., ismailia sq., heliopolis 11351 cairo ph: +2 02 26437590 fax: +2 02 26437591 e-mail: thomas-trade@link.net web: www.thomastrade-eg.com

_korea romanson co., ltd.

77-1 garak-dong, songpa-ku 138160 seoul ph: +82 (0)2 2190 7106 fax: +82 (0)2 406 9180 e-mail: yoonjik@romanson.co.kr web: www.thewatches.co.kr

_singapore all watches pte ltd 304, orchard rd, #b1-128 lucky plaza 238863 singapore ph: 0065 67327673 fax: 0065 67348816 e-mail: allwatch@singnet.com.sg web: www.allwatches.com.sg

_philippines time depot inc 380 del monte ave.sta. mesa heights, 1114 quezon city ph: 00632 743 5220 fax: 00632 743 4982 e-mail: watch@belrewmond.com

_kazakhstan erdenbekova abylai han st., 62 050000 almaty ph: +7 727 272 9000 fax: +7 727 272 9889 e-mail: yevgeniy.golenko@peregrine.kz

_japan alfex asia +65 67335417 info@alfexasia.com

_hong kong / china alfex (hong kong) co. ltd. unit 1601-2 saxon tower 7 cheung shun st., lai chi kok kowloon, hong kong ph: 00852 2367 8022 fax: 00852 2366 0829 e-mail: gareth.wong@alfex.com.hk

_china after sales service pu xun entreprise co. ltd g/f. block b, 1998 yang gao road south 200125 shanghai ph: +86 21 6888 8600 e-mail: info@alfexasia.com

_asia / australia

_africa

_49

_denmark after sales service spirit icons aps røjlemosevej 57 5500 middelfart denmark ph: +45 2748 11 11 e-mail: tim@spiriticons.com

_czech republic design trade s.r.o. klausova 15 15 00 praha 5 ph: 00420257213232 fax: 00420257214565 e-mail: info@designtrade.cz

_cyprus melekkis and sons ltd. paralimni/dherynia road po box 36005 dherynia ph: 00357 2382 1791 fax: 00357 23 82 52 05 e-mail: melekkis@cy.net web: www.melekkis.net

_croatia cordis malesnica 16 10000 zagreb ph: +385 1 3733 357 fax: +385 1 3733 366 e-mail: cordis@zg.t-com.hr web: www.cordis.hr

_bulgaria mega trade ltd 31 alabin str.

1000 sofia ph: 00359 2 986 45 68 fax: 00359 2 980 54 85 e-mail: megatrade@trading.bg

_belgium & luxembourg soficharm bvba stwg op antwerpen 82 2300 turnhout ph: 0032 14 42 86 31 fax: 0032 14 42 87 41 e-mail: info@alfex.be

_azerbajan aztime 7b. izmir str 1065 baku ph: +994 12 510 94 70 fax: +994 12 537 12 70 e-mail: aztimewatchcompany@yahoo.com web: www.aztime.az

_europa

_vietnam tan tan watch 182 ho van hue st, phu nhuan dist hochiminh city ph: +84.8.39971023 fax: +84.8.39971022 e-mail: htlk2006@yahoo.com

_lithuania uab “koliz laikrodziai” naugarduko str. 41 lt-03227 vilnius ph: 00370 5 213 08 09 fax: 00370 5 235 60 77 e-mail: watch@koliz.lt web: www.chronos.lt

_latvia rippol ltd valnu 35-9 str. lv-1050 riga ph: 00371 67 217 425 fax +371 67 240430 e-mail: laiks@laikswatches.lv web: www.laikswatches.lv

_kosovo ias group shpk rr “bulevardi i pavaresise” pn 60000 gjilan ph: +381280322058 fax: +381280322058 e-mail: info@iasgroup-ks.com web: www.iasgroup-ks.com/

_italy alfex sa via cantonale, centro galleria 3 6928 manno, switzerland ph: +41 (0)91 612 22 90 fax: +41 (0)91 612 23 09 e-mail: info@alfex.ch

_iceland jon & oskar laugavegi 61 101 reykjavik ph: 00354 552 4910 fax: 00354 551 4910 e-mail: hakon@pipar.is

_germany suhg schweizer uhrenhandelsgesellschaft rheintalstr. 24 _ rheinfelden 79618 ph: +49 7627 16.55 fax: +49 7627 24.34 e-mail: info@suhg.de

_france columbus i&a 2 roc clair 25690 avoudrey ph: +33.3.81.88.53.45 e-mail: contact@columbus-ia.fr

_finland rotor form oy sammonkatu 47 33540 tampere ph: 03 3122 56 66 fax: 0358103203030 e-mail: kontakti@rotor.fi web: www.rotor.fi

_serbia happy moments time timocka 38/4 donja vrezina - nis ph: 00381600666700 fax.: 0038118226975 e-mail: happymomentstime@hotmail.com

_russia group of companies mosalt dorozhnaya str., 3, build.6 117545 moscow ph: 007 (495) 666 2003-4 fax: 007 (495) 666 2003-4 e-mail: masalt@yandex.ru web: www.mosalt.ru

_romania b&b collection srl str. traian nr.3, bloc e 6, sc.2, ap.54, sector 3 30571 bucharest ph: 402 1327 4477 / 402 1327 4444 fax: 402 1327 4467 e-mail: office@bbcollection.ro web: www.bbcollection.ro

_portugal watch planet rua das amoreiras, no. 66/rc 1250 024 lisboa ph: 00351 21 342 83 08 fax: 00351 21 324 01 28 e-mail: info@watchplanet.pt

_poland poljot euro ul. iganska 24 04-087 warszawa ph: +48 22 879 97 93 fax: +48 22 879 97 96 e-mail: pawel@poljot.com.pl web: www.poljot.com.pl

pda after sales service postbus 93 1500 eb zaandam ph: +31 (075) 6707075 fax: +31 (075) 6707075 e-mail: service@pdagroup.nl

_netherland account manager netherland dennet beks ph: +31(0) 612 779 264 e-mail: dennet.beks@alfex.ch

_moldova godina international str. bernardazzi, 59 md-2009 chisinau ph: +37322 227973 fax: +37322 227971 e-mail: godina@godina.md web: www.godina.md

_iran no.23 - sadaf shopping center aghdasiyye, pasadaran ave. tehran ph: +98 21 22 29 87 02 ph: + 98 21 22 29 89 73

_bahrain deluxe store bab-al bahrain road p.o. box 865 manama ph: 00973 17 255 499 fax: 00973 17 275 455 e-mail: deluxest@batelco.com.bh

_medio oriente

_uk westport of london the old parlour-unit 6 ockley court farmcoles lane rh5 5ls ockley-surrey ph: 01306 712220 fax: 01306 712073 web: www.westportoflondon.com

_ukraine jv deka ltd gurova ave. 13 83055 donetsk ph: +380 62 335 13 44 fax +380 62 335 38 23 e-mail: zsv@deka.dn.ua web: www.deka.dn.ua

_turkey pirlant saat müc. paz. san.tic.ltd.sti. çekirge cad. intam 101 k.1 d.1 çekirge / bursa ph: 00902242332290 fax.: 00902242332292 web: www.pirlant.com.tr

_switzerland alfex sa via cantonale, centro galleria 3 6928 manno ph: +41 (0)91 612 22 90 fax: +41 (0)91 612 23 09 e-mail: info@alfex.ch

_spain vallromanes plaza can poal, 2 08188 vallromanes - barcelona ph: +34 93 566 94 04 e-mail: febexdist@gmail.com

_slovak republic design trade s.r.o.

Klausova 2541/15 150 00 praha 5 ph: 00420257213232 fax: 00420257214565 e-mail: info@designtrade.cz

_united arab emirates /u.a.e al futtaim watches & jewelry al maktoum street-al futtaim tower - po box 7916 dubai ph: 00971 42224142 fax: 00971 42224599 e-mail: afwatches.jewellery@alfuttaim.ae web: www.watchesuae.com

_syria mario retail mehdi pen barakeh street, p.o. box 30660 damascus ph: 009633113312221 00963966662222 fax: 009631133 10909 e-mail: info@mariogroup.net

_sultanate of oman al faisal company l.l.c.

115 madinat al sultan qaboos ph: 00968 24590086 fax: 00968 24591700 e-mail: alfaisal@omantel.net.om

_saudi arabia badghaish store king khaled street - p.o. box 2016 31952 al-khobar ph: 00966 3 864 11 18 fax: 00966 3 898 46 57 e-mail: badghash@badghaish-store.com web: www.badghaish-store.com

_qatar al-muftah centre al sadd street p.o.box: 875, doha - qatar ph: +974 44446867 fax: +974 44326868 e-mail: almuftah@almuftah.com web: www.almuftah.com

_kuwait alargan trading est. showaik industrial area papsi cola st. - pob 1532 13016 safat ph: +965 257 57 137 fax: +9652 57 57 138 e-mail: argan@alargan.com

_jordan diamond star trading est.

2nd flr., nabulsi center, basman st. p.o.box 1556 11118 amman ph: +96264619711 fax: +96264613616 e-mail: timegallery@go.com.jo web: www.timegallery.me

_israel h. stern savionim center - p.o. box 11370 56450 kiryat savionim ph: 00972 3 6323666 fax: 00972 3 6323777 e-mail: serge@hstern.co.il

alfex_design of time magazine

alfex_mag_01 / 2014 photo credits pp. 12 (portrait) © Milo Keller pp. 12, 13, 14, 15 © Daniela Droz and Tinatiuh Ambrosetti pp. 18, 19, 20, 21, 22 © Gaetan Rossier pp. 33 © Nicky Bay

alfex sa via cantonale, centro galleria 3 6928 manno - ch phone +41 (0) 91 612 22 90 fax +41 (0) 91 612 22 09 info@alfex.ch www.alfex.ch

reseller place your stamp here