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WEB & IPAD SPECIAL WATCH AFICIONADO
Louis Moinet
In less than ten years, Jean-Marie Schaller, Louis Moinet’s CEO, put this great historical name back on stage
BASELWORLD’S INSIDER REPORTS
www.watch-aficionado.com WATCH BUSINESS PAPER – USA & CANADA – VOL.51 N° 3/2015 JUNE - JULY
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WITH INDEX OF ALL IN-DEPTH ARTICLES PUBLISHED ONLINE
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SIGNALS
Featuring this month on:
www.watch-aficionado.com
Did you know? Famous Swiss brand and conglomerate “Swatch” is an abbreviation for “second watch”. (Fortune)
MEMORIS by Louis Moinet Memoris is the first chronograph-watch in watchmaking history. This 46 mm timepiece is available in pink gold or white gold, in three limited editions of just 60 pieces each. The new caliber on Memoris is the LM54. With a rhythm of 28,800 vibrations per hour (4Hz), it has 302 components and provides a 48hour power reserve. Over sixty parts have been designed and manufactured to allow the chronograph to be presented atop a dedicated movement plate, separating it from the automatic movement beneath. www.louismoinet.com
EDITORIAL Reshuffling the deck COVER STORY Louis Moinet – From the kitchen to the stars SIGNALS INTERVIEWS A business talk with… BASEL REPORT The Babelworld labyrinth Faces in time Smartwatches: prototypes & promises Gallery: world tour
Silicon Smart and traditional watches have more in common than you think! Key components of mechanical watches – including balance-wheels, hairsprings, and escapement-wheels - are now also made from silicon, which is stronger than metal and doesn’t need lubrication. (Swiss Watch Wire)
EXCLUSIVE The unpublished export figures for Swiss luxury watches! LAKIN@LARGE The world’s happiest country SPOTLIGHT Adriatica
READER SURVEY: 48 ICE-WATCH TO WIN! What do you think of Europa Star? Today, the media and watchmaking landscapes are evolving very rapidly. In order to know better how much you appreciate our magazine, what you like in it and what could still be improved, we invite you, dear Readers, to participate in our Reader Survey. Please go on our website – www.europastar.com – to fill out a very quick online survey. It will take you no more than three minutes but these minutes will be of great value to us. And you can become one of the lucky readers to win one out of 48 Ice-Watch watches! The models we will offer our luckiest readers, through a random draw, are 20 Ice-Forever White Unisex, 20 Ice-Forever Blue Unisex and 8 Ice-Forever Pink Unisex.
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Timeless
54% According to latest reports, the share of Swiss watch exports to Asia is at 54% of its global export total. The Middle Eastern markets of the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Kuwait are now also in the top 30 rankings of Swiss exports. (Federation of the Swiss Watch Industry)
Fear Apple might have to postpone its launch of the Apple Watch in Switzerland due to some controversy over trademark issues. But according to intellectual property lawyer Michel Jaccard,“Apple has nothing to fear.” Good news for the Swiss, who are among the biggest consumers of Apple products. (Bidness ETC)
Jean-Claude Biver, CEO of watches at LVMH and TAG Heuer, thinks that good timekeeping is timeless. According to Biver,“A connected watch from Apple or any other brand will not compete with eternity.”A good point, since he recently bought his wife a century-old Patek Philippe that, according to him, ticks like the day it was first set. (Fortune)
Multipliers IWC’s Middle East marketing strategy doesn’t use celebrity brand ambassadors. In Oman, the brand uses local women that wear their watches out to generate interest.“I’d rather build relationships with 30 ladies who can potentially become our multipliers or ambassadors in the market,” admitted Karoline Huber, IWC Schaffhausen Brand Director for the Middle East & India. (Times of Oman) WATCH AFICIONADO | 5
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COVER STORY
FROM THE KITCHEN TO THE STARS In barely ten years Jean-Marie Schaller has succeeded in reviving the forgotten name of Louis Moinet and placing it firmly at the centre of the watchmaking scene. Here is the fascinating story of this independent watchmaker, who began in a kitchen and is now reaching for the stars. by Pierre Maillard
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My story is not at all typical,” announces Jean-Marie Schaller right off the bat. “You may or not believe this, but when I created the Louis Moinet brand, it was because I had the very strong feeling that it was my destiny. I didn’t really have a choice. And, because I didn’t have any money either, I had to do it with my heart.” Is this the usual story-telling to which the watchmaking industry is particularly partial, given its need to inject that crucial touch of soul to what is essentially, particularly now, a useless lump of metal: the wristwatch? I have to say... it isn’t. Having known the man in question for two decades now, and followed his career, I can assure you his sincerity is beyond question. Jean-Marie Schaller continues: “Gaining recognition for Louis Moinet was, for me, a mission. It was about paying tribute to a watchmaker who was supremely talented, and yet so
humble that he was almost forgotten forever. It’s a genuine love story; more than that – it’s almost a metaphysical experience. You might not believe me, but sometimes I have the impression that Louis Moinet is there, putting ideas into my head, that he is the source of my intuitions. In any case, one thing is quite clear: I couldn’t sell this brand. It would be a betrayal, the brand would suffocate...” Strong words, and a marked contrast to the usual marketing speak, which tends to be more controlled, smoother, and highly unlikely to venture into metaphysics. And, like many true and lasting love stories, this one began with apparent indifference. The embers were smouldering below the surface. It was 1991. Jean-Marie Schaller was at Siber Hegner (a distributor that later became the DKSH group), working under Daniel Roth, who had just launched his own brand. Daniel Roth was very familiar with Breguet and its history, having been involved in its renaissance as a watchmaking brand (at the time Breguet did not yet belong to Swatch Group, which bought it in 1999, but to the Chaumet brothers, and then Investcorp). He happened to mention the name of Louis Moinet (1768–1853), a long-forgotten contemporary of the ultra-famous AbrahamLouis Breguet. But Jean-Marie Schaller wasn’t really paying attention. He was already thinking about ‘reviving’ another watchmaker, Abraham-Louis Perrelet, the inventor of the automatic watch (Editor’s note: this is disputed by some historians). He accomplished his goal in 1993, when he launched the Perrelet brand with an investor (he was to leave in 2000).
LOUIS MOINET IN MILESTONES Louis Moinet was born in Bourges in France in 1768 and was drawn to watchmaking and the fine arts from an early age. At the age of 20 he left for Italy to study architecture, sculpture, painting and engraving. On his return to Paris he was appointed Professor of the Academy of Fine Arts at the Louvre, and embarked upon a practical and theoretical study of horology, to which he would devote himself entirely from 1800 onwards. He became President of the Paris Chronometry Society, and worked closely with Abraham-Louis Breguet. He created a number of extraordinary clocks for Napoleon, the first presidents of the United States, Thomas Jefferson and James Monroe, and King George IV of England. Over the course of twenty years he produced a respected Treatise on Watchmaking. He was an indefatigable innovator, designing alarm clocks, regulators and astronomical watches with breathtaking mechanical features.
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Jean-Marie Schaller with the compteur de tierces invented by Louis Moinet in 1816, the first chronograph ever made. This photograph was taken by Geneva-based photographer Denis Hayoun, founder of Studio Diode.
But a few years later, in 1997, the name of Louis Moinet cropped up again. This time it was from a friend, who had seen what Schaller had achieved with Perrelet and had bought the name Louis Moinet with a view to replicating his success. But the friend had decided that the adventure was not for him, and was hoping to sell the name to JeanMarie Schaller. This was the second ‘contact’ with Louis Moinet. It didn’t come to anything. Time passed once again, and Jean-Marie Schaller moved on from the Perrelet adventure, left Switzerland for personal reasons and went to live in France, away from the watchmaking world. But this new departure didn’t work out, and Jean-Marie Schaller returned to Switzerland “all washed up,” as he puts it, “without a penny to my name.” He was taken on by Lacoste watches in the marketing department, where he evidently did a good job, in just a few short years overseeing an increase in volume from 40,000 to 266,000 watches a year when he left. But this kind of mass marketing left him unsatisfied. He still dreamt of devoting himself to a high-end, mechanical, historic brand. Happily, his friend
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came back on the scene, and once again tried to get him to buy the Louis Moinet name.
THE START OF AN ADVENTURE Jean-Marie Schaller, who at that point had nothing more than a ten-page biography of Louis Moinet to go on, finally gave in to the pestering. Along with his partner Micaela he bought the name for what was effectively a negligible sum, but which at the time was practically all he had in the world. In 2005 the big adventure finally began, with what he calls his “laboratory years”. The laboratory in question was in fact his own kitchen. He explains: “We established a number of principles from the outset: Louis Moinet would be devoted exclusively to the highest form of mechanical art, and would produce only limited editions and one-of-a-kind pieces.” But before embarking upon this journey, it seemed like a good idea to learn more about this Louis Moinet, still something of a shadowy figure. “At the time I only had this short biography, less than ten pages long, and his famous Traité
d’Horlogerie, published in 1848. I had to retrace his steps and rediscover his works, including his famous clocks.” This exhilarating adventure took him to Saint Petersburg and Washington, D.C., where he gradually pieced together the crucial role played by the watchmaker, culminating in the 2013 discovery of the world’s first chronograph, which Louis Moinet completed in 1816 (see Louis Moinet biography, opposite). “But in parallel with this research I had to create a new reality, flesh out the product line and make it coherent,” Schaller continues. “We do not travel through life alone, so we began by building up a genuine family of solid partners, both upstream and down. This took quite a long time, because we weren’t just looking for subcontractors, we wanted true collaborators who were committed and passionate and would work with us towards the same goal. So we moved forward step by step. A local shareholder came on board and we were able to launch our first product in gold. We had to grow slowly because we didn’t want to have to borrow any money, so we were obliged to turn a profit every year. As you can see, our work is governed by both a sense of craftsmanship and good old-fashioned common sense.”
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Jean-Marie Schaller, who is creative director as well as CEO, then defined a neo-classical aesthetic inspired directly by Louis Moinet’s historical period, but adapted in such a way as to give it a contemporary resonance and meaning. “The beauty and fascination of working only with limited editions is that you’re forced to always go that extra mile, to constantly reinvent yourself. But if we have managed to do that while maintaining a strong coherence, it is because Louis Moinet is and remains our unwavering guiding light: chronometric precision, astronomical observation, art and craftsmanship are at the root of his thinking, and they are the values that shape our activity.”
GUIDING LIGHT This guiding light, which is historical, technical and aesthetic, has given the Louis Moinet brand the opportunity to produce watchmaking creations that are coherent, strong and
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unusual from many points of view. The style emerged gradually as each new piece was crafted; the house makes a point of producing its own cases, hands, dials and its own unique decorations (the Côtes du Jura, which are more sensuously curved than the famous Côtes de Genève). Most of the movements and mechanisms are original and exclusive, and from the beginning they were created with the designer and creator Concepto, a recognised cutting-edge specialist in the domain of complications. In less than ten years, Louis Moinet has succeeded in creating and marketing a unique output, with models immediately recognisable by their shared family resemblance. Their primary traits are a richly detailed aspect without unnecessary decoration, a neo-classical but resolutely contemporary aesthetic, and complexity always paired with legibility. The watchmaking of Louis Moinet is not just about high precision, although it is certainly that; it is also
thoughtful and philosophical, with something of an astronomical bent. For, let us not forget, Louis Moinet, a skilled craftsman and a distinguished watchmaker, was also a renowned astronomer who, in his exploration of the cosmos, rigorously researched the mechanisms of time while admiring its ineffable beauty. Today, Louis Moinet watches can be divided into three broad families: Essence de Louis Moinet, the Classique collection, and ‘Mechanical Art’ – the unofficial designation of the mechanical curiosities that the brand likes to play around with. This latter category includes the Derrick Tourbillon and Derrick Gaz, which were introduced at Baselworld this year. These sumptuous pieces, as their names suggest, reproduce on their dials the motion of a working derrick. The Classique family includes watches whose raison d’être is precision chronometry, beginning with a whole series of beautiful tourbillon watches, and also the iconic Mecanograph,
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perhaps the pinnacle of this research. The only independent watch to have won a prize at the 2013 Concours de Chronométrie, this chronometer reveals its regulating organs through a half dial, and features a remarkably efficient patented bi-directional winding mechanism dubbed Energie Plus. The Essence de Louis Moinet family brings together watches with specific features. In addition to the Tempograph 20 Seconds, with its astonishing creativity and mechanical originality, there is the Astro Moon with its stunning moon phase display decorated with meteorite, and the great innovation of the year, the Memoris.
MEMORIS, THE FIRST WATCH-CHRONOGRAPH “It’s probably our most important launch ever,” notes Jean-Marie Schaller. “The timepiece stands at the exact crossroads of the 10th anniversary of the Ateliers Louis Moinet and the bi-centenary of the chronograph invented by Louis Moinet [see sidebar]. It was therefore important that whatever we created to honour this legacy should be different from its predecessor. While everything, or almost everything, chronograph-related had already been invented, there was still one step nobody had dared to take: no longer seeing the chronograph as a complication, but rather as the primary function of the timepiece. And so Memoris was born: the world’s first watchchronograph. But we couldn’t draw inspiration
THE COMPTEUR DE TIERCES Named the compteur de tierces (counter of thirds), since the word ‘chronograph’ had not yet been coined, this extraordinary timepiece created in 1816 measures time to the 60th of a second, beats at a frequency of 216,000 vibrations per hour, and has a zero reset function. This extraordinarily complex object confirms Louis Moinet’s status as a pioneer of high frequency, and a trailblazer who anticipated later developments in his field by at least 100 years. After Jean-Marie Schaller bought this compteur de tierces at auction in 2012, he realised that he had brought to light the world’s first chronograph. This historic discovery was the final validation of his intuitions, and his brand was rewarded with an exceptionally high profile.
I MEMORIS
from what had come before: everyone else worked from the premise that the chronograph was an additional complication on top of the time function. Our starting point was the opposite: sweeping away the past and making the chronograph the heart of our design, the cen-
tral component to which we then added a time function, rather than the other way around.” The result is a magnificent watch, the first to give pride of place to a classic chronograph movement with column wheel. Its components are mounted at the top of the movement, which thus takes up all the central space; the hours and minutes display is relegated – if this is the right word – to a delicate little white lacquered dial at 6 o’clock. A complete role reversal. The first watch-chronograph – an entirely different beast from the usual chronograph-watches – not only validates Jean-Marie Schaller’s entire approach, but also places his brand at the pinnacle of mechanical watchmaking. p
Discover more at www.europastar.BIZ/Louis-Moinet WATCH AFICIONADO | 9
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BASELWORLD REPORT
THE BABELWORLD
by Pierre Maillard Editor-in-Chief
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ntering the hall where the official opening of Baselworld 2015 is to take place, amid the hubbub of journalists taking up their usual places, and greeting each other as from one continent to another, it is immediately clear that something is not quite right. On the rostrum are René Kamm, CEO of the MCH group, the organiser of Baselworld, Managing
Director Sylvie Ritter, and François Thiébaud, CEO of Tissot and chairman of the Swiss exhibitors. But someone is missing. René Kamm is unable to hide his emotion as he informs us of the death, the previous evening, of Jacques Duchêne. A pillar of Basel, the former Rolex boss was about to celebrate his sixtieth consecutive Baselworld and twenty years as Chairman of the Exhibitors’ Committee. He was also a man of conviction, and an indefatigable opponent of
THE DECK
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he players would have been quite happy to continue their friendly game of poker, playing according to the usual rules. But outside their circle events are escalating, threatening to overturn the table, tear up the rule book, and break up the party. Around the table, the players are casting sidelong glances at one other, poker-faced. Well, it was nice while it lasted. It was an exclusive and rarefied world: big international luxury groups, venerable historic maisons, successful industrialists and, as window dressing, the odd tame artist to add some spice. But now the madding crowd is clamouring at the door. Our Chinese clients are turning away from our products, which are suddenly too extravagant and ostentatious for their leaders’ tastes. Our Russian and Ukrainian friends have come to blows, and their passion for our time-
pieces will have to wait for calmer times. The Middle East is a bloodbath, and the situation is becoming tragically more desperate every day. And as if all this bad news wasn’t enough, other giants are trying to muscle in on the action. ‘Giant’ is a euphemism. In fact they are monsters with unparalleled fire power. Just think: Apple alone has a market capitalisation equivalent to 30 years of Swiss watchmaking! And let us not forget Google and Samsung and the rest, all hungrily eyeing our wrists, desperate to smarten them up with some of their connected wizardry. Well, let them have at it. We’ll see how it turns out. Some producers are trembling in fear of being swept away by a tsunami; others can hardly contain their scorn, convinced that nothing will knock them off their pedestals; and some are secretly marshalling their arms, rationalising that a bit of connectivity never did anyone any
the counterfeit industry. Basel city hall had even planned a ceremony in his honour. However, he collapsed as he finished his evening meal. And so, at the request of René Kamm, Baselworld began with a solemn minute of silence. But business swiftly resumed – how could it be otherwise? – and after the usual and less usual speeches, question time brought up the issue on everyone’s mind that first day: the smartwatch.
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harm. But deep down, they are all a little afraid: the future has become impossible to read. And as always in such troubled times, we take refuge in the fundamentals, we reassure ourselves with memories of our glory days, take comfort in rose-tinted nostalgia for our past. Have we been pushing our luck in recent years? Did we go too far? Might it not be time for a little moderation? Given the general downsizing apparent at the latest Baselworld (39 mm is once again the benchmark for good taste), seeing the proliferation of minimally reworked vintage models, and noting a return to purity of line, it could be said that the deck is indeed being reshuffled, albeit amid considerable disarray. Will the future of mechanical watchmaking really be assured by enshrining it in its past? Or should we give in to the lure of connectivity? When will the Chinese once more be allowed to display their wealth? These are just a few of the hundreds of questions one could ask. The cards are on the table. But it will soon be time to deal a new hand. p
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NOMOS
»NOMOS is among the best luxury watches out there.« N e w Yo r k Ti m e s
Find all NOMOS models and retailers at nomos-glashuette.com and nomos-store.com
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Is it a tsunami or an insignificant trickle? Will the much-vaunted timelessness of mechanical watchmaking defeat built-in obsolescence? Or will the power of marketing finally smash that dream? Will the two universes end up peacefully coexisting in a symbiotic relationship? Is it a crisis, or another development opportunity? You get the picture. On this subject we will hear everything and its opposite. But, curiously, and tellingly, all the buzz and nervous excitement over smart technology basically blew over as the days passed. True, there was no avoiding Jean-Claude Biver, ever the showman, who struck his table with a sonorous fist, and announced with great fanfare TAG Heuer’s partnership with Google and Intel. He pushed the provocation to the point of unveiling a large lit panel on the front of the booth, bearing the three logos together – the first thing visitors see when entering the prestigious Hall 1. As a TAG Heuer executive later confided to me, this strident announcement, despite lacking any associated product, secured the brand in a single day a level of worldwide media coverage that was worth its weight in tourbillons. And a good thing too… because, just half an hour earlier, very quietly, Fossil group had announced exactly the same thing: an agreement with… Google and Intel. (Malicious tongues are suggesting that although this year we are seeing a lot of TAG Heuer/Google/Intel, next year the order will be Google/Intel/TAG Heuer.) For other brands seeking connectivity, a number of approaches are emerging. Bulgari’s strategy, which is intelligent and wholly in keeping with its image, is to transform the jewellery watch into a virtual vault, while Breitling, logically, is using smart technology to support professional pilots. Because, when you think about it, anyone who can’t survive without checking their pulse, their calorie intake or output, or the number of steps they have taken, is already spoiled for choice. [On the subject of smartwatches at Baselworld, see Serge Maillard’s analysis on www.watch-aficionado.com.] But, curiously, this topic, which everyone thought was so pivotal before the fair opened, rapidly evaporated from discussions. No doubt it will return.
A NOVICE’S VIEW There are times when nothing beats the fresh eye of a novice to help rediscover what familiarity has clouded. The amiable Ricardo Quinteiro is the new president of the Movado group. His acquaintance with the world of watchmaking dates back only to July 2014. Before that, he worked at Estée Lauder. So this is his first Baselworld, and he is completely gobsmacked. Never, in any industry, has he seen anything like it, such a debauch of luxury, such glittering multi-level booths. He still can’t get over it, but equally, he can’t hide his excitement. “I’m still in a learning phase. First, you should try to understand, and then you can act on the knowledge of exactly what needs to be changed, improved or transformed. I have travelled all over the world to find out about the brands’ status, their hierar-
For flagship brand Movado, Ricardo Quinteiro is hoping to capitalise on the Museum, a deservedly iconic timepiece that can been seen in more than twenty museums around the world. The watch with its pared-down dial, featuring a solitary ‘sun’ at 12 o’clock, was designed by Horwitt back in 1947 and has not dated in the slightest. “The same should apply to every brand,” notes Quinteiro. “They should be immediately recognisable, without the shadow of a doubt, and without a logo.” That is what he is hoping to build on. Particularly so for Ebel: “We need to return to the essence of this beautiful brand, rediscover its truth, reconnect with its codes and its amazing comfort in wear. Ebel is a jewel, and we intend to put it back in its rightful place. Ebel will become strong again,” he concludes. On the subject of Concord he is
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Some 95% of Movado’s 2015 collection is directly inspired by the Museum and its iconic dot, which has become a signature feature. From left to right, either side of the Museum Classic, are the 1881 women’s and men’s automatic, the Movado Sapphire, the Movado TC chronograph. The complete 2015 Movado collection can be found on www.watch-aficionado.com
chy, their respective strengths and weaknesses, and I’m still not finished. You have to learn from the consumer, keep learning…” The Movado Group is primarily Movado, Ebel and Concord, but many people forget that it also includes a small empire of licensed brands: Lacoste, Hugo Boss, Tommy Hilfiger, ESQ, Coach, Scuderia Ferrari Orologi and Juicy Couture, a cohort that posted a turnover of USD 587 million in 2014, a 3.3% increase over the previous year.
unwilling to commit: “I’m trying to understand the deep-seated reasons for Concord’s reputation in certain regions of the world, like the Middle East, for example, where it has a very strong resonance with several generations of consumers. Once I have thoroughly understood its raison d’être we will be able to act more effectively.” Does he have a figure in mind? Given that he is currently in the blackout period that precedes an earnings announcement he is unable to say too much, but is willing to admit to a target of USD 750 million by 2017. In passing, he notes that in the USA one watch in three in the $500–$1500 price bracket is a Movado, along with one in five in the $300–$3000 range. And… smartwatches? Let’s leave that for another time.
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Modern times, eternal elegance.
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Ernest Borel Borel S.A. S.A. Ernest +41 32 926 17 26 / info@ernestborel.ch +41 32 926 17 26 / info@ernestborel.ch www.ernestborel.ch www.ernestborel.ch
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GLOBEMASTER OFFENSIVE Let us for a moment leave the poetic world of the independents and return to Main Street, where battles continue to rage on a rather different scale. Here, new products are scrutinised not just for what they actually are, but also for what they might reveal about current strategy. Omega, not previously known for inviting the press corps to its cocktail receptions, welcomed journalists to its chic digs in the suburbs of Basel, which had been entirely redecorated for the occasion. Charm offensive? Quite possibly, and also an attempt to prepare the best possible backdrop for the launch of the Globemaster. This is the first watch – coaxial, as is now the case of “99% of Omega watches” according to CEO Stephen Urquhart – to be granted the famous Metas certification, launched last autumn. The Master Chronometer certification is one of the most rigorous: as well as the usual demands in terms of accuracy and reliability, it guarantees that the watch is almost perfectly insensitive to environmental magnetic fields (up to 15,000 gauss). This is clearly a substantial offensive, and one aimed squarely at Rolex, with whom Omega is jostling for position in certain territories. Everything points to
A SHEER MARVEL FROM DE BETHUNE Quetzalcoatl might well be the most unpronounceable name of the salon, but it is certainly one of its most beautiful watches, inspired as it is by the famous feathered serpent that was believed to govern the cycle of time in the pre-Columbian era, the divine protector of goldsmiths and artisans and inventor of the calendar. Nestled in the centre of the dial, the serpent points its head towards the hours and its tail to the minutes. Thus it coils and uncoils perpetually over an aerial view of the temple ruins of the city of Tenochtitlan, painstakingly carved in relief. Following the designs of David Zanetta, engraver Michelle Rothen has accomplished a masterpiece of subtlety and delicacy, further enhanced by the sophisticated play
that hypothesis, including the slightly vintage look of this appealing watch, inspired by the Constellation models of the 1940s and ’50s, with its pie-pan dial and fluted bezel which, in the words of Omega, “makes it immediately identifiable to future generations.” As the brand’s executives point out, “The Globemaster will be known forever as the very first watch to bear the Master Chronograph certification.” And that says a great deal about the ambitions that lie behind this new certification (which the Swatch Group officially wants to open up to all brands). At the end of the day, it’s the customers who will decide: will they take this new certification on board as the new ultimate reference, or will they just not care? A strategy is being played out.
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The eight criteria for the Globemaster certification process are: 1. The function of the movement during exposure to a magnetic field of 15,000 gauss 2. The deviation in the running time of the watch in six positions 3. The deviation in the running time of the watch between 0 and 2/3 power reserve 4. The function of the watch during exposure to a magnetic field of 15,000 gauss 5. The deviation of the average daily precision of the watch after exposure to a magnetic field of 15,000 gauss 6. The average daily precision of the watch in tests replicating daily wearing conditions (six positions, two temperatures) 7. The power reserve of the watch (autonomy – functioning without winding) 8. The water resistance of the watch (tested in water).
of light, whether sparkling off the guilloché motifs or glowing from the matte surfaces. Twenty examples of this marvel are available (CHF 110,000).
Read the full article online featuring the following brands: Rolex, Louis Vuitton, Louis Moinet, Romain Gauthier, Manufacture Royale, Patek Philippe, Hermès, Nomos, Oris, Chanel, Fabergé, Seiko, Citizen, Casio and Tissot on www.watch-aficionado.com www.watch-aficionado.com is brought to you by Europa Star HBM SA, 25 route des Acacias, 1227 Carouge, Geneva Switzerland, contact@europastar.com. For full information on Europa Star click on www.europastar.com ABOUT US and CONTACT US
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