The legacy

A treasure that gives sense to the magnificent partnership between Carl F. Bucherer and Caran d’Ache

The values of a family-led company, world-renowned Swiss Made know-how, and a commitment to a sustainable future are the solid foundations of the prestigious watch manufacture Carl F. Bucherer and the outstanding Maison Caran d’Ache, dedicated to writing and drawing instruments. Their wish to bring together this precious heritage inspired two exceptional pieces that pay tribute to the highlights of life, “Signature Moments”. Uwe Liebminger, CMO of Carl F. Bucherer, expresses the Maison’s pride in this promising collaboration.

TEXT SOPHIE COLIN

UWE LIEBMINGER, YOUR PARTNERSHIP WITH THE MAISON CARAN D’ACHE WAS BORN FROM YOUR MUTUAL RECOGNITION BECAUSE YOU SHARE THE SAME VALUES. WHAT ARE THEY?

During the pandemic, we took the time to really reflect on our brand, our values and our next steps. Our heritage of more than 134 years is so well founded that it will always remain a USP of the brand, and our values of innovation, excellence, tradition and sustainability will certainly not change, as they are timeless. For our next steps, we decided to partner with local yet global brands who have the same values as we do. This led to our partnership with Caran d’Ache, as together we aim to engage with our local community and with our local customers in a more engaging and sustainable way. And we noted that Carl F. Bucherer is the only Swiss watch company founded by a family that is still in the hands of the founding family. In our discussions with Caran d’Ache, we realized that this was a perfect match because, like us, they are based in Switzerland and built on the values of family business; they are a Manufacture with a long-standing history, and Caran d’Ache and Carl F. Bucherer both produce mechanical or analog instruments in a world which is almost entirely digital. So, this was a perfect basis for the start of something special from two iconic Swiss brands.

YOUR TWO MAISONS HAVE KNOWN EACH OTHER BY REPUTATION FOR OVER A CENTURY. WHAT TRIGGERED YOUR PARTNERSHIP?

The legacy was a trigger. As mentioned, they have a long, incredible, interesting history based on the same values as ours. Caran d’Ache and Carl F. Bucherer are very innovative companies. And we have to be innovative if we want to constantly develop further this a competitive environment. We’ve always been true to our basic values, something that is greatly influenced by our being led by the founding family. Also, we both have a long tradition and a legacy that also defines our future.

HOW DID YOUR TWO MAISONS EXPRESS THOSE SHARED BRAND VALUES IN THE MANERO FLYBACK SIGNATURE WATCH? AND HOW DID THEY INSPIRE EACH OTHER?

In every signature moment of your life - the birth of a child, taking on a new job, buying an apartment, getting married, or whatever your own signature moments might be - you always note the time and the date with your timepiece, but in most cases, you will also sign a document of some sort. Therefore, we wanted to collaborate with something that reflects those signature moments in the lives of our customers. We produced a high-end writing instrument and a beautiful timepiece, the Carl F. Bucherer Manero Flyback Signature watch and the Caran D’Ache Signature rollerball pen. But that wasn’t enough for us. We wanted something cool and unexpected because people want to have something rather disruptive on their wrists. We brought colors and sustainability to the wrist: the NATO textile strap is available in different colors and is made of 100% sustainable materials. There are two straps: one comes together with the watch and the other, in another color, is a complimentary gift to the customer. We also have very special packaging: the pen and the timepiece are presented together in a travel pouch made of eco-friendly materials, and delivered in a beautiful handcrafted wooden box that customers can use again. It’s a jewel within a jewel. It’s an iconic combination of what the brand reflects in its DNA, an ambassador of signature moments in the lives of our customers.

TELL US ABOUT CARL F. BUCHERER’S CREATIVITY. HOW IS IT EXPRESSED GENERALLY AND PARTICULARLY IN THE MANERO FLYBACK SIGNATURE? AND HOW DOES IT RESPECT YOUR HERITAGE?

We were founded in 1888, more than 130 years ago, but you could say that the brand as you know it today is much younger. A part of the identity changed twenty years ago, when Mr. Jörg G. Bucherer – who represents the third consecutive generation of founding family to run this company – decided to place his grandfather’s name (Carl Friedrich Bucherer) on every dial. Since then, the name ‘Carl F. Bucherer’ has appeared on every single timepiece. Today, we have five different collections. Each collection has its own design language, design colors, and design DNA. Whenever we design a timepiece, it always respects our heritage and this specific DNA but we are flexible in interpreting it. Within the five collections, we naturally allocate the collection and timepieces to one of our four brand worlds: Mastering Excellence, Cosmopolitan since 1888, Sport & Adventure and Timeless Style. This clear segmentation within the product strategy and the brand worlds gives us a clear guidance of who to talk to about which timepiece. Through this, we get a very specific understanding of who is interested in the design language of the tourbillon or who is interested in sports or in a dive watch.

CARL F. BUCHERER INSPIRED BY CARAN D’ACHE, WHAT KIND OF EMOTION DO YOU FEEL?

Carole Hubscher, the CEO of Caran d’Ache, is highly inspiring as is her brand. We both have the immense responsibility to respect and develop the legacies of our family brands. I think it’s something new that the industry hasn’t seen so far, and working together on such an amazing project is definitely very special. We are working to offer our customers something that is quite new and unique in the industry.

WHAT INFLUENCE DOES THIS PARTNERSHIP HAVE IN CARL F. BUCHERER’S OWN HISTORY?

What I can say today is that when we met Carole Hubscher and her teams, it was a natural fit, an organic partnership. We work in similar environments and cultures: both are traditional yet very contemporary. We have the same objectives and mindsets. We have a lot of ideas that we came up and I’m convinced that we have a very bright future ahead. That is very important to us in this partnership, and we are very proud to partner with Caran d’Ache. There is more to come and our audience can be very excited to see what will follow.

AN ODE TO SOME OF THE WORLD’S LEGENDARY CITIES

The Heritage BiCompax Annual Hometown Editions from Carl F. Bucherer pay tribute to 16 of some of its in nine different countries. Every piece carries the historic cosmopolitan spirit of the watchmaking brand, which feels at home every in the world.

TEXT SOPHIE COLIN