Europa Star Europe 2/13

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EUROPE EDITION All Europe - EEC, Central & Eastern Europe, Russia

N° 318 2 /2013 April / May

THE WORLD’S MOST INFLUENTIAL WATCH MAGAZINE EUROPE

BASELWORLD 2013

Consolidation of the empires IN-DEPTH SECTOR-BY-SECTOR ANALYSES

CH F 2 0 / € 1 7 / U S $ 2 2

H ISTORY SEEMS TO REPEAT ITSELF.

1,242 original calibres in 180 years: a world record.

Since 1833, the Grande Maison has developed 1,242 of the world’s smallest and most complicated mechanical calibres.

Driven by a concern for elegance and performance, each of them is developed to match the specific size of the watch case that will house it. From the iconic Reverso to the fascinating Sphérotourbillon, the Inventors of the Vallée de Joux, as acknowledged masters in the art of horological complexity, continue to forge the history of Fine Watchmaking.

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C ERTAINLY NOT OURS.

YOU DESERVE A REAL WATCH.

FLYING TOURBILLON High feminine complication, this flying tourbillon decorated with the motif of the camellia, a tribute to Mademoiselle Chanel’s favorite flower, beats away discreetly and almost secretly at the heart of the Première watch.

Having no upper bridge, the carriage decorated with a camellia appears to be rotating in a weightless state.

Limited edition of 20 numbered pieces. 18-carat white gold, set with 228 diamonds (~7.7 carats).

www.chanel.com

6 EDITORIAL europa star

The log and the speck R Pierre M. Maillard Editor-in-Chief Planck the satellite (not the physicist, he died in 1947), has just sent us a photograph of our universe that turns the clock back 13.8 billion years, 380,000 years after the Big Bang, a speck on this scale.

form it takes) 10-19 seconds later and after only one second of its existence the universe was already an immense soup of elementary particles. “A few billionths of a billionth of a billionth of a second after the Big Bang (we do not yet know the exact figure), the universe expands from the size of a pin head to its current size. Words do not

Moinet, nor the 1,000 Hz vibrating beam and its 2,000th of a second in TAG Heuer’s Mikrogirder will be able to help us here.

Why are we telling this story?

It’s quite simply to put things into perspective on the eve of the proud assembly of all the world’s watchmakers. Our efforts, however courageous, fearless

The birth of the universe, photographed by Planck

On the same day, Louis Moinet (the brand, not the watchmaker—he died in 1853), revealed the first genuine chronograph, dating back to 1816, 50 years earlier than we previously thought.

A log on our human scale.

So 13.8 billion years and a few specks after the Big Bang, man succeeded in measuring one sixtieth of a second for the first time. He couldn’t have used this to measure the birth of the universe, though: the Big Bang stopped inflating 10-43 seconds after it occurred, matter got one over on anti-matter (which we know is there in excess but we still don’t know what it is made of or what

suffice to describe the event, because the expansion was the equivalent of a multiplication of distances by 1025 , or ‘1’ followed by 25 zeros...”, explains Jean-Loup Puget, the person responsible for one of Planck’s instruments.

The most exasperating thing in this entire story is that our human nature will always prevent us from perceiving such dimensions in a simple way, as microscopic as they are for our senses in terms of time and too powerful in terms of space for us to disintegrate and return to the stellar dust that we are.

And neither the 30 Hz (216,000 vibrations/hour) of the pioneering Louis

The first chronograph by Louis Moinet

and inspired they may be, will only ever allow us to win a few meagre fractions of a second, which we will never be able to grasp.That is no reason for defeatism, but it is a reason for an often arrogant industry to be a bit more humble.

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E L PR I M E RO C H RONOMA S TE R 19 6 9

W W W . Z E N I T H - W A T C H E S . C O M

Acknowledged as the world’s best chronograph, it is a descendant of the legendary El Primero fi rst unveiled in 1969 and proudly bears the iconic colours of the fi rst high-frequency automatic column-wheel chronograph calibre. Beating at a rate of 36,000 vibrations per hour, this daring feat embodies the exceptional expertise of the Manufacture.

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8 CONTENTS europa star

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THE WORLD’S MOST INFLUENTIAL WATCH MAGAZINE EUROPE

N° 318 2/2013 APRIL/MAY

CONNECTING ICONIC BRANDS

6

EDITORIAL The log and the speck

14

RETROPERSPECTIVE Consolidation of the empires

26

COVER STORY Patek Philippe – in search of the perfect balance

30 32 36 40 40

LVMH GROUP TAG Heuer breaks the billion barrier Zenith, a textbook case Vuitton, vertical integration from above All change at Bulgari Denim and Caviar by Hublot

44 45 48

ARCHITECTURE Hermès in fluid curves Chanel, a monolith in black and white The architectural birth of a group

50 60 62

SWATCH GROUP The Swatch Group’s well-oiled watchmaking machine Tissot – the watch factory Blancpain, the farm next door to the factory

66 68 69 71 72 73

MAJOR INDEPENDENT MANUFACTURERS Chopard asserts greater autonomy Girard-Perregaux, 223 years young Corum: consistent and legitimate Carl F. Bucherer: selling in and selling through Ulysse Nardin: Yello Stranger!

Mysterious Maurice Lacroix

76

GALLERY New manufacture calibres

78 79 80 82 82 84

THE INDEPENDENTS Logical One by Romain Gauthier, constant force reinvented “Slow Runner”, an ode to slowness A cathedral chronograph for the finger and the ear Graham in the moon A thousand hours power reserve!

Da Vindice, after the barometer

85

GALLERY Gents’ high-mech

TO THEIR CLIENTELE ONLINE

DIGITAL-LUXURY.COM WORLDWATCHREPORT.COM media partner

(Continued on page 10)

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10 CONTENTS europa star

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CONNECTING ICONIC

86

THE INDEPENDENTS Armin Strom’s first in-house tourbillon

88

GALLERY Ladies’ fashion watches

90 92 94

JAPAN Seiko celebrates 100 years of the first Japanese wristwatch Citizen Solar The G-Shock goes Meccano

98 99 101 102

SCANDINAVIA Viking heritage Scandinavian design From space to race High-tech from Finland

103

NEWCOMER Shinola – Built in Detroit

106

SPORTS WATCHES Sport for all

BRANDS TO THEIR CLIENTELE ONLINE

113

RETAILER PROFILES Les Ambassadeurs – Opening the doors to the leading brands Türler – the pride of Paradeplatz

116

LETTER FROM CHINA Tian Wang – the famous stranger

120

SERVICE, PLEASE! Service at the independent manufacturers

126

LETTER FROM FRANCE Eldorado is within reach

110

132

WORLDWATCHWEB WorldWatchReportTM 2013 highlights the trends impacting the luxury watch industry

139

EDITORIAL AND ADVERTISERS’ INDEX

144

LAKIN@LARGE Playing with time ADVERTORIALS: KUKI, ORIENT WATCH, SEIKO

DIGITAL-LUXURY.COM WORLDWATCHREPORT.COM media partner

THE WORLD’S MOST INFLUENTIAL WATCH MAGAZINE EUROPE

Europa Star HBM SA 25 Route des Acacias P.O. Box 1355 CH-1211 Geneva 26 Switzerland Tel +41 (0)22 307 78 37 Fax +41 (0)22 300 37 48 www.europastar.com contact@europastar.com

© 2013 EUROPA STAR Audited REMP / FRP 2012 The statements and opinions expressed in this publication are those of the authors and not necessarily Europa Star.

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14 RETROPERSPECTIVE europa star

CONSOLIDATION OF THE EMPIRES RPierre Maillard

The figures are there, impressive, unmistakable: in

behind the statistics: the developments in the num-

2012, the Swiss watchmaking industry passed the

ber and value of watches exported and the distrib-

historic barrier of CHF 20 billion at export (figures

ution of these exports among the different produc-

g declared at customs), reaching 21.418 billion. This is a growth of h nearly 10 per cent compared with 0.

2011 and 32.5 per cent over 2010. ss To this we have to add the Swiss ly domestic market, then multiply

6.9 MI LLION MECHANICAL WATCH ES ALONE ACCOUNT FOR CHF 13 BILLION!

… everything by a factor of 3, 4 or 5… ary r gr ry g greatly eatly l fr ly ffrom om one depending on the margins that vary

ers. The first thing we notice is that, in terms of

brand to another to estimate the global turnover of

volume, the number of pieces exported is down

the Swiss watchmaking industry. Let us say, for the

2.7 per cent compared with 2011 but that the value

sake of argument and for want of any means of

has increased by 11.3 per cent. This automatically

measuring the statistics more precisely, that this

means that the average price of a Swiss watch at

is around CHF 60 billion.

export has increased.

Whatever the details behind these figures are,

In 2012 the average price of a Swiss Made watch at

one thing is becoming more and more obvious:

export was officially CHF 693.

Switzerland—a dwarf in terms of the number of

But this average price needs to be put into con-

watches produced worldwide, accounting for a mere

text. It needs to be compared with a much more

3 per cent (36 million watches) of the 1.2 billion

significant average price: that of the mechanical

timepieces produced each year—holds the lion’s

watch. This is CHF 2,222! So around 6.9 million

share in value at 60 per cent, and reigns supreme at

mechanical watches thus account for CHF 13 bil-

almost 100 per cent in terms of image.

lion, leaving CHF 4.8 billion to be spread across just over 22 million electronic timepieces (many

THE TRUE AVERAGE PRICE:

of which are from Swatch) for an average price of

THAT OF THE MECHANICAL WATCH

CHF 219.

Of course, these triumphant figures need to be

This means that some 7 million watches account for

looked at more closely in order to draw any conclu-

75 per cent of the value of Swiss exports (the differ-

sions. Two elements in particular are of interest to

ence also includes movement exports, which we

anyone who is trying to discern any strong trends

have not taken into account).

Watch with linear power-reserve display, 18K red gold case. Sapphire crystal back.

CORUM superlight titanium baguetteshaped movement (7 gr).

www.corum.ch

16 RETROPERSPECTIVE europa star

In global terms and by extrapolation, we can there-

Rolex may remain tight-lipped and impenetrable as

fore say that only 7 million pieces represent almost

usual (as a foundation, Rolex has no obligation to

half of the total value of the global watch industry.

make its figures public), Nick Hayek recently said

According to the statistics, this share is increasing

that his group “has the potential to reach 9 billion in

every year, following the same trend as the curve

turnover in 2013 and 10 billion by 2014 or 2015”.

showing the distribution of wealth around the world.

Richemont, whose financial year runs to May, should

Although the watch industry is still quite wide of the

see an increase of about 10 per cent and therefore

mark, since according to the Global Wealth Databook

exceed the €8.87 billion for 2011-2012 (although

published by Credit Suisse, which can hardly be

the third quarter results announced in early January,

considered as leftist propaganda, 1 per cent of the

with growth of 9 per cent year-on-year, “disappoint-

population holds 43.6 per cent of the world’s wealth

ed” analysts).

and 10 per cent holds 83 per cent. But the trend, log-

The watches and jewellery arm of LVMH saw an

ically, is working hard towards this.

increase of 6 per cent to reach €2.84 billion, with Bulgari consolidated into these results since June 2011.

WAR MACHINES

It’s clear to see that these three groups, without

The second observation is that the empires are absorb-

even considering Rolex, exceed CHF 20 billion

ing the lion’s share. The Swatch Group, Richemont,

in turnover, which is the entirety of the Swiss fig-

Rolex and LVMH alone account for almost 50 per

ures declared at customs for export, giving an idea of the true size of their increas-

TH E SWATCH GROU P, R ICH EMONT, ROLEX AND LVMH ALONE ACCOUNT FOR ALMOST 50 PE R CENT OF TH E GLOBAL SALES OF THE WORLD’S WATCH I NDUSTRY

ing weight.

The big groups, shepherded by the stock exchange, have become veritable war machines, but they all believe that they cannot continue to exhibit double-digit growth indefinitely, especially in China.

Nick Hayek, for example, predicts “growth potential for the industry of 6 to 7 per cent in 2013”, adding

g obal sales of the world’s watch indusgl cent of the global

in passing that “the industry has become less cycli-

try, the rest being shared among a multitude of dif-

cal. Variations and amplitudes have largely been

ferent companies.

smoothed out (…) The watch industry has become

Each in turn, the groups announced strong increases

much more stable. At least for the Swatch Group…”

in their operating profits. While the multibillionaire

he adds mischievously.

europa star

RETROPERSPECTIVE 17

COLOSSAL INVESTMENTS

and another 25 million to reorganise Zenith. Not

The considerable advances by the groups will increase

forgetting Rolex, which inaugurated its new flagship

mechanically as a result of their considerable and

in Bienne in 2012: 100 million invested for move-

continuous efforts towards industrialisation. We

ment production. It’s a similar story with the inde-

don’t want to go back into the detail of ETA’s deci-

pendents. Recently, Audemars Piguet put down 25

sion to stop deliveries, if only to say that a final

million to build a factory in Geneva, and Chopard

agreement with the COMCO (Switzerland’s com-

continues to increase the production of its own

petition commission) is expected soon (at the time

movements, to give just two examples.

of writing, we do not know what the tenor of this agreement will be). Whatever is decided, the considerable investments already made or planned by the big groups which are competing with the Swatch Group should allow them to gain

TH E CONSIDE RAB LE E FFORTS TOWARDS I NDUSTRIALISATION WILL MECHANICALLY I NCREASE TH E GROUPS’ DOMINATION.

an increasing amount of industrid movements. movements But al autonomy for components and

f om just watching these offensives, fr off f ensiv ff i es the Swatch iv Far from

they will need another decade to reach this objective.

Group has also reacted. Recently, Nick Hayek

At the start of 2012, the total investments in the

announced that his group would continue its efforts

watchmaking industry were over CHF 650 million.

in 2013 and planned to invest another 400 to 500

Richemont led the pack, planning to invest CHF 100

million “to finish buildings under construction, launch

million in a new production site for Cartier, the

new industrial projects and add to our machine

same amount to turn Val Fleurier into a centre of

park”, at the same time mentioning in passing that

movement production, 25 million for a new Panerai

ETA, which is finishing a new production centre in

factory in Neuchâtel, 20 million to build a new pro-

the Swiss Jura, is now capable of “producing 14 mil-

duction facility for Vacheron Constantin (out of a

lion movement components per day”.

total of 130 million announced over the coming years), 15 million to extend Piaget, not counting

ROOM FOR PROGRESS

the 100 million already spent on IWC over the past

The recent decision by the Swiss national council

ten years.

(the parliament) to agree to the Federation of the

Similar efforts are under way at LVMH with 25 mil-

Swiss Watchmaking Industry’s insistent demands to

lion to create a new TAG Heuer factory, between 15

increase from 50 to 60 per cent the value of Swiss

and 25 million for a Louis Vuitton factory in Geneva,

components required in a watch in order for it to be

30 million to double the size of the Hublot factory

awarded the label Swiss Made, although contested

18 RETROPERSPECTIVE europa star

by around 10 per cent of the industry, will undoubt-

since a Tank Solo in steel with a quartz movement

edly strengthen the process of industrialisation that

still costs nearly CHF 2,000, compared with Tissot’s

is under way. But it also risks increasing the cost

new self-winding, COSC-certified chronometer,

price of the watches! Unless new industrial solu-

which sells for CHF 800). The incessant move high-

tions, using greater automation, can compensate

er up in range seen over the past years, which some-

for this.

times seemed to be running away with itself, may

François Thiébaud, CEO of Tissot (Swatch Group)

well soon reach its limits in markets that are starting

recently told us that “with the increase in the stan-

to become saturated with high-end timepieces.

dard of living in emerging countries the potential for growth is enormous and Switzerland could

IF CHINA STALLS...

quickly take 10 per cent of the world watch market

Everywhere we can sense a vague anxiety in the air,

in terms of quantity, increasing from the current

a small but insistent refrain of market turnaround.

20 billion at export to 100 billion! But for this to

The signals from China (Europa Star, present in

happen we need to continue our massive efforts

China since 1994, opened a permanent office in

towards industrial expansion, because we need

Shanghai in April 2012, managed by Jean-Luc

entry-level products as well as 'grands crus classés',

Adam) are contradictory to say the least. The Chinese

which we are fortunate to have but which are not

market clearly stalled last year, with a tiny +0.6 per cent compared with 2011, which

“WE NEED E NTRY-LEVEL PRODUCTS AS WE LL AS 'GRANDS CR US CLASSÉS'”

was undoubtedly a record year with +49.2 per cent. It’s therefore easy to conclude that we have stocked the shelves for several years! This impression is confirmed by our local observers, who

our daily bread and butter butter.”” [See the interv interview r iew in rv

are astonished to see huge flamboyant stores every-

this issue.]

where but with few apparent customers. But China

But apart from the Swatch Group, with Tissot pro-

is still officially the third biggest market for Swiss

ducing several million watches per year, the entry-

watches, with 1.6 billion in exports.

level segment, or even the mid-range segment, has

And for some brands, including big names, this

largely been deserted by the other groups, which are

market is the main source of sales.

all investing in the high-end (with the exception,

But the signals sent out by the political transition

perhaps, of TAG Heuer or Cartier, which have

that is under way, the fight—announced for the

strengthened considerably the “lean” production of

umpteenth time—against corruption, sinecures and

their entry-level products—if we can call them that,

other business “gifts” (many of which are Swiss

20 RETROPERSPECTIVE europa star

watches), campaigns against luxury, bans on adver-

SERVICE AT THE HEART OF THE BATTLE

tising… are starting to cast a shadow. What if, stig-

A recent survey conducted by Europa Star in China

matised, the Swiss watchmaking industry became a

highlighted the strategic importance of customer

hostage to China’s internal political struggles?

service. Neglecting this could have serious repercus-

“Luxury, Beijing’s bargaining chip”, ran the recent

sions over the long term. In a market like China, the

headline in the Le Monde newspaper. In her analy-

negligence of watch brands is sometimes shocking

sis, Nicole Vulser explained that “Beijing is con-

and we heard from a number of outraged people.

ge cerned about the possible damage rthat luxury could cause in its interff nal market among less well-off o members of the population, who ce dream of logos, and the insolence m of prices that highlight the chasm rbetween the richest and the poor-

“CH INA IS PULLI NG ON TH E SENSITIVE STRINGS OF LUXURY TO OBTAI N CONCESSIONS ELSEWHE RE”.

rt est.” And she adds that, for export o quo for luxury r at ry markets, “China uses a quid pro

Serv r ice, Please! in Europa rv [Read our new section Service,

the WTO (…) Because it is helping to make Old

Star 6/12]. And as the country’s watchmaking cul-

Europe richer, China is starting to let people know

ture spreads, the customer expects more in terms of

this and use it in its negotiations with the WTO (…)

what the product promises. The disappointment is

pulling on the sensitive strings of luxury to obtain

all the greater and the confidence dented when one

concessions elsewhere”.

has to wait six months, moving from centre to cen-

So there are numerous indicators that suggest we

tre (and paying at each one), or even being sent to

may not be able to count on the sustainability of the

the competition, as a web-savvy Chinese collector

Chinese Eldorado in the same cultural, social and

of high-end pieces told us.

regulatory framework.

“The giants of luxury, who have so far sold in abun-

This is also one of the reasons why the entry-level

dance without asking too many questions, should

and mid-range have a fundamental role to play, pre-

seriously rethink how they attract this rich clientele,”

cisely for a long-term view of the Swiss watchmak-

Nicole Vulser says in her analysis.

ing industry’s development. The same is true

It is now more strategic than ever to offer a cus-

whether we talk about China or new commercial

tomer the best possible service. Here too, industrial

battlegrounds such as South America or India, an

power is a clear advantage. Isn’t one of the Swatch

eternal promise that has never really been kept. In

Group’s strengths the fact that it has been selling

battles you need a lot of foot soldiers. Basic but

ETA “tractors” worldwide for decades, which thou-

quality foot soldiers!

sands of watchmakers around the world are capable

europa star

RETROPERSPECTIVE 21

of servicing? It’s a way to drastically reduce lead

millionaires, like those of Richard Mille—a real phe-

times for repairs, especially when so many “manu-

nomenon—to a powerful Raymond Weil in the mid-

facture movements” have to be sent back to Swiss

range segment, via a series of big brands which I will

pastures for attention!

leave you to list yourself... Patek Philippe clearly

Service, Please! is our name for this new section that

alone in its own separate category), there are numer-

provides good and not-so-good examples, because

ous fragile cases.

service has become imperative and should be

In difficulty upstream, with the Damocles sword of

included in the Swiss Made label.

movement supply hanging over their heads, and downstream, with it becoming increasingly difficult

CONCERNS AMONG THE INDEPENDENTS

to gain access to retailers, independent brands are

We often reflect the concerns of the independents in

experiencing tough times that may even put their

our articles because we believe that a broad-based

survival at stake.

industrial fabric, consisting of various brands and

Condemned to watch the strategy games being

independent sub-contractors, is vital for the good

played before their very eyes by the great watchmak-

health of the entire industry. Biodiversity is vital for

ing powers who want to occupy all battlegrounds,

any organism that hopes to survive and when only

they have no choice but to fill in the gaps. All the groups have brought their opera-

B IODIVER SITY IS VITAL FOR ANY ORGANISM THAT HOPES TO SU RVIVE

tions together under subsidiaries and control the territory directly.

The profession of agent is under threat and there are fewer and fewer middlemen. Those who are not already backed up by a retail

l become extinct or ly the dinosaurs remain, they slowly

hav a e to av t go door to door, from one already network have

start eating each other.

full show window to another. Sometimes the edict

But beyond this “ecological”question, there are also

comes from above and they are asked to move on!

serious economic consequences at stake. Only a

Among those who manage to get by are the brands

diverse industrial fabric will allow us to explore new

who are active in über horlogerie, producing tens or

avenues and assist creation and innovation in a

even hundreds of pieces per year. Singapore, among

varied and bustling industry, producing everything

other markets, loves them because of their iconoclas-

and anything.

tic way of breaking codes, or even inventing new ones. Here too, there has been a lot of excess, but the

But besides a handful of big and robust independent

most talented and the sharpest have done well and

brands (which produce anything from machines for

are now a fully-fledged part of the watchmaking

22 RETROPERSPECTIVE europa star

landscape, like De Bethune, Urwerk, MB&F and

we must also take into account the social and cultural

others, or in an entirely different category, Laurent

changes that are affecting our worried society.

Ferrier, for example.

And come what may, there will always be a demand,

TO BE OR TO HAVE?

from a rich and passionate minority, for these beautiful

In a recent report entitled Luxe Redux: Raising the Bar

“egoist”machines, as Max Büsser himself calls them.

for the Selling of Luxuries, the Boston Consulting Group sought to identify the changes that are under

T RETAILERS IN THE HOT SEAT n, Another watchmaking profession, se the retailer, also has some cause d for concern. Following the trend s, started by the big fashion groups, rs watch brands have for some years

TH E MOVE AWAY FROM A LUXURY OF POSSESSION TO A LUXURY OF EXPE RI ENCE

he been increasing dramatically the es They claim that number of their own-name stores.

way. way a The first ay f rst trend observed, fi observ r ed and the most signifirv signifi ffi

these are not in any way in direct competition with

cant according to the authors of the study, was the

existing retailers, but this often smacks of wishful

move away from a luxury of possession to a luxury

thinking. At the same time, the big brands have also

of experience. While the baby boomers behind the

“streamlined” their distribution networks, closing a

success of luxury from the 1980s to today are now

number of doors.“The aim is to achieve a quarter of

getting old and are less interested in accumulating

our total turnover through our own stores,” Marc

wealth, generation Y is defined more by doing than

Hayek recently explained to Le Temps’ Bastien Büss,

having, by experience rather than possession. A

regarding the distribution of Blancpain and Breguet.

watch may therefore increasingly have to compete

This example is as good as any, with margins which,

with an extraordinary trip, for example.

in some territories, are well above a quarter.

Furthermore, by expanding, luxury also loses its singuBut paradoxically, as we have often been told, these

larity. As with fashion, its boundaries dissolve, like the

closures have offered new opportunities to indepen-

great designers who have produced so-called capsule

dent brands, who have been listened to more atten-

collections for major retailers such as H&M. But

tively. Niches have been opened up and, nature hat-

according to the report’s authors, the global watch

ing emptiness, independent brands filled them up

industry should escape this confusion of masstige

straightaway. So all is not said and done. And while

(prestige for the masses) and is given as an example of

the watch business may well be moving towards few-

one of the only sectors where a piece that costs $50,000

er brands, fewer intermediaries, fewer show windows,

can co-exist alongside one that costs $50. Indeed!

Tambour In Black Automatic chronograph LV 277 manufactured in Louis Vuitton’s watchmaking workshops in Switzerland Sold exclusively in Louis Vuitton stores and on louisvuitton.com.

24 RETROPERSPECTIVE europa star

RECRUIT AND TRAIN

ing economies, that it is the most difficult to find

Another major challenge that the watchmaking

personnel with the necessary qualifications. The

industry faces in its development is the growing dif-

brands are well aware of this and have started to set

ficulty of finding sufficient personnel. Because the

up comprehensive programmes. The same is true of

huge investments we listed above imply recruiting

customer service. In China, for example, where the

and training competent staff.

notion of service itself is embryonic, these efforts

“This year, Swatch Group created three new jobs

will also require a real change in culture to be

in Switzerland every day, perhaps even more,”

pushed through as the demands of an increasingly

says Nick Hayek. According to the watchmakers’

knowledgeable customer increase.

FOR B RANDS, TH E QUALITY, TRAI NI NG AND LOYALTY OF THE SALES STAFF HAVE B ECOME CR UCIAL.

AND THE SHOW GOES ON...

BaselWorld takes on a special importance this year. Not just because it has been given a prestigious new architectural showcase but also because this embellishment does not correspond with an

employers organisation (CIPH), “we will need to

exh increase in exhibition surface but actually hides a

train or find 3,200 new employees by 2016.” A

reduction in the space available. So in the end there

huge figure, especially for little Switzerland, whose

will be less room—but with a higher quality and at

catchment area now extends well into France [see

a higher cost—and fewer brands present, but with

the report by Antoine Menusier in this issue on

bigger stands.

Switzerland’s border regions]. All professions are

This conscious reduction in the number of stake-

affected by this, from watchmakers to polishers,

holders present on watchmaking’s big stage fits well

dial makers, microtechnology designers and micro-

with our analysis of the sector, where the“marginal”

mechanics.

offer is increasingly being lost to the mainstream. So smaller brands will have to paddle even harder to

But this urgent need for qualified staff is not just felt

make headway. But the magical thing about the

on the production side but also in distribution and

watchmaking industry is that, notwithstanding all

service. The sales staff in a shop is an important

the difficulties and obstacles, it still holds a consid-

advocate and can influence the customer’s purchas-

erable attraction for young entrepreneurs, design-

es in a decisive way. For brands, the quality, training

ers, watchmakers or quite simply dreamers. And

and loyalty of the sales staff have become crucial.

as long as a profession makes people dream, it has

And it is where demand is strongest, in the emerg-

a future. O

26 COVER STORY europa star

PATEK PHILIPPE – IN SEARCH OF THE PERFECT BALANCE RPierre Maillard

1

1932. The Stern family buys Patek Philippe.

The same year, Reference 96 is launched and is promised a great future under the name Calatrava. And so the story of a collection starts.

Yet nothing appears more "simple" than this Reference 96, whose round shape and absolute sobriety are dedicated entirely to a single function: that of displaying the time with the greatest possible perfection, in a timeless form.

The influence of the Bauhaus movement, whose minimalist principles stem from the conviction that "form follows function", is evident. The success of this "essential" watch is no doubt due to a precise coordination, a perfect balance between the purity of its form and the simplicity with which it carries out its function. A balance which, contrary to appearance, is far from easy to achieve. Do we not rightly say that "making things simple is one of the most complicated tasks"?

Because in a shape that is as fundamental as the circle, the slightest of details can make or break the balance of the whole, and all of them are interdependent. This is where the creators of the Reference 96 followed another precept of the Bauhaus movement, whose founder, Walter Gropius, said in 1919 that there is "no real difference between the artist and the artisan". So the Reference 96 is, in its own way, a "work of art" that accomplishes its horological function to perfection. It is without doubt this particular quality that has made the model so successful throughout the 20th century. It now enters the 21st century showing no signs of age.

REF. 5119G by Patek Philippe p

REF. 96200 by Patek Philippe

A long line of variants Over the past 80 years the Reference 96 has been reinterpreted and produced in different variants in a line of timepieces that only took on the generic name of Calatrava in the 1980s. The original gents’ watch had a 31mm diameter—which seems minuscule by current norms, since the average size of a Patek Philippe today is around 37-38mm. Its shape has gradually increased in size but has also taken on many different nuances, both in terms

of the materials used—white gold, rose gold, platinum—and technical innovations introduced for the functions (such as the Reference 2597 from 1958, whose adjustable hour hand allowed the time zone to be changed at will).

Having evolved progressively over the years without ever losing the sobriety that gives it its profound identity, it was also offered in ladies’ models, in self-winding watches with coloured guilloché dials, with diamond-set bezels and even with dials in cloisonné enamel or precious wood marquetry.

But in 1973 a model was launched that would become the undisputed flag-bearer for the collection, Reference 3520D. It was the first Patek Philippe timepiece to have Clous de Paris on its bezel. This type of decoration, which is also called "diamond tips", was first seen in medieval times but made popular much later by Parisian jewellers (hence its name), is a type of guillochage that consists of grooved, criss-crossed lines that form small pyramids arranged next to each other. It is geometrically delicate and, while it makes the watch all the more precious, totally respects the sobriety of the piece, even underscoring it with elegance.

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COVER STORY 27

REF. 5227 by Patek Philippe

This emblematic Clous de Paris model, with a genuine timeless beauty, has even become the symbol of a union between two people, particularly in the Asian markets, where it is offered in a box containing two identical watches that differ only in size, one for the lady and one for the gentleman.

"Officer and gentleman" Another traditional model from the Patek Philippe manufacture is the "Officer" style watch. Its origins date back to the first world war, during which small pocket watches with a hinged back cover were transformed into wristwatches, which were much easier to read in the heat of battle. Originally conceived for

officers, these watches kept their designation when they transitioned to "civilian" life. Ever since, Patek Philippe has given certain highranking models a discreet cover to protect their transparent case back (which is also perfect for any type of personalised engraving).

You may think that it’s quite an easy task to produce a hinged cover according to the normal industry standards. Far from it. In the case of the new Calatrava Reference 5227, in fact, it is a veritable artisanal challenge.

Because the new "treasure" in the Calatrava collection is fitted with an "Officer" type hinged cover, bringing together in one timepiece two of Patek Philippe’s purest expressions of watchmaking.

The importance of the case When the connoisseur thinks of Patek Philippe, he often considers above all the excellence of its mechanical movements. But he also knows that the case is equally important. A watch is an ensemble and the production of cases, their design, construction and finishing have always been treated with the same rigour by the watchmakers at Patek Philippe.

For a long time, long before all the workshops that were spread across Geneva were brought together in a huge manufacture, Patek Philippe has had control of all the operations and professions involved in designing and manufacturing cases. They are cold stamped in solid metal in hydraulic presses that exert pressures

28 COVER STORY europa star

good hearing, to make sure that closing the cover gives the required "click", characteristic of the well-made mechanism.

An avant-garde motor

of several tonnes, then "sculpted" by dies and punches developed within the manufacture.

The laborious manual polishing operations that follow are also done internally. But in the specific case of the Officer watches, the production of the delicate hinges used on the cover requires different production methods, high-tech for the precision of the components and manual for their adjustment, which is done to a thousandth of a millimetre. This is all the more important, given that the remit was to imagine, conceive and produce a Calatrava with a particularly thin case and a sapphire crystal back fitted with a cover whose hinge remains totally invisible.

Calatrava Reference 5227 The new Calatrava Reference 5227 comes in a round—of course—case with a 39mm diameter, stamped in 18-carat gold. From the front, it has a face of the most refined sobriety, enhanced by a smooth bezel with a slightly concave profile and curved lugs. Under a slightly domed sapphire crystal, its cream lacquered dial is a model of readability and uncluttered

elegance. The space is punctuated only by applied "bâton" style hour markers in gold between the small gold dots of the minute track. A date display at 3 o’clock is framed by a window whose frame is cut out of gold. Two facetted gold "dauphine" type hands indicate the hours and minutes, while a slender hand with a counterweight beats out the rhythm of the seconds.

From the side, the case shows fine curved grooves that look as if they have been cut out of the solid gold with a gouge and then painstakingly polished. But the flat profile of the case, which is only 9.24mm thick, shows no hint of a back cover concealing the sapphire crystal. You can barely see, under the crown, the small "ear" to open the cover!

The invisible hinge, as modest as it may seem, is in fact the result of great craftsmanship.

Machining the components and adjusting the cover require more than just microscopic precision. Its assembly requires patience, dexterity and know-how to ensure that, once the cover is closed, there is no visible join. And astonishing as it may seem, this also requires

Once the cover is opened, the eye can wander across the self-winding calibre 324 SC that powers the watch. The level of care apparent in its traditional finishing, most of which is done by hand—bridges with edges bevelled to a round profile, Côtes de Genève, gilt engravings, solid-gold oscillating mass decorated with circular graining and a Calatrava Cross—are in contrast with certain avant-garde characteristics of this movement, the stability and precision of which conform to the strict requirements of the Patek Philippe Seal (-3 to +2 seconds of variation in rate per day). Beating at a frequency of 28,800 vibrations per hour (4Hz), it is fitted with a large Gyromax® balance with four arms, which has a Spiromax® balance spring in Silinvar®, which brings together all the silicon components that Patek Philippe has developed over the past ten years. This very highprecision technology offers the significant benefits of a lack of any need for lubrication and improvements in isochronism (and therefore in precision), the geometry of the components and resistance to shocks and corrosion.

Over 80 years after it first appeared on the watchmaking scene, the Calatrava pushes the Bauhaus philosophy even further. Form is the pure expression of function and the latter must strive to get ever closer to its horological ideal of precision, stability and reliability.

The Patek Philippe Calatrava Reference 5227 (which Patek Philippe calls the "Officer and gentleman" watch) is offered in 18-carat yellow, white or rose gold (5N) and comes with a hand-sewn large-scale alligator leather strap in shiny chocolate brown for the yellow-gold version, shiny black for the white-gold version and shiny dark chestnut for the rose-gold version, each with a pin buckle in the corresponding metal. O

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COVER STORY 29

Art Deco in the silicon age

P

Patek Philippe’s proprietary silicon-based components are used in the newly developed calibre 28-20 REC 8J PS IRM C J manually-wound movement to offer a power reserve of over one week in combination with a day-date display. Although such an impressive endurance is not new to the brand (Patek Philippe presented its Ref. 5100 with a ten-day power reserve in 2000), this new calibre is all the more remarkable for its ability to incorporate the energy-sapping functions of day and date display while guaranteeing a power reserve of at least 192 hours.

REF. 5200 GONDOLO 8 DAYS, DAY & DATE by Patek Philippe

The Pulsomax® escapement used in the movement, which consists of a pallets and escape wheel made in Silinvar®, is friction-free, which saves energy on each contact between the pallets and the escape wheel. With the 4Hz movement producing 5.53 million such contacts over the eight-day power reserve, the energy saving is considerable. Furthermore, the anti-magnetic and corrosion-resistant Silinvar® is also two-thirds lighter than steel, which means that even more energy can be saved compared with a conventional escapement.

Two in-line mainspring barrels, hidden beneath a large mainspring barrel plate visible through the sapphire crystal case back, provide the necessary power for the timepiece once armed by 134 turns of the crown. Alongside this dominant feature are Patek Philippe’s distinctive three bridges for the going train and escape wheel and the generously dimensioned balance cock. All surfaces are decorated in the best Patek Philippe tradition with Côtes de Genève, chamfered and polished edges, longitudinally grained sides and goldfilled engravings.

The ensemble is enclosed in an 18-carat whitegold case of Art Deco distinction—a rounded rectangle with protruding, rounded flanks that is meticulously crafted from solid-gold bars at the company’s Geneva workshops. The time is displayed by “Dauphine” hands against polished white-gold “baton” style hour markers on a blue or silvered dial, matched by a shiny blue or matt black alligator leather strap with a pin buckle in 18-carat white gold. O For more information about Patek Philippe click on Brand Index at www.europastar.com

00 SWATCH GROUP europa star

LVMH INCREASED FIREPOWER Under the leadership of Francesco Trapani, the watchmaking and jewellery arm of LVMH (TAG Heuer, Hublot, Zenith, Bulgari, Vuitton, Chaumet, Fred, de Beers) will be entering this year’s edition of BaselWorld with increased firepower, thanks mainly to the success of TAG Heuer, Hublot and Zenith, and the increasing power of Louis Vuitton watches.

The recent announcement that TAG Heuer’s emblematic CEO Jean-Christophe Babin would be transferring to the luxury steamer Bulgari at the end of June 2013 surprised observers, especially given the man of indefatigable dynamism’s close attachment to the “values” of the sporty brand. But it is his undeniable success at the head of TAG Heuer that destined him for this very difficult (and unofficial) mission to bring Bulgari up to the same level as Cartier.

This will be a considerable challenge for the watchmaking and jewellery arm of LVMH, which hopes to strengthen its presence in the global jewellery market, a sector that is still split among a multitude of local actors but which is worth some 100 billion euros (against around 60 billion—at retail prices—for luxury watchmaking) and where the margins are very comfortable.

RPierre Maillard and Paul O'Neil

TAG Heuer breaks the billion barrier

A

At the time of writing, we do not yet know the name of Jean-Christophe Babin’s successor at the head of TAG Heuer, but he or she will arrive at the controls when the brand is set to break the symbolic billion-franc sales barrier.

The brand has also considerably strengthened its industrial integration and production of its own manufacture movement (the Calibre 1887, an integrated column-wheel chronograph with oscillating pinion), has now reached its full capacity and allows TAG Heuer greater autonomy, which is welcome given the current extreme tension in the movement market.

Thanks to the magic of dates, an opportune moment has presented itself for the main commercial launch of the Calibre 1887: the 50th anniversary of the Carrera model, created in 1963 by Jack Heuer himself. TAG Heuer is therefore launching a collection of five new Carreras, all fitted with the Calibre 1887.

CARRERA CALIBRE 1887 JACK HEUER EDITION by TAG Heuer

Taking its aesthetic inspiration from the Carrera Mikrogirder 10,000 (winner of the Golden Hand at the 2012 Geneva Watchmaking Grand Prix), the Carrera Calibre 1887 Jack Heuer Edition, with its asymmetrical 45mm case and its crown and pushers at the top, is the flagbearer of the collection. The bezel in steel and

black titanium carbide, brushed and polished by hand, the case in finely polished brushed titanium and steel, the tachymeter and pulsometer on the dial all recall the original design of the Carrera and the first sports timers by Heuer.

The more classic Carrera Calibre 1887 Chronograph has a ceramic bezel 43 mm in

For relaxed East-West relations.

An imposing time machine developed with a genuine passion for watchmaking: the Patravi TravelTec chronograph is also an officially certified chronometer and shows three times simultaneously. The patented monopusher conveniently selects the direction of travel – east or west – and jumps over time zones.

Carl F. Bucherer’s philosophy, founded on intelligent functions and mechanisms, could not be interpreted more perfectly. www.carl-f-bucherer.com

32 LVMH europa star

CARRERA CALIBRE 1887 CERAMIC BEZEL by TAG Heuer

CARRERA CALIBRE 1887 HERITAGE by TAG Heuer

diameter. Its brushed and polished steel case and steel bracelet with bold H-shaped links give it a more vintage look.

The 43mm Carrera Racing 1997 Chronograph, on the other hand, is very sporty. It has a

brushed black titanium case, ceramic bezel with tachymeter scale, date window, handapplied black-gold numerals inspired by the dials on a car dashboard, a black folding clasp that has been redesigned to accommodate

Zenith, a textbook case

Z

Zenith achieved sales of around CHF 150 million in 2012 after selling around 25,000 watches (including 100 high-end pieces like the Colombus) and has just invested CHF 20 million in the extension and refurbishment of its historic factory building, which dates back to 1908. The main objective is to bring together under one roof the main professions at the manufacture, since until now they have been spread uncomfortably across a maze of small buildings nestled along a hillside. Some 1,200

kilometres of cable have been laid and a sophisticated oil recovery system has been implemented, which helps to heat the building. Furthermore, the machine park has been improved considerably, but a lot of traditional machines used for small but highly specific tasks have been kept.

All the El Primero and Elite movements, which are used in all Zenith watches, are manufactured from A to Z in these facilities, which employ 270 people, of which 200 are involved in production (out of a total of 300 people employed at the brand worldwide). Production has been growing constantly since 2009: 50,000 movements will be produced in 2013

the high-tech black alligator leather strap that is soft to the touch and stitched with a red thread.

In the smaller 41mm size there is the sleek Carrera Calibre 1887 Chronograph, which has a blue dial and comes with a leather strap or domed steel bracelet, or the very traditional-looking Carrera Calibre 1887 Heritage Chronograph, with stylised Arabic numerals, blued hands and a guillochĂŠ dial.

A fitting offensive that is well thought-out and should appeal to a wide audience while at the same time heralding the first chronograph calibre produced entirely in-house by TAG Heuer. We should point out that the average price of the brand has increased quite considerably over the past five years, climbing from CHF 2,500 to CHF 3,500. This is without considering some 350 high-end and high-tech pieces produced each year (V4, Mikrogirder etc...) by the department of Guy Semon, TAG Heuer’s R&D guru. (PM) O For more information about TAG Heuer click on Brand Index at www.europastar.com

80 HOURS ON YOUR SIDE

Tissot Luxury Automatic

An exceptional and timeless piece offering 80 hours of power reserve with a revolutionary COSC certified Powermatic 80 movement, in a 316L stainless steel casing with see-through caseback and water resistance up to 5 bar (50 m / 165 ft).

IN TOUCH WITH YOUR TIME Get in touch at www.tissot.ch

34 LVMH europa star

CAPTAIN WINDSOR ANNUAL CALENDAR BOUTIQUE EDITION by Zenith

against 8,000 in 2009. These 50,000 movements are divided across 60 different calibres, all integrated from the outset (no modules).

Research and development, construction, prototyping, tool making, cutting, movement blanks, steel cutting, machining, stamping, cleaning, trimming, polishing, decoration, bevelling, pre-assembly, creation of kits, assembly, escapement-making, adjusting, testing… all these crucial operations now take place as part of a streamlined workflow, which was difficult in the previous set-up. There are no less than 3,500 references and 12 million components locked away in the company’s Cardex.

"Zenith is a textbook case," explains JeanFrédéric Dufour, the enthusiastic and attentive CEO of the brand. "Zenith was one of the leaders in Swiss watchmaking for 100 years but then it gradually lost its true identity. In its heyday Zenith sold 80,000 watches per year in Italy alone. When I arrived in 2009 we sold 300 watches per year there! In all, Zenith produced around 10 million watches and created 650 different movements, including the first chronograph in 1899. Zenith was a sleeping beauty that we had to reawaken."

ACADEMY CHRISTOPHE COLOMB HURRICANE by Zenith

When he arrived, J.-F. Dufour concentrated on two vital points: redefining the collections and rebuilding the manufacture. His predecessor, Thierry Nataf, had the merit of putting Zenith’s name back among the leaders in Swiss watchmaking, but he did so by rushing too far ahead. The average price had risen to 5,500 euros. A new entry-level segment was therefore added at around 3,000 euros. The ultimate goal is to put Zenith back where it used to be as the leader in in-house chronographs between 5,000 and 8,000 euros. It seems within reach, since the brand has recorded 30 per cent annual growth in sales since 2009.

The strategy followed has been that of a return to the brand’s roots as a purveyor of genuine instruments of precision. The longstanding partnership with Felix Baumgartner, the first man to have broken the sound barrier in freefall—a fall of 39 kilometres—is, in J.-F. Dufour’s opinion, "not just a huge media coup but an absolute world-first that goes well with other historic firsts in which Zenith was involved, such as Blériot’s first flight across the channel in 1909."

In conclusion, the brand still has a huge potential for growth.

Its principal markets: Hong Kong is number one, followed by Switzerland, Germany, China and the USA. But, careful not to put all his eggs in the same basket, J.-F. Dufour has started a major programme of redevelopment in South America, where historically the brand was well known. (PM) O For more information about Zenith click on Brand Index at www.europastar.com

Appreciate the extraordinary MASTER SERIES

www.titoni.ch

36 LVMH europa star

Vuitton,vertical integration from above

A

An exceptional watch recently created (and sold) by Louis Vuitton is the perfect example of the brand’s watchmaking strategy. This unique piece costing 520,000 euros does not signal a change in business strategy (the average price of a Louis Vuitton watch is around 5,000 euros) but it is emblematic of the Paris-based company’s increasing watchmaking clout.

Created in celebration of the opening of the Louis Vuitton store on place Vendôme (Vuitton thus symbolically entering the heart of French high-end jewellery territory), the Tambour Répétition Minutes Baguette is an example of the “vertical integration from above” desired

by Hamdi Chatti, CEO of Louis Vuitton Watches and Jewellery. This minute repeater has a home time function, a day/night indicator and a power reserve display (100 hours) and its movement was produced entirely in-house by the master watchmakers at La Fabrique du Temps, recently acquired by Louis Vuitton, with the case made at the Parisian stone-setting workshops. "We try to do the difficult work internally," says Hamdi Chatti, "and in this case the challenge was two-fold: how to ensure watertightness for a piece that is fully paved with invisible-set diamonds and whose only visible component that is not diamond is the pusher to activate the minute repeater, which is purely functional? The other challenge: What kind of sound would the case produce?" The result is a beautifully crystalline sound and the issue of watertightness was solved.

"We want to build up a genuine know-how in watchmaking and work on traditional watchmaking functions but add Vuitton functions to them," Hamdi Chatti explains. These "Vuitton functions" are closely linked with the central theme of the luggage maker from which the Louis Vuitton brand was born, in other words

TAMBOUR RÉPÉTITION MINUTES BAGUETTE by Louis Vuitton

travel and regattas. Specifically, the forthcoming grouping together of La Fabrique du Temps, the dial maker Léman Cadrans and the assembly workshops under the same roof in Geneva will speed up the increase in horological credibility.

A new model to be launched at BaselWorld confirms this. The Tambour éVolution watch

TAMBOUR éVOLUTION by Louis Vuitton

quite clearly opens a new era in watchmaking at Vuitton. It has a tighter, more nervous aesthetic and the soft lines of the emblematic Tambour case make way for a more “instrumental” look. This new aesthetic, more technical and more masculine in nature, comes mainly from the innovative material and the very subtle treatment that gives the piece a special shine. The Tambour-shaped case in steel has a vigorous bezel in MMC (Metal Matrix Composite), which is a special type of aluminium with ceramic. This very special ceramic, which is obtained by molecular changes and is used in the valves of Formula 1 engines, does not undergo any alteration despite the extreme friction and high temperature differences that it is subjected to.

The Tambour éVolution is a chronograph with a second time zone (the obligatory Vuitton travel function) and a 12-hour day/night indicator for the Home Time. With its robust metal bracelet, the Tambour éVolution heralds a new era in watchmaking by Vuitton. (PM) O For more information about Louis Vuitton click on Brand Index at www.europastar.com

© Photos : Davolo Steiner, Jonas Bresnan

LIFE. TIME. EMOTION.

“Time does not have the same appeal for every one’’ William Shakespeare.

Rue du Mont-Blanc 17 · 1201 Geneva · Switzerland · www.picardcadet.ch

Baselworld, Hall 2.2 Booth E47

BOMBERG 1968 COLLECTION Ø 44 & 39 WATCH CASE 39 & **cc _d XbWYa iWdZXbWij[Z FL: r C_d[hWb YhoijWb m_j^ Wdj_#h[ƚ[Yj_l[ WdZ iWff^_h[ YeWj_d] r 9Wi[ XWYa iYh[m[Z Zemd _d XbWYa iWdZXbWij[Z FL: r Water resistance: 10 ATM DIAL AND HANDS C[jWb XbWYa Z_Wb fh_dj _d m^_j[ m_j^ XbWYa Wffb_[Z Yekdj[hi JWY^oc[j[h r D_Ya[b ^WdZi m_j^ bkc_delW r :Wo ZWj[ MOVEMENT 9^hede]hWf^ C_oejW EI'' STRAP AND BUCKLE 8bWYa b[Wj^[h ijhWf ijWdZWhZ ^eb[i m_j^ XbWYa ij_jY^_d] r 8bWYa iWdZXbWij[Z FL: XkYab[ BOMBERG REF. NO: NS39CHPBA.BA0.3.LBA & NS44CHPBA.BA0.3.LBA BOMBERG.CH

SIZE MATTERS.

40 LVMH europa star

All change at Bulgari

T

The management at Bulgari will undoubtedly be hoping to settle down this summer after enduring a human resources rollercoaster ride in the second half of 2012. Since Bulgari joined the LVMH fold in 2011, Francesco Trapani, the great-grandson of company founder Sotirio Bulgari, headed off to Paris to take over responsibility for all of the LVMH watch brands.

Trapani, who had spearheaded Bulgari’s move into perfumes and watchmaking, handed the CEO position outside the family for the first time. But his successor, Michael Burke (CEO of Fendi since 2003), barely had time to settle in after taking over in February last year before he was whisked off to replace Jordi Constans as CEO of Louis Vuitton towards the end of the year. After a month in his new position Constans had had to take the sad decision to step down for important health reasons. The fact that long-standing TAG Heuer CEO JeanChristophe Babin has been nominated as the new CEO of Bulgari (he is set to take over the reins in July) is a clear indication of the strategic importance that LVMH attaches to this recently acquired brand.

Meanwhile, as head of Bulgari’s watch division, Guido Terreni continues on the charted course.

ROMA by Bulgari

After the major new launch of its Octo collection last summer, the brand returns to an iconic model from the brand’s history as the star of this year’s BaselWorld. The Bulgari Roma, famous for its simple design and plain bezel engraved with the brand and model names in a manner reminiscent of the coins that Roman emperors used to mark their authority, will be reissued in 2013 in what is, by the global brand’s standards at least, a very strictly limited edition of 250 pieces. Like the Octo, whose seemingly simple design nevertheless incorporates 110 different facets

on the case alone, the Bulgari Roma model adds a twist to the classic round case with a subtle concave curvature running along the 3 o’clock to 9 o’clock axis. Available exclusively in 18-carat red gold and with a simple black dial with gold hour markers and three hands, as well as a matching black alligator leather strap, the classic Bulgari Roma model is fitted with a proprietary self-winding movement.

(PON) O For more information about Bulgari click on Brand Index at www.europastar.com

Denim and Caviar by Hublot

W

Where Hublot leads, other watch brands are likely to follow. But will they always? After

Jean-Claude Biver brought the official timekeeper relationship to top-flight football, numerous other watch brands followed suit to grab a slice of the increasingly lucrative football market. But how many have followed Hublot into the world of boxing after the brand part-

nered with the World Boxing Council? With more than ten different sanctioning bodies for boxing worldwide, unlike most other sports there is still plenty of opportunity for enterprising watch brands to jump on this new sponsorship bandwagon, but there seems little appetite

Ernest Borel Swiss Made since 1856

Romance in Heart

Please visit us at Baselworld 2013 from April 25 to May 2 - Hall 2.2 - Stand B05 ERNEST BOREL S.A. Rue des Perrières 8, P.O. Box 234 - CH-2340 Le Noirmont, Switzerland Tel: +41 (0)32 926 17 26 / Fax: +41 (0)32 926 17 29 www.ernestborel.ch - info@ernestborel.ch

42 LVMH europa star

for this within the industry. Maybe it’s a step too far: the point where marketing and brand image collide. But Jean-Claude Biver’s success, like that of any entrepreneur, has been achieved by taking such risks. His latest idea for Hublot is another such risk, but backed by the brand’s formidable marketing it will undoubtedly pay off.

No item of clothing divides opinions more than jeans. They are fine at a nightclub, trendy bar or maybe even at a chic restaurant, but definitely not on the golf course, at a gala dinner and in certain luxury hotel bars and restaurants. Take a look around at BaselWorld and count how many people you see wearing jeans.

This doesn’t seem to worry Hublot, however, who are confident that jeans go perfectly well with a timepiece costing thousands of Swiss francs, and even one that is water resistant to a typically Hublot extreme of 4,000 metres.

The divisive fabric is used on the dial (vacuumwrapped in epoxy) and strap (sewn onto black

BIG BANG JEANS by Hublot

rubber) of three new Big Bang models in steel, set with diamonds, baguette diamonds or no diamonds at all, each a limited edition of 250 pieces. The extreme Oceanographic in

carbon fibre shares the same attire but is limited to only 21 pieces and will only be available from the Zegg & Cerlati stores at Place du Casino in Monte Carlo, Ischgl in Austria and Samnaun in Switzerland—an expression of gratitude to Tina Zegg, who came up with the idea of putting denim into a Big Bang.

For those looking for a more “formal” Hublot, the brand also presents new “Caviar” versions of the Big Bang inspired by the original million-dollar Black Caviar model. Here, the expensive stones that fully paved the case on the million-dollar model have been replaced by a multi-faceted case and dial that recreates the same look but at a much more affordable price. Like the denim models, the steel and gold versions of this new Big Bang Caviar are available with or without diamonds, in this case set only on the bezel. This three-hand Big Bang, powered by the HUB 1112 self-winding calibre, comes with a special strap with shiny silver or red-gold colour calfskin sewn on to a rubber base. (PON) O

BIG BANG CAVIAR by Hublot

For more information about Hublot click on Brand Index at www.europastar.com

WHEN ARCHITECTURE IS THE MESSAGE Two big Parisian brands, Hermès and Chanel, who have both acquired a horological legitimacy with completely different styles, are counting on their “pavilions” to convey their message, as is the Movado Group, which brings together its flagship brands under the same new roof.

RPierre Maillard

Hermès in fluid curves

H

Hermès entrusted the creation and implementation of its new stand – or “pavilion” – at BaselWorld to a refined architect who was inspired as much by imperial Japan’s tea pavilions as he was by the most futuristic or soft technologies. This was certainly not by chance.

Because the finesse and sensitivity of the

TOYO ITO: "THE QUEST FOR FLUIDITY" Born in 1941, a graduate of the University of Tokyo in 1965, Toyo Ito is above all the architect behind an osmosis between building and nature. His Tower of the Winds (Yokohama, 1986) is a perfect example.

Measuring 21 metres in height, it looks completely white in daytime but changes into a luminous signal at night that continuously changes according to the winds. An architect of fragility struggling against gravity, Toyo Ito has, through his projects, demonstrated that the solidity of a building is based much more on its adaptation to the land rather than an excess of structure. His multimedia library in the coastal town of Sendaï (2000) withstood the terrible earthquake of 2011. He was awarded the Golden Lion at the Venice Architecture Biennale in August 2012 for his "Home for All" installation that was a collaboration between his teams and the residents in areas devastated by the tsunami to build temporary shelters and, more recently, picked up the prestigious 2013 Pritzker architecture prize.

renowned Japanese architect Toyo Ito seem to correspond exactly with the philosophy of the Parisian house. Even better, according to Pierre-Alexis Dumas, art director at Hermès, is that "this new pavilion is the formal translation of a shared philosophy with a universal reach. Its design shows off the values on which our company is based: artisanal crafts, an attachment to skilled manual work and the nobility of natural materials such as wood, the mastery of time, precision and innovation."

This communion of spirit between Ito and Hermès has spawned a "nomadic vessel of wood and greenery". It is a light and airy structure, an open space, a warm, calm and welcoming place intended as a faithful ambassador for the brand.

To the approaching visitor, the pavilion looks like a mesh of criss-crossed wooden slats that seem to move in a wave, like an ocean swell.

A total of 624 slats of beech wood, flat, curved outwards or inwards, none of which are the same, criss-cross learnedly so that they look like an opaque screen to those walking past, but offer glimpses of the inner atrium and mezzanine to those who stop for a look.

This skin of wooden slats, similar to the folds of a skirt hanging in the wind, is held in place by an inner framework of metal and glass.

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Hermès colour palette and the texture of tree bark, giving the warmth and intimacy of a house (a big house, in fact, since the usable surface area is 1,040m2, comprising 25 rooms, 20 offices, 4 conference rooms, 1 business centre, all set up in five weeks and stored in 200 boxes and pallets).

Between the skin and the framework snakes a ribbon of 167 camellia, eucalyptus, magnolia and citrus plants that form a narrow garden that rolls, splays and narrows all around the pavilion (you can recognise the interpenetration between building and nature familiar from Japanese architecture). Indirect lighting hidden in the plants further accentuates the rhythmic undulation of the pavilion, which is entered through a large corner opening, similar to the bow of a ship.

Arceau Chrono Bridon There are five versions of this new “sport-chic” self-winding chronograph with a matt white, dark blue or ebony dial, with a new strap inspired by horse bridles and cut from Barenia calfskin or bridle leather, a rawhide that is difficult to work with.

Inside, after passing through a large and calm atrium, you reach the offices, presentation rooms and you can climb up to the mezzanine level on a wood and metal staircase. The whole space is decorated with naturally-dyed fabrics whose yellow, orange and red hues evoke the

And the watches? They are displayed inside bubble-shaped flowers that are growing on steel stems spread around the atrium or emerge from the wooden slats as if, like living plants, they had slipped between the waves of wood to bloom outside.

Intellectual proximity, shared sensitivities and values, a common appreciation of know-how and a shared respect for the environment lie at the heart of this accomplished work, which takes the form of a subtle and light balance between tradition and experimentation. O For more information about Hermès click on Brand Index at www.europastar.com

Chanel, a monolith in black and white

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Barely ten years ago, Chanel attended BaselWorld for the first time, with the aim of “strengthening its position in the prestige watchmaking universe,” as the brand’s management said. Its entrance was marked by the launch of the J12 in white, a colour that was far from de rigueur in high-end watchmaking and which Chanel succeeded in establishing.

In ten years, Chanel has not just “strengthened” its position but has become a key player, with strong and immediately recognisable products (J12, Première, Mademoiselle

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Privé), at the crossroads between Parisian style and Swiss watchmaking. The horological content of its products has increasingly gained importance, with the result that it scooped an award at last year’s Geneva Watchmaking Grand Prix with the highly accomplished Première Tourbillon Volant model.

To mark its ten years of presence in Basel, Chanel, now in Hall 1, inaugurates a new three-storey stand (1,580 m2), designed by American architect Peter Marino. The man, who seems to be the exact opposite of someone like Toyo Ito with his trademark leather suit and leather cap on his head, is popular among the big fashion houses, including Chanel, for whom he has already designed a number of stores. Using the colour codes of the Paris fashion house, he has designed a spectacular white monolith for Basel, with strong geometric shapes, set on a black base in aluminium. The message is certainly different to that of Hermès: clear-cut and lively, minimalist and rigorously structured, where Hermès opts for curves, fluidity and sombre colours.

But architecture is also paid tribute to by

Chanel thanks to a major offensive for the Première collection, whose shape is, as we know, directly inspired by the Place Vendôme in Paris, the fashion house’s headquarters. In steel, white gold, yellow gold, with or without

J12 NOIR MAT SUPERLEGGERA CHRONOGRAPH

J12 WHITE PHANTOM

diamonds on the bezel, or even with a fullypaved bracelet and dials in black lacquer or white mother-of-pearl, the Première shows its absolute versatility in a charming promotional film shot for the occasion, which shows Parisian ladies in the daytime, at night, in everyday settings or at sophisticated happenings, all casually wearing their Première, mixed with other bracelets, on a Vespa, on the train, in the street or out on the town.

Launched in 1987, over 25 years ago, the Première does not show a single wrinkle and even proves, with the sublime Première Tourbillon Volant Saphirs, that it goes perfectly well with high-end mechanical watchmaking.

Besides this major offensive for the Première, Chanel is also presenting new versions of its other icon, the J12, with, among other things, the ultra-white J12 White Phantom. There is also a good-looking J12 Noir Mat Superleggera chronograph for men or, at the high end, a new version of the J12 Chromatic Rétrograde Mystérieuse. O For more information about Chanel click on Brand Index at www.europastar.com

EMOTION • INNOVATION • PROVOCATION

25.04. - 02.05.2013 Hall 2.0, Booth A07

www.alexander-shorokhoff.de

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The architectural birth of a group

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Movado... Ebel... Concord. Three brands with very different images but who are part of the same group, MGI, or Movado Group Inc. The profound changes at BaselWorld were an opportunity for the group to assert itself by bringing its three flagship brands together under the same roof.

A competition was launched, which was won by Brandstorm, a Geneva-based company that celebrates its tenth anniversary this year (see box).

BANDSTORM, BRAND ARCHITECT Set up ten years ago by Raphaël Henry, Brandstorm, based in Geneva, is a full-service architect that offers brands a “complete 3D vision” that includes the stand, store design, furniture, lighting, display corners, showcases and even packaging. This ability to offer a complete and coherent vision to a brand, coupled with its renowned professionalism and undisputed creativity, have made the young enterprise of fifteen professionals highly successful.

The proof of this success is that Brandstorm has built over 5,000m2 for 11 different brands at BaselWorld this year. Among them is the new stand for Zenith, which is also very impressive, but also the interesting vintage pavilion for the new brand Shinola (see Keith Strandberg’s article in this issue), as well as the stands for Ferrari and Tommy Hilfiger.

"We are not here to impose our own style," explains Raphaël Henry, "but to make the strategic aspirations of the brands a reality. We never seek to break with convention (unless the brand’s strategy requires it) but instead to help the visual message of our partners evolve".

The resulting architectural concept looks like “a watch case protecting the group’s most important brands and a showcase for its watchmaking know-how.” But as we know, there are many different ways to construct a “watch case”.

But how to translate in architectural terms the Movado Group’s desire to assert itself loud and clear as a big watchmaking group? This was the main question that the architects invited to take part in the competition launched

by MGI had to answer.

Rather than simply trying to unify visually the three different entities, for example by grouping together three different buildings, as its competitors did, Brandstorm did the opposite

Like any good architect, Brandstorm started with a detailed analysis of the urban environment, looking at the “lay of the land” inside BaselWorld and paying close attention to the visitor flows inside the halls. This prior analysis was instrumental in the very idea behind the shape for the “case”.

Brandstorm imagined a solid, giant black monolith, but with a large transparent opening—with double bevels running around the entire opening—at its most important strate-

by inserting the three brands within a single, imposing and powerful stand, thus reinforcing the notion of group over and above that of the different brands. A strategic decision!

gic corner, the point where visitor flows come from two perpendicular directions. On a second parallel alley, where there is less footfall, another bevelled opening has been created, also running around the entire opening.

These large bevels are totally transparent and give the visitor a spectacular view of the three floors of the monolith and life inside, as if two geometric shapes had been cut out of the opaque building. But besides offering this transparency, these pyramidal openings also soften the solid aspect of the 9 metre high, 37 metre long and 17 metre deep stand, which offers 2,700 m2 of space.

On the main façade, Brandstorm has set up an imposing wall of LEDs, hidden under a moiré fabric. The group can use this to display moving logos, watches and changing geometric shapes, or even create a genuine interaction with passers-by by reproducing their moving silhouettes on the screen.

Inside, there is no abrupt separation between the brands. Instead, you flow seamlessly from one to the other. The reception area is separated by semi-transparent screens from the working areas, which are grouped around a central staircase. O For more information about Movado Group click on Brand Index at www.europastar.com

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SWATCH GROUP – A BILLION MORE REASONS TO BANK ON BIENNE After adding a cool one billion Swiss francs in sales in 2012 (+14 per cent), the Swatch Group clearly pleased its shareholders, who saw the value of their bearer shares jump by almost 50 per cent over the year and can look forward to an increase of 17 per cent in their annual dividends. When the Swatch Group’s CEO Nick Hayek announced these impressive figures in March, he also committed to a further investment of between CHF 400 and 500 million this year alone, to match a similar amount that the group invested last year. The group’s growth will also bring more new jobs, in addition to the 900 new jobs that it created last year in Switzerland alone. In the first of three articles about this veritable powerhouse in watchmaking, whose ETA division alone is now producing a staggering 14 million components per day, we take a look at what to expect from a number of brands in the Swatch Group at BaselWorld this year. In two subsequent articles, Pierre Maillard takes a closer look at Tissot and Blancpain.

The Swatch Group’s well-oiled watchmaking machine RPaul O’Neil

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The organisers of BaselWorld promise that almost all the stands in Hall 1 this year will be brand new, so we can look forward to seeing an entirely redesigned Swatch Group pavilion that houses, in various shapes, sizes and heights, the brands that make up the formidable watchmaking machine based on the shores of Lake Bienne. But the biggest surprise of all is that Swatch, the brand that revolutionised the industry thirty years ago and gave its name to the group, will for the first time be represented with a stand at the show.

Celebrate!

The model that will take pride of place on Swatch’s new stand will be the “Swatch Est. 1983”, which celebrates the brand’s 30th birthday in the simple and playful way that has made Swatch watches so successful over the past

thirty years. Many models and concepts have been seen from the creative minds at Swatch since the first 12 models were launched on 1 March 1983, including designs by famous artists, numerous limited editions and collector’s pieces, an attempt to establish Internet time (although BMT—Biel Meantime as the reference for the “Beat” never really went viral)

and, more recently, touch screen digital models. But the 30th anniversary model goes back to the roots of the brand with the now iconic round plastic case that is most clearly identified with the brand and time indications on the dial replaced by each of the thirty years from 1983 to 2013. Although gold is usually associated with 50th anniversaries, we can forgive

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DS PODIUM SQUARE and DS EAGLE CHRONOGRAPH by Certina

accounted for two-thirds of the brand’s collection for years and Adrian Bosshard expects this to remain so for the foreseeable future.

“But ladies are also interested in Formula 1 and rally,” he says, “and many ladies like to wear gents’ watches.”

Swatch the exuberance of a gold finish to the movement, visible through a transparent dial, especially since the snappy “Celebrate” printed twice on a toothed driving wheel visible at 8 o’clock clearly evokes the trendy and upbeat image of the brand that revived the Swiss watch industry. Here’s to another 30 years!

As can be inferred from the year 1888 that figures beneath the logo on the dial of its watches, Certina will also be celebrating an anniversary this year, for it is 135 years since brothers Adolf and Alfred Kurth opened the factory in Grenchen that evolved into today’s Certina.

“We want to mark 2013 as a milestone,” says Adrian Bosshard, CEO of Certina. “We will present a totally new corporate identity at BaselWorld and we will have some spectacular new products, in terms of both design and innovation in movements. We will also be launching various limited series in celebration of our anniversary.”

The brand’s strong motorsport credentials, built on an eight-year partnership with the Sauber Formula 1 team, were recently extended with a new agreement as the official timekeeper of the FIA World Rally Championship.

But despite these strong sporty leanings, the brand is more than capable of producing timepieces that ooze classic elegance, such as the new DS Podium Square. At 38mm in size, this

new case shape, in the form of a rounded stainless-steel square, is perfectly targeted to offer global appeal and comes with a silver dial with black Roman numerals and a matching black leather strap. True to its motorsport associations, however, Certina also presents a new, ultra-sporty DS Eagle Chronograph, with a brushed stainless-steel case and a screw-on bezel with carbon inserts. Three different models are available: steel and PVD, all PVD and black/rose gold PVD, all powered by the ETA G10.91 quartz calibre with chronograph and GMT functions. Gents’ watches have

Jaquet Droz tops the Swatch Group’s anniversary pile, celebrating 275 years of existence— over twice as old as Certina and a staggering nine-times older than Swatch…. Delve into the company annals, however, and you will find a considerable gap in this history—a gap of over 200 years, in fact—between the time when Pierre Jaquet Droz the watchmaker set up workshops in La Chaux-de-Fonds, London and Geneva before the French revolution and the much more recent date when Montres Jaquet-Droz, the brand, was set up in 1987.

As a brand, Jaquet Droz only really took off when the Swatch Group took over at the turn of the millennium.

Nevertheless, today the manufacture based in La Chaux-de-Fonds makes a great deal of trading on the history of Jaquet Droz, recreating the unique automatons for which the watchmaker was also famous and maintaining his spirit in the decoration and fine move-

PETITE HEURE MINUTE 35MM by Jaquet Droz

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TYPE XXII 3880 by Breguet

ments of its timepieces, the latest of which is the Petite Heure Minute 35mm, the brand’s first ladies’ watch entirely in stainless steel (case and bracelet), with a bezel set with 160 diamonds and the signature off-centre hour and minute dial set onto a single disc of mother-of-pearl. It is powered by the Jaquet Droz 2653 self-winding calibre with a power reserve of 68 hours.

The cutting edge of research and development Breguet proudly boasts the first series-produced mechanical chronograph with a 10 Hz movement. Fitted with Breguet calibre 589F, with a silicon escapement with a flat balance spring rated at 72,000 vibrations per hour— double that of the usual “high-frequency” movements—the new Type XXII 3880 in red gold claims to be twice as precise, since its central flyback chronograph seconds hand completes one revolution in 30 seconds rather than the usual minute. The problem of a double reading on the dial is elegantly solved by alternate red and white dashes on the interior of the dial below the seconds/minute scale.

The red dashes are for the chronograph hand’s first 30-second revolution, the white indicators for the second revolution. The same red and white colours are used for the minute scale and are also replicated on the contrasting stitching of the brown alligator leather strap.

As part of the Swatch Group’s heavy-artillery public relations offensive in the week before the SIHH this year, Omega offered a teaser of what could be a breakthrough in volume watchmaking that will be presented at BaselWorld. Using a prototype Seamaster Aqua Terra, the top brains from ETA and ASULAB (the Swatch Group’s research and development arm), demonstrated a new movement that can resist magnetic fields of over 15,000 gauss.

Anti-magnetic wristwatches are, of course, nothing new, with the Rolex Milgauss and the IWC Ingenieur being two prime examples. The

IWC Ingenieur Reference 3508 is, in fact, perhaps one of the most resistant watches to magnetic fields ever produced, capable of withstanding a magnetic resonance tomograph generating 3.7 million A/m (46,500 Gauss, or over three times the resistance claimed by Omega). But what makes Omega’s new movement, which will be launched at BaselWorld as the Co-Axial Calibre 8508, the more remarkable is that it does not use a separate inner cage to provide the protection but instead relies on nonferrous metals used in the movement itself.

As we wait for the full technical details of this

new movement, which has been the subject of several patents, it is worth contemplating its importance in the wider context of customer service. With magnets of varying levels of power increasingly surrounding us in our daily lives (think of the speaker in your mobile phone, your TV or stereo system at home, or the more worrying MRI scanner you may have passed through to check out this season’s skiing injuries), their effects on a watch can be very damaging. Only days after Omega’s press conference, a colleague found her watch had been magnetised and was losing half an hour

SEAMASTER AQUA TERRA 15,000 GAUSS by Omega

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D-STAR CERAMIC CHRONOGRAPH and D-STAR RATTRAPANTE CHRONOGRAPH by Rado

a day. Whenever this happens, the watch has to be demagnetised, which involves a cost and, more importantly, places extra pressure on already overburdened customer service departments. Europa Star enquired about Omega’s thoughts and expectations in this regard, but unfortunately our questions fell foul of the brand’s press spokesperson, who informed us that “it is not part of our strategy to communicate about our customer service.”

Rado has maintained an impressively unwavering attachment to its core values as one of

CONQUEST CLASSIC by Longines

the pioneers of high-tech materials in the watchmaking industry. Long before the Hublot Big Bang was even a twinkle in Jean-Claude Biver’s eye, Rado was already using high-tech ceramic to make sleek but highly-resistant timepieces. Despite the proliferation of hightech materials now being used by dozens of watch brands, either for the case or bracelet, or for the movement itself, Rado remains true to its roots and continues to present elegant pieces whose designs have already proved that they can withstand not just the elements but the changing whims of fashion.

The latest incarnations in the familiar oval monobloc case of the D-Star collection present different hues of the high-tech ceramic.

In addition to matt black, the case of the new D-Star Ceramic Chronograph is also available in a new plasma-treated high-tech ceramic that is produced using a patented treatment that is exclusive to Rado and creates the sheen of platinum, even though no metal whatsoever is used in the process. The unusual look is achieved using gases that are activated at a staggering 20,000°C and modify the composition of the high-tech ceramic without affecting its basic properties. The resulting colour is permanent and will not change or fade over the years, maintaining the same scratch-resistant sheen. In terms of high-end mechanical watchmaking, Rado is offering a rarity with the new D-Star Rattrapante Chronograph.

This is only the second time that the brand has had a split-seconds chronograph in the collection and in this case the model in matt black high-tech ceramic is a limited edition of only 250 pieces, using the ETA 7770 selfwinding movement.

A blockbusting sponsorship deal The fact that Longines signed a “nine-digit” sponsorship agreement with the International Equestrian Federation tells you all you need to know about the health of the brand. This new partnership comes in addition to Longines’ existing sports partnerships with alpine skiing, gymnastics and tennis and covers the next ten years. It undoubtedly reinforces the Swatch Group’s dominance in sports timekeeping at international level. In order to help with the amortisation of this huge investment, Longines presents a new collection at BaselWorld that is dedicated to the racegoers who will attend the many equestrian events held across the world each year in the numerous equestrian disciplines.

The Conquest Classic comes in three different sizes—all with mechanical self-winding ETA movements—and in steel, 18-carat rose-gold

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JAZZMASTER FACE2FACE by Hamilton

present its new Pavonina collection, with a rounded square characterised by two central lugs that connect to a separate attachment for the bracelet. The new models are available in a variety of materials and colours (the name Pavonina is derived from the Latin word for peacock) and the central lugs lend themselves perfectly to a discreet diamond setting. This new collection is dedicated to the first “modern women”, which Glashütte Original traces back to the 1920s.

or a combination of the two. The different sizes, movements (including the L688.2 column-wheel chronograph that is produced by ETA exclusively for Longines), case materials and classic dial colours give a wide range of possibilities that should help Longines achieve the sales volumes it will need to finance its huge sponsorship investment.

The foreign influence Hamilton occupies its own niche within the Swatch Group thanks to its unique American heritage. Last year the brand impressed us with its Khaki Navy Pioneer limited edition model—a large marine chronometer style wristwatch with a removable case that could be fitted into the gimbals of a chronometer case or used as a table clock. In the same vein, the brand is presenting another timepiece with dual uses at BaselWorld this year.

The Jazzmaster Face2Face combines two different movements (an ETA 2094 chronograph and an ETA 2671 three-hands calibre) with two different dials on opposing sides of a rotating stainless-steel case. The wearer of this imposing 53 x 44mm model, which is a limited edition of 888 pieces, can therefore decide whether to show the simple threehand face with a classic silvered dial or a blue chronograph dial according to his mood or requirements. The movements are positioned

side by side and both sides of the case are transparent, which means you can always see the rotor powering the time indication that is not visible.

At the Swatch Group’s two outposts in the German watchmaking Mecca of Glashütte, the focus is on ladies’ watches at Union Glashütte and Glashütte Original. The former is launching the Sirona Date model with new leather straps in black or white to match two new dials adorned with diamonds.

Glashütte Original, on the other hand, will

PAVONINA by Glashütte Original

With 18 different watch brands under its umbrella, not to mention the industrial powerhouses that supply the majority of the mainstream Swiss watchmaking industry, even the Swatch Group cannot present all its highlights at BaselWorld (although Swatch enters the fray this year, Union Glashütte, for example, remains absent), so we must stress that this article is far from exhaustive. We will come back to other brands from the group and provide more detailed analysis of some of the above-mentioned brands in a future issue of Europa Star. O For more information about Swatch Group click on Brand Index at www.europastar.com

SIRONA DATE by Union Glashütte

CONFIDENCE N°1

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LE SERTISSAGE À GRAINS SUR PIÈCE D’HORLOGERIE...

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ATELIERS PASCAL VINCENT VAUCHER L’ART ET LA MÉTHODE

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Tissot – the watch factory RPierre Maillard

this affable, cordial and friendly man calls all the employees he meets by their first name.

"I’m just passing on the baton,” he says, “I am following the Tissot adventure, which is bigger than mine.”

I

"It’s not a manufacture, it’s a watch factory," Tissot’s CEO François Thiébaud says with a hint of gluttony. A "factory" destined to provide a continuous supply of watches to the world markets, which swallow between 7 and 8 Tissots every minute. That’s 460 Tissot watches sold per hour, 11,000 each day (24 hours a day, 365 days a year)! Given that the average price of a Tissot is around CHF 450, we can let you do the sums yourself! (Editor’s note: these are unofficial figures because the Swatch Group does not publish production quantities or figures by brand).

There is no better way to get a physical idea of this firepower than visiting the brand’s logistics centre at the heart of its complex in Le Locle. There you will find a fully automated storage and shipping facility, staffed by robots travelling at 4 metres per second between rows of shelves 15 metres high that house trays containing 5 to 6 million watches and components.

It is the constant movement of these trays, which travel along kilometres of tracks, passing

A multi-specialist

François Thiébaud

through stages such as labelling and checking before ending up packaged in cardboard boxes ready for shipping. A quick glance at the boxes reveals some astonishing destinations – proof of the ubiquity of the brand, which is distributed in 160 countries. Here, a package for Almaty, there one for Pristina, there a huge one for Moscow, then a smaller one for Chisinau...

Others would make a big show of this and milk the publicity for all it’s worth. But this is not François Thiébaud’s style. As we walk around the immense corridors of the "factory", which celebrates 160 years of existence this year,

"It’s both easy and difficult to understand what Tissot is," he explains in his big office that overlooks Le Locle, surrounded by snowcapped mountains. "Tissot is a multi-specialist that offers a whole range of ‘normal’ products and some more specific products that demonstrate a unique and innovative knowhow, such as the touch-screen technology of the T-Touch. But what these categories have in common is that they represent good-quality watchmaking credibility at a fair, loyal, real and transparent price. We have never tried to make things cheaper by reducing quality, quite the opposite in fact. It’s also a question of our ethics towards the end customer and the respect for the image of Swiss watchmaking. A customer’s attachment to his or her watch is nothing to do with price. It is always an intimate object, a witness of important dates, which frames – but does not control – our time on this mortal coil.

"Having said that," he continues, “Tissot is and will remain extremely competitive and we

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T-LUXURY by Tissot

150 new references at Baselworld

must therefore control costs strictly at all levels. Our volumes help us here: we are without doubt the biggest partner of ETA, Universo for hands and the sapphire crystal specialist Comadur, which equips all our watches. We also assemble our watches in the cantons of Jura and Ticino, where the wages are lower than in Neuchâtel or Geneva. Then everything ends up here, to be processed, meticulously checked and shipped. The notion of quality is central, because I believe that customer service is an absolute priority, in marketing terms.

The customer’s trust is an overriding element and there should not be the slightest dent in this trust. Should anything ever happen to affect this, we have to do our utmost to regain this trust or even take advantage of the situation to strengthen it further."

Enormous margins of progression Since Tissot has enjoyed double-digit growth since François Thiébaud’s arrival at the helm in 1996 (with the exception of the “black” year 2009, when the brand recorded single-digit

growth), how does he see the brand’s future?

"Tissot’s future will be dictated by that of Swiss watchmaking as a whole," he explains.

"In terms of quantity, the Swiss watchmaking industry only accounts for around 3 per cent of the watches produced worldwide, but in terms of value the figure is 50 per cent. With the increasing standards of living in emerging countries, the potential for growth is enormous and Switzerland could quickly reach 10 per cent in terms of quantity and grow from the current figure of 20 billion at export to 100 billion! But for this to happen, we need to continue with our massive industrial expansion, because we need entry-level products as well as the 'grands crus classés', which we are fortunate to have but which are far from being everyday products. And it’s by stressing our Swiss know-how in this field and the way in which Swiss watchmaking is communicated as well as produced that we will get there. This is why, like many others, I am fighting for a strengthening in the Swiss Made criteria to 60 per cent of the value."

At Baselworld 2013, Tissot will be presenting 150 new references. Among these will be the arrival of a new self-winding movement, the Powermatic 80. Based on the ETA 2824, it has been optimised for a big power reserve of 80 hours (compared with 36 hours for a 2824).

This improvement (requested, it must be noted,

by François Thiébaud himself, who was fed up with seeing his watch stop after leaving it in a drawer over a weekend) was achieved by developing a new sprung barrel and by removing the traditional index-assembly (and by replacing it with an innovative system whose details are confidential) and by creating a balance without adjustment screws that oscillates at 3Hz (instead of the usual 4Hz). The Powermatic 80, which also comes in a COSCcertified chronometer version, is first used in the new T-Luxury, with a very classic design, which will be sold at the highly competitive price of CHF 800 to 850 for the COSC version on leather and CHF 1050 on the steel bracelet.

T-RACE TOUCH by Tissot

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It would appear to be unbeatable.

Over time this movement will be used in all of Tissot’s self-winding watches.

Another important new arrival is the T-Race Touch, dedicated to the motorsports of which Tissot is a fervent supporter, namely as official

timekeeper and partner of MotoGP. With 11 functions operated via the touch screen, including stop watch, split times, 99 recordable lap times, alarms, compass etc... It is a veritable sports coach and sells for CHF 500.

The Tissot Heritage Navigator is also a flagship for this anniversary year. Inspired by a model from 1953, when the brand celebrated its centenary, and fitted with a COSC-certified self-winding chronometer movement, it has 24 time zones that are instantly readable on the 24-hour scale on the dial, with the “Home Time” read against the 12 hours on the bezel.

But these are just a handful of the new arrivals from the brand with a thousand references. O For more information about Tissot click on Brand Index at www.europastar.com

HERITAGE NAVIGATOR by Tissot

Blancpain, the farm next door to the factory RPierre Maillard

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In 2002, when Marc Hayek, the grandson of Nicolas Hayek, was put in charge of Blancpain (he now also manages Breguet and JaquetDroz), the brand that was relaunched by JeanClaude Biver and Frédéric Piguet in 1982 was producing around 3,000 watches. Today, just over a decade later, Blancpain produces "in excess of 20,000 watches", employs almost 700 people in Switzerland and generates a

turnover that can be estimated at around 300 million Swiss francs (these are unofficial figures, given that the three brands Breguet, Blancpain and Jaquet Droz "came close to a billion Swiss francs in sales in 2012, Breguet accounting for over half of this sum").

Since 2010, when the movement manufacturer Frédéric Piguet was absorbed within the Blancpain manufacture, the factory has been largely self-sufficient and employs over 600 people, spread across two different production sites with totally different, but perfectly complementary, characters. The industrial arm alone accounts for 500 of these employees in a building in Le Sentier (Vallée de Joux), where

the majority of the components for the inhouse movements are produced ("exclusively mechanical since 1735", as the provocative slogan dreamed up by Jean-Claude Biver proclaimed in the immediate aftermath of the quartz crisis). Since Piguet was fully incorporated within the company, Blancpain, which only uses its own movements, has been working exclusively for itself.

In nearby Le Brassus, the complicated watchmaking arm is established in an historic farm.

Here, some fifty accomplished watchmakers and artisans work on the brand’s most sophisticated timepieces in an atmosphere that recalls the peaceful environment in which

the elements of danish design

UltraSlim Design SINCE 1989

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CHRONOGRAPH LARGE DATE by Blancpain

Another remarkable feat is Blancpain’s revival of the carrousel, a watchmaking mechanism whose effects are comparable to those of the tourbillon (compensation for the effects of gravity), but which had been eclipsed by the latter for quite some time, mainly because of the complexity in its assembly and adjustment. By reintroducing this forgotten mechanism (with the help of watchmaker Vincent Calabrese) and coupling it with other complications such as the minute repeater, Blancpain has created a new category of timepiece almost from scratch.

early watchmakers worked. The "Farm", with its warmly wooden ambiance, is divided into specialised workshops where silence reins.

There is a decoration workshop, where the work is done in the traditional way by hand: bevelling, file strokes, mirror polishing, circular graining, Côtes de Genève; the engraving workshop, whose excellence is well-known and where France’s Best Craftswoman works, with a blue-white-red ribbon on her collar.

Throughout the "farm", the workshops are separated by types of complication. Here, tourbillon, carrousel, running equation, perpetual calendar; there, minute repeater.

But beyond the picture postcard image, the “farm” is also a laboratory for complications.

Blancpain has thus been able regularly to surprise us with some remarkable, original and at times genuinely innovative accomplishments, such as the recent Villeret with tradi-

tional Chinese calendar. It’s a world first, which, besides the Gregorian calendar, also displays the traditional Chinese calendar based on a lunar cycle of 29.5 days. This is a highly complex calendar with a double-hour indication, the signs of the zodiac, the Chinese date and month, as well as indications for the five elements, celestial stems and leap months. The profound complexity of this movement is primarily due to the irregularity of the different cycles, an irregularity that requires a leap month to be added, because the lunar year is shorter than the solar year but becomes longer when this additional month is inserted! In short, it is a mathematical headache that took a long time (5 years) to convert into gear trains, cams, levers… for a total of 434 components that then had to be bevelled, polished, engraved… for this world premiere that absolutely had to be ready for the Year of the Dragon.

Although Blancpain raises the bar very high with these pieces, they obviously only represent a fraction of the brand’s total production.

But they act as ambassadors to a clientele that prefers more traditionally horological collections. Among the five main product lines offered by Blancpain, the classic Villeret line (named after the place where the brand was born in 1735) is the most popular. The other major lines, in addition to the complications produced in Le Brassus, are the famous Fifty Fathoms divers’ collection, the L-Evolution sports collection and the Women line.

We can look forward to new products in each of these lines in Basel. O For more information about Blancpain click on Brand Index at www.europastar.com

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25 April - 2 May 2013 Please meet us at : OSLO Meeting Room Ground Floor Radisson Blu Hotel Steinentorstrasse -254001, Basel Switzerland Phone: +41 61 227 2727 +971 56 6038082

For more information : Tel 00971 4 2224142, Fax 00971 4 2221078 Website : www.kolbergeneve.com $)*+$1,67$1 $50(1,$ $=(5%$,-$1 %$+5$,1 %$1*/$'(6+ &<3586 '-,%287, (*<37 (7+,23,$ *(50$1< *5((&( ,1',$ ,5$1 ,5$4 -25'$1 .$=$.+67$1 .(1<$ .8:$,7 /(%$121 /,%<$ 0$/$<6,$ 021*2/,$ 0252&&2 1(3$/ 1,*(5,$ 20$1 3$.,67$1 3+,/,33,1(6 4$7$5 5866,$ 6$8', $5$%,$ 6,1*$325( 6/29$.,$ 65, /$1.$ 6<5,$ 7$1=$1,$ 8*$1'$ 8.5$,1( 81,7(' $5$% (0,5$7(6 9,(71$0 <(0(1

00 SWATCH GROUP europa star

ESTABLISHED BIG BRANDS CARVE OUT THEIR PATHS Focussing on a strong theme; highlighting heritage and history; aesthetic adventures; technological breakthroughs… the established big brands are stepping up their efforts to keep their places in the watchmaking hierarchy.

RPierre Maillard and Paul O'Neil

Chopard asserts greater autonomy

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Chopard launches a major automobile offensive, taking its inspiration directly from the world of the motor car for two of its flagship launches: a new collection called Superfast and an “aesthetic hybrid”, the L.U.C Engine One H. Let’s start with the one that really stretches the aesthetic and technical links between the worlds of automobile and watch. Everything, from the surface treatments, the shape of the bridges, the placing of the indication to the detail of the overstitching on the strap, is intended to evoke the automobile metaphor.

What immediately catches the eye in this new longitudinal watch, which has a crown at 12 o’clock that is supposed to recall a petrol tank filler cap, are the two bridges on the dial side that are engraved with prominent grooves that remind us of a cylinder head on an engine block. The oversized power reserve, located at 9 o’clock, reads like a gauge, while a “propulsion” tourbillon with a very technical look beats at 3 o’clock, atop which is a red small seconds hand running under a sapphire disc. No less than 14 visible screw heads give the highly structured dial a “rough and ready” appearance that highlights the instrument’s technical sporty nature. The complex shapes of the case, with its curved recesses and concave surfaces, seem to have been cut to give it an aerodynamic look.

L.U.C. ENGINE ONE H by Chopard

The “engine” is a L.U.C 04.02-L 4Hz manuallywound mechanical manufacture movement, fitted on to silent blocks and enclosed in a titanium case. The COSC-certified chronometer movement has a power reserve of 60 hours and the piece is a limited edition of 100.

Off to a flying start The other automobile-inspired new product is a new series of Superfast in the Classic Racing collection, which has for a number of years been “destined to pay tribute to the automobile world.”

For the first time in this collection, the new Superfast models are fitted with Chopard movements that have been designed and manufactured in the workshops of the Chopardowned Fleurier Ebauches. They produced 5,000 movements in 2012 (the objective is to reach 15,000 movements by the year 2015).

The first of these is the self-winding Chopard calibre 01-01-M, which is a COSC-certified chronometer with a 60-hour power reserve and beats at 28,800 vibrations per hour. It is used in the Superfast Automatic, a 41mm three-hand model with date window at 6 o’clock.

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La clarté de nos intentions n’a d’égale que celle de nos pierres ROXANE DELLA SANTA

MAÎTRISE HORLOGÈRE DES TAILLES DE NOS PIERRES

NOUS CONTRÔLONS NOS LOTS À 100%

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ATELIERS PASCAL VINCENT VAUCHER L’ART ET LA MÉTHODE

GEMMOLOGUE GIA

68 MAJOR INDEPENDENT MANUFACTURERS europa star

Another version of the same calibre, the Chopard 01.02-M, drives the Superfast Power Control, which, as its name indicates, has a power reserve indicator.

Last but not least, the Chopard 03.05-M is a self-winding chronograph movement with hours, minutes, small seconds at 6 o’clock, date window at 4.30, chronograph with central seconds hand, minute counter at 3 o’clock and hour counter at 9 o’clock.

All three models have a very special finish, with their large bridges openworked with fine “air scoops” inspired directly by cars. The same decoration is also found on the black dial, which bears vertical anthracite lines intended to remind connoisseurs of “the cooling wings of racing cars”, and on the sides of the lugs and the crown, which resembles a miniature steering wheel. The flange displays the minute markings like a vintage rev counter, while the power reserve looks like a petrol gauge and the rubber strap takes the profile of a “slick” Formula 1 tyre. In short, there is plenty to make even the most demanding aficionados of automobile aesthetics happy.

CALIBRE CHOPARD 01.02-M

Strategic choices But the importance of this new collection is also strategic. By presenting a complete sporty collection using only manufacture movements, Chopard has taken a major step forward towards autonomy—in terms of movements—moving gradually, with consistency and determination, from the status of a “luxury bodyshop”, staying with the automobile

SUPERFAST POWER CONTROL by Chopard

metaphor, to that of a fully-fledged engine builder. This evolution has become indispensable in the new watchmaking landscape, following ETA’s announcement to reduce deliveries. More than ever, the movement is back under the spotlight. Which is no bad thing. (PM) O For more information about Chopard click on Brand Index at www.europastar.com

Girard-Perregaux, 223 years young

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Unlike with many other watchmaking factories, a visit to Girard-Perregaux’s production facilities, housed in a magnificent turn-of thecentury building complex in the heart of La Chaux-de-Fonds, is enough to remind you of the company’s 223-year history. You could pass by the subtle and faithfully restored trompe l’oeil decoration of the interior (the grain on the wood and the marble on the columns and balustrades is achieved with meticulous paint-

ing) but it is impossible not to notice the firstgeneration CNC machine from 1991 at the entrance to the workshop where the movement components are manufactured. With 15 different tools that all had to be changed manually, the machine could produce a finished mainplate in around half an hour. With the latest, much smaller machines a few steps away, the time is reduced to eight minutes and the machines can be programmed by WiFi and connected in series to offer greater flexibility. Nearby, watchmakers assemble movements on state-of-the-art production lines that automatically present the movement the

right way up for the corresponding operation and assist the watchmaker with integrated electronic displays.

Girard-Perregaux has evolved rapidly over the past twelve months under the new CEO of the Sowind Group, Michele Sofisti. “Only a few years ago Girard-Perregaux had over 700 different references,” he told Europa Star, “now the figure is 140. Simplification of the collection was one of my main priorities, as was communication, which we have changed with our Young Watchmakers project and our partnership with Dominique Loiseau.”

europa star

1966 LADY by Girard-Perregaux

Besides the more obvious changes (GirardPerregaux, together with JeanRichard, have now left the SIHH and will be present in BaselWorld this year together with Gucci on a new stand in Hall 1), much has been done behind the scenes to streamline workflows and production processes, with the result that it now takes “twelve months from sketch to finished

MAJOR INDEPENDENT MANUFACTURERS 69

product on the wrist”. This has translated into a 50 per cent increase in production last year alone, with “double-digit” growth in sales over the same period. Greater vertical integration is the next step in the strategy, “We want to push to bring as much as possible back inhouse to strengthen our position as a manufacture,” Sofisti concludes.

The core collection has also been reduced from eight different families to five: the GirardPerregaux 1966, the Vintage 1945, the Cat’s Eye model for ladies and—new for Basel this year—the Traveller collection and the Constant Force Escapement. This totally new escapement design, with two escape wheels, no pallets and a strange undulating wire suspended between two arms, guarantees a transmission of constant force to the balance wheel over the entire duration of the one-week power reserve. Girard-Perregaux also offers genuine manufacture models for ladies, as the new 1966 Lady model shows: its pink-gold case set with diamonds and held on the wrist with a calfskin strap encloses the GP03200-0005 self-winding mechanical movement, which is visible through a sapphire crystal case back.

(PON) O

THE YOUNG WATCHMAKERS The average age of the employees at Girard-Perregaux is 37 and among the two-thirds involved in production it drops to under 30. Putting these young talents in the spotlight is an excellent way of promoting the youthful side of the brand and its watchmaking expertise. The Young Watchmakers project takes the form of a world tour which offers the brand’s watchmakers the opportunity to experience watchmaking in some very unusual places. Jean-Luc Borel, who works exclusively on minute-repeaters at Girard-Perregaux, experienced watchmaking on Times Square in New York. “I wanted to see something different and I thought it would be a great souvenir to be able to share with my children,” he told us. “There were four of us and we each went to different parts of the city. Less people stopped to see what was going on than I thought would, because there always seems to be something crazy going on there. But it is a great way to explain watchmaking. I offered someone the opportunity to polish a screw to show them how complicated it was.”

The project is already dispatching its second wave of young watchmakers, with two of Jean-Luc’s colleagues trying out watchmaking in Sydney, Australia, with koala bears on their workbenches as Europa Star went to press. For more information on this project (and to see Jean-Luc in traditional costume with his alpine horn) visit http://www.thenewfaceoftradition.com.

For more information about Girard-Perregaux click on Brand Index at www.europastar.com

Corum: consistent and legitimate

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Having started at Corum in 2005 as vice-president of operations, Antonio Calce became CEO in 2007 and, when Séverin Wunderman died in 2008, also became a minority shareholder in

the brand, alongside the Séverin Wunderman foundation.

From the moment he arrived, Antonio Calce set about restoring consistency to a brand which had definitely come back under the spotlight (notably with the Bubble phenomenon) but had lost a little clarity, or rather consistency, not just with its products but also with its dis-

tribution. Today, Antonio Calce, who has not held back, believes that he has returned credibility, legitimacy and sustainability to the brand established by René Bannwart. He achieved this with a strict streamlining of the range— which today has reached full maturity—and a restructuring of its distribution, as well as by taking full control of the creative process.

70 MAJOR INDEPENDENT MANUFACTURERS europa star

Vincent Calabrese, Antonio Calce and Laurent Besse

A true story

TI-BRIDGE AUTOMATIC DUAL WINDER by Corum

Thus today the entire chain, from the original designer’s sketch to series production, is handled in-house. Design, modelling, construction, R&D for cases and movement, methods, naming, setting, series-production assembly, testing, manufacture movement assembly (mainly for the Bridges collection)... everything but the “shavings” (in other words, the production of components) is done under the same roof at the manufacture in La Chaux-de-Fonds.

Two pillars Antonio Calce, an engineer by profession, likes clear and well-defined structures. His propensity for rigorous order (tempered by some Latin aesthetic fibres) was applied to Corum’s product range, which has thus regained its great clarity. The main collection is split across two pillars: on the one hand the Corum Bridges line, on the other the Admiral's Cup line.

A complete range is offered within these two lines. The Admiral's Cup is divided into two segments: one of classic expression, with the Legend 42mm, and one “extreme sports”, which comprises “instruments” equipped with genuine professional functions (regatta countdowns, chronographs etc.), in which the latest example is the 45mm AC1, a new chronograph with a vertical clutch, thinner than its prede-

cessors (with a Dubois Dépraz movement), even more racy and with a superb and complex case that, for the first time, is not twelve sided.

In the emblematic Bridges line, which is unique to Corum, there is an apparent distinction between the classic family of the Golden Bridge, available as a tourbillon with a mini rotor, as well as in manual and self-winding versions, and the highly contemporary T-Bridge, which is available as a flying tourbillon, a mechanical model with a three-day power reserve, Miss and Lady models and, as an absolute novelty this year, the Corum Ti-Bridge Automatic Dual Winder.

Limited to 200 pieces, this new Ti-Bridge has a one-of-a-kind linear winding system that uses two masses in tungsten.

This tonneau-shaped watch is a symbol of the rejuvenation and wonderful blossoming of the Bridges collection and has a very high degree of refinement to its finishing, which illustrates Corum’s new ambitions (to take just one example, the Golden Bridge, with its absolute transparency, sometimes showed off the less-thanappealing body hair on the wearer’s wrist.

Adding a finely metallised sapphire disc on the case back has not only put this “defect” right but has also added an extra depth to the piece, which produces a very nice effect).

Two new heavyweight recruits will help Antonio Calce to bring even greater watchmaking legitimacy to Corum, which, historically, is a brand where creativity has always been at the heart of its activity. Laurent Besse, a proven specialist in R&D and founder of the Artisans Horlogers, has been appointed head of the R&D department at Corum.

Another high-level appointment, Vincent Calabrese, is none other than the historic creator of the Golden Bridge, who sold the patent to René Bannwart in 1977. With the arrival of Vincent Calabrese, who has been appointed “ambassador” of his own ingenious idea, Corum is in a way going back to its roots.

“Better than just story telling with some marketing sauce, this is an opportunity for us to tell a true, genuine, human story that is quite rare in watchmaking,” Vincent Calabrese tells us.

Antonio Calce shares the same view: “To rejoin forces with the person who invented this iconic movement, which has become a pillar of our brand, is a wonderful opportunity and will allow us not only to explore new avenues but also to promote them worldwide, with a spokesman who has an historical credibility.”

The tour starts in Basel, on a spectacular new three-storey stand which gives a nod to the notion of transparency entrenched in the Golden Bridge. Fully refocused on the fundamentals and with a rich new human capital, having gained independence for its production capacity and progressing step-by-step towards greater vertical integration, with a totally reorganised distribution network, Corum is back at centre stage in the world watchmaking scene. (PM) O For more information about Corum click on Brand Index at www.europastar.com

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Carl F. Bucherer: selling in and selling through

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Carl F. Bucherer is doing well. The clearest indication of this is that Jörg G. Bucherer, the grandson of Carl Friedrich Bucherer, who established the family-owned company 125 years ago this year, has been seen wearing his eponymous brand’s timepieces on several occasions.

Over the past years, under the leadership of CEO Sascha Moeri, Carl F. Bucherer has grown substantially. “When I took over in 2010 I had the order from the board of directors to increase the volume and especially the profitability,” he told Europa Star.

Triple sales Moeri has achieved this with an impressive tripling of sell-through from 6,500 pieces in 2009 to 20,000 pieces last year. An important and welcome side-effect of this has been that

the increased production of the brand’s in-house movement has brought down the average cost, with a corresponding increase in margins. A shift in product strategy also helped to boost the brand. “Before, the strategy was focused on the Patravi, which represents the technological advancement of Carl F. Bucherer with a sturdy masculine appeal, targeting a specific type of customer”, says Moeri. “Ladies’ watches and classical gents’ watches with big complications were not prioritised. Today, we have four different lines, each of which holds equal importance.

The Manero, for example, already accounts for 25 per cent of our total sales by volume.”

Although the boom in China has undoubtedly helped the brand, Moeri offers a different perspective on the market compared with other high-end brands, who may indeed be selling in lots of watches to China, but have not yet necessarily found their target customer. “We sell in and sell through,” he says. “Forty per cent of our sales come from Asia (including

MANERO POWER RESERVE by Carl F. Bucherer

Japan and South-East Asia) but the biggest increase in 2012 came from Europe—not because of the Europeans but because of the tourists, mainly Asians.”

Big potential in the US It is, however, not only Asia and Europe that are the focus of Moeri’s strategy for the immediate future, but also the USA, the traditionally strong market for the brand’s flagship Patravi model. “I see a huge potential for the brand there and we have a big advantage,” he says.

“We can step into the void that has been left at retailers who lose big brands when they open their own stores.” In this particular case, Moeri alludes to Rodeo Drive, which has quickly been swamped with mono-brand watch boutiques.

Carl F. Bucherer’s marketing strategy sets its own unique standards. Despite the brand’s relatively small size, it produces its own magazine in-house which is published in all major languages. Breaking the standard of today’s

PATRAVI TRAVELTEC FOURX by Carl F. Bucherer

72 MAJOR INDEPENDENT MANUFACTURERS europa star

product placement deals, Carl F. Bucherer believes in the principles of its family culture and friends of the brand who are watch aficionados and wear the watches aside from negotiations and compensation. As if to drum home this point, Moeri pulls out his phone to show photos with watch aficionado Arnold Schwarzenegger

and his friend Sylvester Stallone, both wearing stout Patravi TravelTec models.

For BaselWorld the brand is presenting several new products such as the Manero PowerReserve, which features the company’s calibre CFB A1011 in-house movement, and limited editions of 125 pieces in celebration of the 125th

anniversary of the Bucherer retail chain: The Patravi TravelTec FourX (three time zones, four materials) and the Alacria RoyalRose for ladies, set with diamonds and sapphires. (PON) O For more information about Carl F. Bucherer click on Brand Index at www.europastar.com

Ulysse Nardin: Yello Stranger!

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Dieter Meier, founder of the legendary electronic music group Yello, a precursor of the techno movement, conceptual artist (he once offered a dollar to any pedestrian on the streets of New York who said “yes” or “no” to him), film director, former professional poker player, is also an experienced businessman. He owns a huge estate in Argentina and sells the organic meat and wine he produces there with success in Switzerland. What is less well known is that he is also an investor and, as such, has been a partner in Ulysse Nardin since 1983 and friends with Rolf Schnyder, who relaunched the brand, for many years.

Being the sound and elegant crooner that he is, he has designed a watch called Stranger for Ulysse Nardin, as a tribute to the famous and catchy melody “Strangers in the night”. And the melody could indeed become catchy, because this musical watch, which by the way makes all the others suddenly look old, plays on demand the tune immortalised by Frank Sinatra in 1966 (you just have to press on a pusher), every hour (another start/stop pusher at 10 o’clock) or not at all (if you cannot get “Strangers in the night” out of your head and you need a rest).

STRANGER by Ulysse Nardin

The distinctive architecture of the Stranger and the surprising aspect of its dial are a direct result of the musical function that reinvents the old music box. Instead of roller, a disc with pins causes ten suspended blades to vibrate as it turns. These sharp-edged blades are spread across the upper portion of the dial, attached to the inner flange by blued screws. The 45mm case is in 18-carat rose gold.

But beyond the frivolities of this instrument for a dandy and the fine watchmaking finishing, the Stranger also reveals some high-tech treasures, such as the silicon escapement, pal-

lets and balance spring in the self-winding Calibre UN-690 manufacture movement, which has a 48-hour power reserve. Or the ergonomic innovation that is the integrated pusher in the crown, which activates the time setting mechanism with a simple push.

So it’s easy to adjust your watch, sitting at the bar’s piano, and recall that we have all, at some time or other, been “Strangers in the night”.

(PM) O For more information about Ulysse Nardin click on Brand Index at www.europastar.com

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MAJOR INDEPENDENT MANUFACTURERS 73

Mysterious Maurice Lacroix MASTERPIECE SECONDE MYSTÉRIEUSE by Maurice Lacroix

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In 2010, Maurice Lacroix launched its Roue Carrée, an innovation that was spectacular in its “simplicity”, offering an interplay of shapes and movement on the dial that had never been seen before. This year the Saignelégier-based manufacture returns with another astonishing way of reading the time: the Masterpiece Seconde Mystérieuse. Although two watches presented by Cartier at the SIHH earlier this year got professionals talking about mysterious displays (before this spread to the public), the mysterious seconds presented by Maurice Lacroix is fundamentally different. Probably for the first time, the mysterious seconds are displayed in a linear, rather than a circular, fashion and what’s more along alternating horizontal and vertical axes, on four scales of 15 seconds each. This very particular seconds display is housed in a big sub-dial that takes up most of the openworked dial. A small doublepointed hand appears to be floating in midair. But it is actually mounted on a completely transparent sapphire disc that rotates on its own axis and thus displays the seconds alternately on the horizontal and vertical scales.

This spectacular and quite fascinating display gives the watch a unique look. The seconds display lies at the heart of a strong and very contemporary architecture, sharing the dial with off-centre hour and minute hands, characteristic of the Maurice Lacroix aesthetic.

The Masterpiece Seconde Mystérieuse is available in two limited editions, each of 125 pieces (with rhodium or ruthenium treatment), and powered by the ML215 self-winding movement—the twelfth calibre developed entirely by the brand.

One of the brand’s other new arrivals comes in the very contemporary Pontos family: the Pontos S Extreme. Designed by the well-known Henrik

Fisker—who has designed cars for BMW, Aston Martin and Tesla, among others—its case is forged in Powerlite®, an alloy that is exclusive to Maurice Lacroix and is a mixture of aluminium, magnesium, titanium, zirconium and ceramic, providing exceptional resistance, hardness and lightness. The crown and pushers are in titanium and there are anodised blue or khaki models available among many oth-

PONTOS S EXTREME by Maurice Lacroix

ers. But aside from its vigorous and powerful style, the Pontos S Extreme also has a new mechanism (patent pending) that, connected to the chronograph pusher, actions a rotating bezel on the interior of the dial, protected against any involuntary rotation. The dial of this 43mm timepiece in satin-finished sunbrushed black, offers excellent readability, which is helped by the positioning of the counters on the left-hand side. It is driven by the ML112 self-winding movement, which is based on the Valjoux 7750 and has a 46-hour power reserve. The Pontos S Extreme is a perfect flagbearer for the horological and stylistic ambitions of Maurice Lacroix, which the brand is asserting with greater force every year. “This is about a long-term investment in production and vertical integration,” says Sandro Reginelli, who is in charge of the products and their design. “But our production capacity, whether at the Manufacture des Franches Montagnes or the case maker Queloz, both of which belong to us, allows us to work on highly technical and highly specific projects entirely in-house and in record times.” (PM) O For more information about Maurice Lacroix click on Brand Index at www.europastar.com

76 GALLERY – NEW MANUFACTURE CALIBRES europa star

CALIBRE 39 by Eterna The calibre 39 is not just a new movement but the basis for an entire family of new calibres, since it allows 88 different movement versions to be developed on the same base calibre. It represents the completion of a project that dates back to 2007 and which had the objective of developing a self-winding chronograph calibre with an optimised design geared towards lowering costs.

The calibre 39 can be converted from manual winding to selfwinding by simply removing three screws on the decorative bridge to add the self-winding module. The same procedure can be used to add a power reserve and further screws can be used to add a manual or self-winding chronograph. In addition to this high level of modularity, the new movement also has an upgraded Spherodrive system, chronometer grade escapement parts and offers a guaranteed power reserve of 68 hours.

COMPETENTIA 1515 by Julien Coudray 1518 The exquisite decoration on the movement, made entirely out of platinum, and the intricate enamel dial compete for attention in this limited edition of 60 pieces (15 each in platinum, yellow, red and white gold). The hand-wound movement incorporates a 60-second tourbillon, hours and minutes, day/night and power reserve indicators (for a power reserve of 55 hours), as well as a service interval indicator. The sublime dial features plique-à-jour enamel in the centre portion and individual enamel cartridges for the hours.

CALIBRE V21 by Vulcain The V21 is the first self-winding version of Vulcain’s V-10 Cricket Calibre, which incorporates a mechanical alarm function that can sound for around 20 seconds. It features two barrels, one for the timekeeping functions, which ensures a power reserve of 42 hours, and one for the alarm. It is also fitted with Vulcain’s patented Exactomatic system, which equalises the friction on the balance-staff in all positions by modifying the endstones of the Incablock shock absorbers to offer enhanced precision and better regularity.

Designed for record timing.

Visit us at Baselworld hall 1.2, booth-no. B13

ERA-200DB-1AVER

Thermometer

Digital compass, thermometer, 1/100 sec. stopwatch: The new ERA-200DB offers groundbreaking technology for the wrist â&#x20AC;&#x201C; in a striking design and with flawless craftsmanship.

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THE GREAT LABORATORY OF THE INDEPENDENTS RPierre Maillard

Logical One by Romain Gauthier, constant force reinvented LOGICAL ONE by Romain Gauthier

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Romain Gauthier’s new creation, the Logical One, is very impressive. The young master watchmaker (he was born in 1975) has been somewhat discreet since 2010, when he launched the Prestige HMS, fitted with his own manufacture movement, but it was so that he could come back even stronger with an astonishing new model.

Because the Logical One not only reinvents constant force in its own way but also offers a totally innovative system of winding commanded by a pusher.

Chain and snail As we have known for many years, the power supplied by the barrel varies considerably and rapidly once the mainspring reaches the end of its tension. To combat this, as early as the 15th century a system using a conical pulley, in the form of a fusée, wound by a cord (for large tower clocks) then later by a chain fixed to the barrel, was conceived in order to compensate the gradual loss of torque. But, as Romain Gauthier demonstrates, the fusée and chain mechanism has two main disadvantages: at wristwatch scale, the size of the levels on the fusée require very small—and therefore fragile—links on the chain; and the angle of the chain between the fusée and the barrel adds further tension.

Romain Gauthier has therefore replaced the fusée by a snail that rotates slowly, positioned at the same level as the barrel. The force is therefore transmitted in a straight line and, with the chain being shorter, its links can be bigger and thus more robust.

As a result, Romain Gauthier has conceived a chain whose links are in synthetic ruby, which offers great resistance to wear and a low friction coefficient. These links are attached by a new pressure clip system that is simple, reliable and precise.

Ergonomic pusher The winding system presents another innovation. Dispensing with the traditional crown, which transmits the winding energy to the barrel at 90 degrees through a thin stem, Romain Gauthier has instead opted for a system of winding by means of a pusher that is integrated into the left-hand side of the case.

This easy-to-use system allows the force to be transmitted to the barrel in the same plane.

He has also placed the mainspring between two synthetic sapphire bridges. This material has a low friction coefficient with steel and is

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therefore especially resistant to scratches, which eliminates the recurrent problems associated with traditional barrels in brass, where the spring progressively scratches the metal, which ultimately prevents the spring from winding and unwinding correctly. This movement in titanium and brass also has circular arms on the wheels of the going train for maximum rigidity and a high-efficiency profile on the teeth of the wheels (patent pending), as well as very rigid triangular pallets, invented by Romain Gauthier.

A magnificent piece This movement, “designed, developed, produced, decorated, assembled and adjusted entirely in-house”, has a superlative finish.

Like a spiritual and artisanal son of Philippe Dufour, Romain Gauthier has managed to polish and bevel by hand the acute inner angles of the plates and bridges, creating double chamfered edges which, thanks to two parallel bevels that run along the length of their profile, give a special depth to the

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mechanical elements framed in this way.

The Logical One has one of the most beautiful faces in artisanal fine watchmaking. Hours, minutes, small seconds and power reserve (60 hours) are displayed on two small dials, offset at the top of the watch, leaving the balance to beat freely and a large area for the fuséechain spectacle. A great success! O For more information about Romain Gauthier click on Brand Index at www.europastar.com

"Slow Runner", an ode to slowness SLOW RUNNER by Antoine Martin

J Just like the tortoise in the fable, Antoine Martin’s Slow Runner has arrived “just in time” for BaselWorld, but well before a number of hares that have exhausted themselves on the way there. Because, like the tortoise, the AM36.001 movement in the Slow Runner takes its time to achieve its objective: to decelerate time, counter to the race for speed that is making our civilisation giddy, and take the time to beat out its rhythm.

In horological terms, this philosophy translates to the astonishing figure of 7,200 vibrations per hour, or a frequency of 1 Hz! Never before seen in the world of ultra high frequencies, where the Holy Grail is that of instantaneity, whereas that of the Slow Runner is more like eternity.

Like a marathon runner, whose heart beats like at rest, the seconds hand of the Slow Runner moves twice per second. Its progress is therefore precise in the extreme, throughout its 96-hour power reserve. Its balance is imposing, developing an impressive kinetic energy with its diameter of 24mm.

"A quantum leap towards slowness" Chief watchmaker and partner at Antoine Martin, Martin Braun has been convinced of this for some time: small balances and high frequencies are not the be all and end all of watchmaking. By this yardstick, quartz already won hands down. Couldn’t we imagine a “quantum

leap towards slowness,” he wondered. But in order to lower frequencies you need to address the problems of friction and materials, you need to combine tribology and mathematics.

Convinced that the special properties of silicon, in particular its low friction coefficient, open up new prospects in mechanics, Braun has combined both escapement and hairspring in silicon.

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By removing the index assembly and adding two adjustment screws to the balance wheel, by optimising the inner attachment point and the curve of the spring, by cutting the rim of the balance wheel in grade 3 titanium and by using six ruby cabochons as shock absorbers, Martin Braun and his team have managed to

achieve optimal stability of rate, over time, with the efficiency of such a large balance.

We will come back to this welcome ode to slowness in more detail. In the meantime, you can see the watch in Basel, in a stainless-steel (CHF 19,500) or red-gold (CHF 34,500) case with a very structured and contemporary design. The

silvered dial, on the other hand, is “destructured”, offering the greatest of room for the beautiful spectacle of the small seconds, which is as resplendent as its hand is slow. O For more information about Antoine Martin click on Brand Index at www.europastar.com

A cathedral chronograph for the finger and the ear KANTHAROS by Christophe Claret

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We know that Christophe Claret is one of the most sensitive watchmakers to sound and we have lost count of his acoustic accomplishments, from innovative repeaters to cathedral gongs.

Starting from a simple observation, but one which has never really been taken into account in watchmaking, that sound is an integral part of timekeeping—athletes start on the sound of a pistol, boxers stop at the sound of the bell —Christophe Claret developed a mono-pusher chronograph that sounds when it is activated.

But Kantharos, as the piece is called, does not just use any old gong: it is a cathedral gong that resonates when the chronograph hand starts moving, when it stops and when it is reset.

Knowing our watchmaker, it’s hardly surprising that he did not stop at this innovation and went even further to add some more complications. So the Kantharos displays the elapsed time using double discs rather than subdials with hands. One of these, in sapphire, shows the digits and the other, in black and white, located underneath, has a red indicator.

Another significant innovation is that the Kantharos is not just an “integrated-self-

winding-mono-pusher-column-wheel-chronograph-with-cathedral-gong” but that its movement, the Calibre MBA13, also has a special constant force mechanism.

We will come back to the details of this mechanism in a future issue of Europa Star—constant force being an area of research that more and more watchmakers are exploring.

Let us just say that here the constant force is obtained by an ingenious system of a command cam that is offset from the axle of the constant force wheel, which arms the spring more regularly and more frequently.

In continuous movement, this constant force mechanism can be seen under a sapphire bridge at 6 o’clock.

Simply time The award winning digital clock range with radio control

Models: BNC008BK-RC, BNC009BK-RC & BNC010BK-RC

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The 588 components of this calibre are housed in an imposing 45mm case in titanium, titanium and white gold or titanium and rose gold

with a remarkable thickness, given the complexity of the piece, of 15.83 mm. A cathedral price: CHF 96,000, excluding tax. O

For more information about Christophe Claret click on Brand Index at www.europastar.com

Graham in the moon GEO.GRAHAM THE MOON by Graham

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There is an impressive piece on show at Graham: the Geo.Graham The Moon. A flying tourbillon shares room on the blue dial with an enormous high-precision, hand-pained retrograde moon phase. In theory, the display only needs adjusting every 122 years (by simply pressing a corrector) and respects the synodic period, which corresponds to 29 days, 12 hours, 44 minutes and 2.9 seconds precisely, if not to the second then to the nearest minute. Pushing the celestial metaphor further, Graham has dotted the dial with 45 diamonds to represent the main constellations spread around the epicentre of the watch, the pivot for the hands, which represents the position of the North star, the brightest polar star in the Ursa Minor constellation.

The piece is finished off by a painted sapphire bezel that depicts the Milky Way as seen through a telescope.

George Graham regularly observed the moon at the start of the 18th century (from Fleet Street, which would be impossible today) and would no doubt appreciate this tribute. And it is a rare

(20 pieces) and costly (CHF 240,000) tribute. O For more information about Graham click on Brand Index at www.europastar.com

A thousand hours power reserve!

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It is a monster by any measure. The T-1000 Gotham by Rebellion is a lethal weapon with

a titanium case mounted on an aluminium chassis. Its size is not for girls: 52.2 X 47.9 mm, for a thickness of 18.2 mm. It has no less than six barrels, which are wound in parallel by a central transmission arbour that drives two chains. The resulting power reserve is

record-breaking: 1000 hours, or a little over 40 days. Beat that! The time is read vertically on two rollers visible through a sapphire crystal that looks like a helmet visor, while lower down, through a porthole, you can see the double balance inclined at 39ยบ. This fearsome

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Dans nos Espaces, les corps s’emboîtent parfaitement ERIC CALIGARIS

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ATELIERS PASCAL VINCENT VAUCHER L’ART ET LA MÉTHODE

84 THE INDEPENDENTS europa star

T-1000 GOTHAM by Rebellion

Gotham is powered by a manually-wound movement (and we imagine that winding it must be a mammoth task), calibre REB-T1000 in Avional (an extremely lightweight aluminium alloy that is used in the aeronautics industry and consists of aluminium and copper (4.75%), magnesium (0.5%) and silicon) and is available in black, red, blue or violet. Not exactly discreet and reserved for 25 muscular arms. O For more information about Rebellion click on Brand Index at www.europastar.com

Da Vindice, after the barometer

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Da Vindice made the headlines in 2010 with its astonishing first product, a tourbillon barometer. Putting such an instrument in a timepiece, which hadn’t been done since the 19th century in mechanical watchmaking (Casio was the first to make widespread use of this function in its multifunction quartz wristwatches), the young Geneva brand thus started out with an innovation. Technically, the barometer comprises a hermetically sealed capsule with a partial vacuum whose walls are held in place by a spring. The vacuum area is affected by changes in atmospheric pressure and its movement is transmitted mechanically so that it can be read off a scale on the dial. The thickness required for this implementation has dictated the size of the case. The Da Vindice Tourbillon Baromètre is thus an imposing and thick tonneaushaped watch, 54.9mm wide and 59.5mm high. On a layered display, from bottom to top, it offers the barometer, then the central tourbillon and, sharing the upper third of the dial, the hours and minutes, a date pointer and a power reserve scale. The complex face,

TOURBILLON BAROMÈTRE

by Da Vindice

onal in some aspects, also incorporates traditional a contemporary grammar in its structure.

The baroque aesthetics of this piece are also found in the latest offerings of the brand established by Cosimo Vindice, who introduces himself as "self-taught and atypical, a descendant of a long and ancient line of men marked by a freedom of expression, creativity and research". His original idea had been to design an exceptional object to launch his

brand. But this object obj gave birth to a—more affordable—collection that today reaches affordable— maturity maturit two years later.

The Th same stylistic codes are therefore found in the two new collections, the Race Challenge tourbillon and chronograph: tonneau shape, lateral grills, big Roman numerals, architectural dials.

Worth taking a closer look, for the first time, in Basel. O For more information about DaVindice click on Brand Index at www.europastar.com

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ABYSS TOURBILLON by Hysek Only 30 examples of the new Abyss Tourbillon in red gold and titanium will be offered by Hysek. Its in-house movement features a tourbillon at 10 o’clock, big date at 3 o’clock and a power reserve indicator for the 68 hours of power reserve at 6 o’clock—all set atop a technical galvanic skeleton dial. The HW03A movement is visible in all its splendour from the front, showing off the meticulous hand finishing of the components. .

HISTOIRE DE TOURBILLON 4 by Harry Winston The fourth episode in Harry Winston’s tourbillon story involves a tri-axial tourbillon in which the tourbillon itself is housed inside three concentric cages, each of which revolves around a different axis and at a different speed—more than enough to confound gravity. The limited edition of 20 pieces comes in a 47mm polished white-gold case with DLC-treated Zalium® on the caseband. The tourbillon takes pride of place beneath a separate domed sapphire crystal, relegating the separate hour display to 2 o’clock and minutes to 9 o’clock.

INSTRUMENT DBS EQUATION SIDERAL by Arnold & Son The two subdials on this instrument piece show mean solar time and sidereal time using two barrels and gear trains, as well as two balances and escapements (visible through an elegant opening in the lower half of the dial) running at different speeds to account for the fourminute difference between the two different measurements of a day. This fine 44mm timepiece in 18-carat rose gold is powered by the exclusive A&S1311 calibre, which operates at 21,600 vibrations per hour, offers a 40-hour power reserve and has a high-grade finish.

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GENIE 01 by Breva New brand Breva claims that this is the world’s first wristwatch with time, altimeter and barometer. By recording the difference in pressure in a small chamber with a semi-vacuum, the Génie can display both air pressure and altitude. And since recent changes in air pressure are a reliable means of forecasting the weather, the small sub-dial at 2 o’clock features handy pictograms that show the weather forecast at a glance. The innovative and proprietary movement behind this was developed exclusively for Breva by Jean-François Mojon/Chronode and has a power reserve of 65 hours. The Génie 01 is available with a 45mm case in white or rose gold.

HM4 FINAL EDITION by MB&F The last eight movements in the limited series of only 100 produced for the HM4 series will find their application in a case whose design is inspired the Lockheed F-117 Nighthawk aircraft—the world’s first operational stealth aircraft. PVD-coated titanium is used to provide the appropriate anti-radar covering for the watch, while a sapphire crystal covering in the central section of the watch reveals the manually-wound “three-dimensional horological engine” developed in-house by MB&F, which has a power reserve of 72 hours.

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Armin Strom’s first in-house tourbillon RPaul O’Neil

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Having moved into its own “mini-manufacture” facility in the watchmaking city of Bienne in 2009, Armin Strom the brand has continued to forge its own path through the dense forest of Swiss watch companies. After presenting its first in-house movement in 2010 Armin Strom has proved that, despite its modest size, it is more than capable of standing its ground with the major players. The most striking example of this is the brand’s association with the Marussia Formula 1 team, which gives Armin Strom exposure on a level with that of the other, much bigger brands involved in the sport, such as Casio, Certina, IWC, Oris and Tag Heuer, as well as the venerable Rolex—the new Official Timekeeper of Formula 1 for 2013.

Armin Strom has now taken another step towards cementing its solid reputation in the industry by presenting its first tourbillon movement, which has been developed and produced entirely in-house. This new manufac-

WATER

ture calibre has the tourbillon at 9 o’clock, comprising a solid-gold escapement and pallets with hardened functional areas and a screwed balance with Breguet balance spring.

Its twin barrels offer a power reserve of 10 days for the manually-wound movement, which beats at 18,000 vibrations per hour (2.5 Hz).

The production, decoration and assembly of each of the 184 components of the ATC11 calibre are all carried out within the Armin Strom workshops in Bienne.

A model for each of the four elements The new tourbillon movement is presented in four different models, each designed around the theme of one of the four elements—Earth, Air, Water and Fire. The collection has been presented as part of a world tour whose four

AIR

EARTH

stops were chosen to highlight one of these elements. Europa Star witnessed the first presentation deep within the earth in the Swiss Alps, in the cellar of one of Switzerland’s few whisky distilleries, before the tour continued under the fire of the desert sun in Dubai and the airy heights of Singapore’s skyscrapers, finishing at the edge of the waters of the Pacific Ocean in Los Angeles.

Following the tradition of Armin Strom, who has been skeletonising watches for over 40 years, each of the four models in the collection is skeletonised in a unique way that evokes the element that inspired it. Electroplating is also used to add different colours to the movement for each of the four models in combination with the different materials used for the 43.4mm diameter case.

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WATER

In the Water model, the shimmering surface of the liquid element is reflected by 44 diamonds, 76 light blue and 169 dark blue sapphires set on to the decorated plate and bridges of the movement, which are visible through the open dial and the transparent case back against a yellow-gold background. An 18-carat whitegold case frames the sparkling movement and a dark-blue alligator leather strap completes the water theme.

For the Fire model, an 18-carat red-gold case and red-gold plating on the movement evoke the necessary heat, while ornate hand-engraved flames on the bridges and plates underscore the fire theme. This piece is rounded off by a brown alligator leather strap with a folding clasp in 18-carat rose gold.

On the Earth model, the decoration uses a material that is so inextricably linked to the earth that the type used in pottery, in English at least, includes the planet in its very name: “earthenware”, or ceramic. In this case, the ceramic is in polished black and recalls the earth more directly with the planisphere engraved on the plate visible through the case back. The black ceramic combines with the black minute track, black PVD steel case and black alligator leather strap to produce a very sombre piece.

FIRE

Titanium was the natural choice for the case of the model designed to convey the lightness of air. For this Air model, the plate and bridges of the movement have been entirely skeletonised by hand in the finest Armin Strom tradition, elegantly revealing the two barrels on both sides of the case, as well as all the mechanical links between the winding crown and the tourbillon, so that the owner can marvel at the operation of the whirlwind at 9 o’clock.

The sense of lightness is reinforced by the light tones of a white minute track and matching white alligator leather strap.

A very exclusive debut

one’s preference. Armin Strom has thoughtfully negated this problem by introducing this collection as a series of four special “coffrets” (presentation boxes), each containing one of each of the four models. The collector who acquires one of these will be spoiled for choice (especially as each model also comes with a separate rubber strap matching the colour of the alligator leather strap), but with only 16 models in total set to be shared by the four purchasers, these models will undoubtedly be highly sought after. At least, that is, until Armin Strom ramps up its production of the new movement, after which, we are sure, the inevitable series production models will follow.O

With each of these tourbillons having such a distinctive character, each equally appealing in its own right, it could be difficult to choose

For more information about Armin Strom click on Brand Index at www.europastar.com

EARTH

AIR

88 GALLERY – LADIES’ FASHION WATCHES europa star

VANILLA by NAF NAF After 40 years in the fashion business, French brand NAF NAF will present its first collection at BaselWorld. The watches will be produced and sold under licence by the Time and Diamonds (TAD) Group (Axcent, Elite Models, JetSet) and are spread across 14 different collections, for a total of 62 references. The Vanilla model has a 35mm case in stainless steel with a genuine leather bracelet and Swarovski stones set on the bezel.

TROCADERO MAGIC FLOWER by Saint-Honoré The magic flower in the watch’s name refers to the small seconds counter on the dial, which takes the form of a rotating flower petal. Two additional flowers adorn the dial, one in white mother-of-pearl. This whimsical face is housed in a 30mm stainless-steel case which is complemented by a brown patent leather strap. This Swiss Made piece is powered by a quartz movement.

HEART4HEART by Folli Follie The latest model in the Heart4Heart collection comes with a rose-gold plated stainless-steel case and white ceramic inserts in the bracelet. The see-through dial features four hearts joined at the centre to form a shape representing the petal of a flower, which is entirely set by clear stones and surrounded by larger stones at each of the four quarter-hours.

8X TRANSLUCENT by Alfex We can expect a new identity for Alfex at BaselWorld this year, heralded by the new Translucent bangle model with a smokey grey acrylic case with polished stainless-steel octagonal accents. It is powered by a Swiss Made quartz movement and comes in two sizes—regular and small.

CO158 PIEDRA by Cover Surrounding a small central dial with stick hands on this 38mm model is a carpet of blue Swarovski crystals that glisten against a black background framed in a matt black PVD case with matching black alligator leather strap. An ETA quartz movement powers this eye-catching model, which is delivered in a Cover handbag.

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25 April - 2 May 2013 Please meet us at : OSLO Meeting Room Ground Floor Radisson Blu Hotel Steinentorstrasse -254001, Basel Switzerland Phone: +41 61 227 2727 +971 56 6038082

For more information : Tel 00971 4 2224142, Fax 00971 4 2221078 E-mail : info@westarwatches.com

00 SWATCH GROUP europa star

FROM THE LAND OF THE RISING SUN RPierre Maillard

Seiko celebrates 100 years of the first Japanese wristwatch

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With a touch of humour, Shinji Hattori, the great-grandson of the founder of Seiko, Kintaro Hattori, and current chairman and CEO of the Japanese watchmaker, says that he thought for a moment that "BaselWorld must have been thinking about the 100th anniversary of Seiko and Japan's first mechanical wristwatch (the company was established in 1881) when they chose 2013 as the year to inaugurate the new exhibition centre." We may question this but the fact remains that Seiko will welcome its guests in an imposing new pavilion on this anniversary, one which offers "enough space to present the brand's full collection". A collection that is marked in this anniversary year by a range of new products commemorating this jubilee but at the same time looking towards the future.

We will come back to all the new products later, because it is impossible to cover them all within the scope of this article. But let us look at a series of highlights that illustrate the extent of the big Japanese firm's know-how. As we might expect, the anniversary models represent the top of the pyramid. One particularly fine example is the beautiful Ananta '100th Anniversary' Chronograph. A limited series of 300, this new chronograph in the Ananta collection, whose design codes are very Japanese, takes its shape from the helmet of one of the most famous Samurai, Masamune Date, who lived in the 17th century. A diplomat, a trav-

ANANTA '100TH ANNIVERSARY' CHRONOGRAPH by Seiko

eller but also a formidable and pitiless warrior, his helmet, which has remained famous, had a crescent-shaped blade like a waxing moon on top. The crescent shape is also found on the dial of the Ananta Chronograph, which is in a blue of a rare and profound richness. The dial is hand made by Isshu Tamura, a renowned craftsman specialised in the kaga makie style of lacquer. The ensemble evokes a night sky on which the crescent moon, also in lacquer, is delicately shining. The Ananta Chronograph is driven by the 8R28 calibre, a self-winding column-wheel chronograph with a vertical clutch fitted with Seiko's exclusive three-pointed hammer system, which guarantees perfect synchronisation of the flyback hands.

Seiko has also redesigned one of its great classics for the anniversary, the 44GS in the Grand Seiko collection. Born in 1967, this simple watch in appearanceâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;hours, minutes and central secondsâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;was the first to be produced in accordance with Seiko's "design grammar", which was thought up by a young designer in the early 1960s. The aim of this "grammar" was to favour precision, durability and legibility while at the same time reflecting the "serenity, subtlety and delicacy" that are the aesthetic cornerstones of Japanese culture.

Light, and its numerous different grades, play a crucial role in this culture, which is why particular care is taken with polishing the case, in order to create quite distinct edges and per-

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JAPAN 91

44GS GRAND SEIKO COLLECTION

fectly smooth surfaces to take full effect of the plays of light. This new version of the 44GS, which is available in white, yellow or rose gold, houses the excellent manually-wound calibre 9S64, which operates at 28,800 vibrations per hour and has 72 hours power reserve.

Another new model associated with the anniversary is the Astron Kintaro Hattori Special Limited

ASTRON KINTARO HATTORI SPECIAL LIMITED EDITION by Seiko

Edition. It takes the name of the brand's founder because it seems to perfectly respect one of his preferred adages: "One step ahead of the rest".

It is a variant of the Astron GPS Solar, launched in 2012, which displays the local time anywhere in the world with a precision of one second in 100,000 years without ever needing to replace the battery. This special edition, which is lim-

ited to 5,000 pieces, is the first in the brand's history to use the name of the founder. Its case is in titanium with a black treatment, its crown bears an onyx cabochon and it comes with a titanium bracelet or crocodile skin strap. O For more information about Seiko click on Brand Index at www.europastar.com

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Citizen Solar

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Solar power has been part of Citizen's history for decades. In the early 1990s, with the development of amorphous silicon solar cells (which can be deposited in thin layers), it became possible to fit a solar panel beneath the dial, paving the way for new functions and aesthetics. The solar-powered Eco-Drive 7878 calibre, launched in 1995, was the pioneer in this new technology. Since then, dozens of models launched by the brand have used the Eco-Drive technology. Chronographs, splitseconds chronographs and divers' watches have all been awarded the Eco-Drive label.

Since 2009 Citizen has been producing EcoDrive concept models to demonstrate its technological expertise and to show off new functions. The Eco-Drive Satellite Wave was presented in this line in 2011, the first radiocontrolled watch in the world that took its signals from GPS satellites, which gave the exact time anywhere on Earth.

ECO-DRIVE ALTICHRON CIRRUS by Citizen

ECO-DRIVE SATELLITE WAVE-AIR by Citizen

This year the state-of-the-art technology is used in two new models, which, far from remaining concepts, will be launched worldwide from

autumn 2013. One of these is the Satellite Wave-Air model, which pushes the technology even further. In addition to the satellite reception system, the Satellite Wave-Air displays the time in 26 time zones and has a perpetual calendar. With its imposing 49.5mm titanium case it sports a striking design with aerodynamic curves.

The new Eco-Drive Altichron Cirrus also takes centre stage. Inspired by a watch that was first presented in 1989, the Altichron-Cirrus is, as its name suggests, fitted with an altimeter that can measure any altitude between -300 metres and +10,000 metres. A genuine wrist instrument, it allows precise measurement of depths and altitudes and also has an electronic compass. Slotted into the Promaster collection, which is aimed at sport and adventure lovers, it is presented in an even more imposing titanium case that measures 51.5mm in diameter. O For more information about Citizen click on Brand Index at www.europastar.com

CENTER CHRONOGRAPH

0S series

6S series

FS series

height 5.10 chrono min / sec,24 hour min case size : 38 ~

height 4.90 chrono min / sec, 1/20 second min case size : 43 ~

height 5.10 chrono min / sec,24 hour min case size : 33 ~

13-1/2'''

15'''

10-1/2'''

MOVEMENT DIVISION Tokyo Head Office

Address : 6-1-12, TANASHI-CHO, NISHI TOKYO-SHI, TOKYO, 188-8511, JAPAN Phone : +81-424-67-6218 Fax : +81-424-67-1549 Home Page : http://www.citizen.co.jp/miyota_mvt/ E-mail : miyota_mvt@citizen.co.jp

Hong Kong Office

Unit 3704, 37/F, AIA Tower, 183 Electric Road, North Point, Hong Kong Phone : +852-2219-7833 Fax : +852-2219-7811

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The G-Shock goes Meccano

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Did you know that the first G-Shock was presented in April 1984? Almost 30 years later tens of millions of these watches have been sold worldwide but the G-Shock does not seem to have aged one bit. Has it become a quartz icon?

During its long career, the tough G-Shock, which saw its first feminine version in 1991 with the Baby-G, has done just about everything it could do in the world of watchmaking and wrist electronics and we have lost count of the different functions it offers. But the "icon" still has tricks up its sleeve.

One of its most recent versions uses traits on the dial taken directly from mechanical watches.

As its designers explain, the new GA-3001AER "bridges the gap between the industrial and mechanical look of the last century and digital technology." This desire to give "a mechanical watch feel" without the watch actually being mechanical can be seen in the dial, with its visible cogs, rivetted components, openworked metal bridges, all alongisde LCD displays.

Protected against the effects of magnetism, water resistant to 200 metres and quite obviously shock resistant, it is available in black or white.

In the same family, the G-Shock Gravity Defier is intended to be a genuine and consummate aviator watch. As a veritable cockpit on the wrist it offers multiple functions including, for the first time, an integrated digital compass.

At the push of a button, the seconds hand immediately converts into a compass needle.

It also shows the temperature and can activate a world time display. Big hour markers and fluorescent hands, as well as a powerful LED light,

G-SHOCK GA-300-1AER by Casio

allow night flights. It is available in matt black with red accents, black with metallic and yellow accents or in navy blue with a white dial.

A digital compass and thermometer are also included in the latest Edifice chronograph.

Casio has dedicated this model in the sporty line with a more traditional look than the rugged G-Shock to the Infiniti Red Bull Racing Formula 1 team, which the brand has been a

G-SHOCK GRAVITY DEFIER by Casio

partner of since 2009, and for which world champion driver Sebastian Vettel is the ambassador. Everything about its design aims to convey precision and speed, under the motto that the brand reserves for this sporty collection: "Speed & Intelligence". O For more information about Casio click on Brand Index at www.europastar.com

EDIFICE ERA-200-DB-1AVER by Casio

C HANG E. Y OU CAN.

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HALLE 2.0 G70 facebook.com/ice.watch

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ORIENT – PURSUING THE VALUE OF MECHANICAL WATCHES

ORIENT STAR “STANDARD-DATE”

RIENT WATCH CO., LTD is positioning its ORIENT STAR collection at the heart of its expansion strategy, especially in its domestic Japanese market. The brand aims to make this collection a reference for Japanese-made mechanical movements in the mid-range price segment and last year presented the ORIENT STAR to a global audience outside Japan for the first time, to further bolster the company’s position in the mechanical watch segment.

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Although the brand offers numerous other timepieces in the high-quality quartz and multifunction categories (the company is active in motorsport through its association with car maker SUBARU and will present an entirely new sports collection this autumn), its consistent focus over its 60-year history has been on the development and production of mechanical watches. Company President and CEO Jiro Miyagawa is convinced that the mechanical watch has a future. “As one of the very few manufacturers in the world that actually manufactures mechanical watches at its own production facilities, and as one of Japan’s longest existing watch manufacturers, ORIENT will continue its efforts to boost the popularity of mechanical watches, one of Japan’s valued and traditional technologies,” he says.

ORIENT continues its focus on mechanical watches with three new launches in the ORIENT STAR collection: the “STANDARD-DATE”, the “SKELETON” and the “VINTAGE SKELETON LIMITED EDITION”.

ORIENT STAR “STANDARD-DATE” ORIENT’s interpretation of the classic three-hand watch comes in a 40mm stainless-steel case (slightly larger than previous ORIENT STAR models) with matching multi-link bracelet and is the first collection to feature ORIENT SAR Coating (Super Anti-Reflective Coating) on the sapphire crystal. In addition to reducing light reflection by at least 99 per cent, this special multi-layer coating also adds an anti-fouling film that offers resistance to stains as well as scratches. This new model is powered by the ORIENT calibre 40751 self-winding movement that operates at 21,600 vibrations per hour and offers a power reserve of at least 40 hours.

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ORIENT STAR “SKELETON”

ORIENT STAR “SKELETON” A two-layer skeletonised dial in this model shows off the ORIENT calibre 48E50 manually-wound movement that beats inside at a frequency of 21,600 vibrations per hour and offers a power reserve of at least 50 hours. Central hour and minute hands are complemented by a power reserve indication at 12 o’clock and small seconds at 6 o’clock, all with blue hands for clear readability against the white background of the dial.

Two models are available in the 40mm stainless-steel case with matching stainless-steel bracelet or a black leather strap.

ORIENT STAR “VINTAGE SKELETON LIMITED EDITION” This limited edition of 1,000 pieces will be released in the summer of 2013 with a hand-wound skeleton movement that commemorates ORIENT STAR’s entry into the global market last year. It features the ORIENT calibre 48E51, a derivation of the movement used in the “SKELETON” model that features polished parts in a gold colour that recalls the brand’s “Mon Bijou” model, which revived this trend at the company in 1992. A vintage ORIENT STAR logo in italic script, positioned at 12 o’clock on the dial, sets the watch apart as a special model, which is confirmed by the limited series number engraved on the back of the slightly smaller 39mm case. Two models are available, each limited to 500 pieces: one with a gold-plated stainless-steel case, champagne dial and dark brown leather strap and one with a stainless-steel case, ivory dial and black leather strap. www.orient-watch.com

ORIENT STAR “VINTAGE SKELETON LIMITED EDITION”

ADVERTISER’S SpoTlIghT

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WHEN WATCHES COME IN FROM THE COLD The seismically active country of Iceland is barely one and a half times the size of the city of Geneva in terms of population, yet the island on the fringes of the Arctic circle proudly harbours its own watchmaking brand.

JS Watch Co. is just one of around 30 different watch brands dotted around Scandinavia, covering a variety of segments from design to tradition and right up to fine mechanical watchmaking.

After the financial crisis in 2009, the Scandinavian countries all returned to growth last year and are forecast to continue growing above the average of the depressed euro zone through 2013 and into 2014. So the prognosis for the region’s economy is good, even if this region does not necessarily represent the main catchment area for the watch brands’ customers.

RPaul O’Neil

Viking heritage

J JS Watch Co., based in the Icelandic capital Reykjavik, combines fine Swiss mechanical movements with designs that incorporate elements of national identity (such as volcanic ash from the Eyjafjallajokull volcanic eruption in 2010 that brought chaos to air travel across Europe) and the country’s heritage in the form of Viking engravings on the case of the Frisland “God” model. All JS Watch Co.’s models are assembled and checked at the company’s premises in Reykyavik.

The company produces around 500 watches per year and plans to expand gradually, focussing on the quality of its products and the personalised service that it offers to its customers.

Movement supply to the remote island is not a problem, according to Grímkell P. Sigurþórsson, Co-Owner, “We use highest grade ETA movements for all our watches at the moment and we have had a very good relationship with ETA for the past years. We have also established a good relationship with Soprod and in

FRISLAND “GOD” by JS Watch

ARCTIC EXPLORER by Michelsen Watchmakers

2013 we will be introducing the Soprod A102 in some of our models.”

years, the Reykjavik 1909. The third and latest model in the company’s own collection is the Arctic Explorer, the first watch that the company has designed in-house.

Michelsen Watchmakers are also based in the Icelandic capital. The family business has been passed down through generations of watchmakers and is currently in the hands of master watchmaker Frank U. Michelsen. To celebrate its centenary in 2009, the company launched its first watch collection for over 70

A Viking sword from the 10th century is one of the inspirations behind the Gustafsson & Sjögren (GoS) watch collection. The company, based in Linköping, Sweden—south-west of Stockholm—is a collaboration between

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WINTER NIGHTS by GoS

bladesmith Johan Gustafsson and watchmaker Patrick Sjögren. The watches with Damascus steel cases have so far been equipped with the Unitas 6498 movement, modified to chronometer standard by Soprod. But Patrick Sjögren will present the new Winter Nights collection in Basel complete with the small company’s own new manufacture calibre developed with Martin Braun, which will have bridges in hand-forged Damascus steel and

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ELEMENTS FJORD by Bruvik Time

wheels polished to Geneva Hallmark standards.

This strictly limited edition of 10 numbered pieces will be distributed via the PuristsPro web forum and, priced at USD 19,000, will be no more expensive than the previous versions, despite the high-quality new movement.

tion of Scandinavian design with Swiss watchmaking know-how. The company produces around 1,000 Swiss Made watches per year, using Ronda quartz movements and ETA or Sellita mechanical movements, which are destined mainly for the Scandinavian market. The brand’s latest collection is infused with tangible elements of Norway, in the form of “pure Norwegian water” from the Langfoss waterfall (possibly a first in a watch that is water-resistant to 200 metres), which is bottled at 612 metres above fjord level, and “Olympic rock”. Company founder and designer Rune Bruvik explains the latter, “Before the Winter Olympics in Lillehammer in 1994, a new ski arena was built. During the construction, a quite rare rock called sparagmite was extracted from the ground and later used in the Olympic medals. The company that extracted the stone had some left over, which we bought and incorporated into the design of the watch to be presented at BaselWorld this year in our new Elements collection. O

In the town of Haugesund on Norway’s North Sea coastline, the country’s only watch brand, Bruvik Time is combining its own interpreta-

For more information about JS Watch, GoS, Michelsen Watchmakers or Bruvik Time click on Brand Index at www.europastar.com

Scandinavian design

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Brands such as Bose and Ikea that have become household names have shown that Scandinavian design can have universal appeal and there are a number of Scandinavian watch brands who have carved out a place for themselves in this niche. Much like the furniture you will find in Ikea stores across the world, the emphasis with the design of such watches is on simplicity.

In the case of Denmark’s Obaku, Hong Kong is proving to be a particularly successful mar-

ket for this type of product. As the brand’s Henriette Arvin explained to Europa Star, “Hong Kong is a fantastic watch-loving-city with multiple City Chain stores on almost every street. And in Hong Kong they also love the clean, simple Danish designs. We are opening more and more shop-in-shop-counters in Chinese department stores and this is giving us a great presence.”

In addition to the new partnership with City Chain, Obaku opened up a number of important new markets last year: China, the Czech Republic, Macau, Malaysia, the Philippines, Poland, Singapore, Slovakia and Thailand. The

journey is set to continue in 2013 with new distributors in Bahrain, Italy, Oman, Qatar, Spain, the UAE and Vietnam. Clearly, there is a growing interest for the pure lines of Danish design.

Another Danish watch brand, Skagen, also focuses on the minimalist Scandinavian design for its timepieces, which it launches to coincide with the fashion seasons. For Spring/ Summer 2013 the brand offers a new ladies’ collection developed together with Japanese industrial designer Hiromichi Konno (who has been working on design collaborations with Skagen since 2011) featuring elegant central

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Hiromichi Konno for Skagen

AKTIV by Skagen

lugs and Swarovski elements with a range of bold colours for the bezel. The Skagen Brights collection is the brand’s statement in the field of colour watches, mixing purple, pink, orange, green and blue bezels with a stainless steel case and white leather strap. In the new Aktiv collection for men, the lightness of titanium marries perfectly with that of the minimalist design. The titanium is used for the top ring of the stainless-steel case (in a grey or ion-plated black optic), which comes with a mesh bracelet or titanium link bracelet and is also available

Fashion house Gant may be better known for the casual, preppy look associated with American college students, but the head office of the company who bought the name in 1999 is based in Stockholm. Although the company is still based there, it is now owned by Switzerland’s Maus Frères, who made the

headlines last year by taking over the French brand Lacoste. As Gant Time’s CEO Christoffer Owers revealed to Europa Star, the brand will be back in Basel this year after a five-year hiatus (Gant exhibited at BaselWorld from 20022008). It will part of the portfolio of the new International Luxury Group’s presence at the show, which is split across the stands of its constituent companies, PT Switzerland and TWC from France. “We have a market leading position in Sweden and make 20 per cent more turnover than Omega,” Owers explains.

“We are the biggest selling brand in the Swedish market. We also have a strong position in the other Nordic countries and are doing well in Spain, where we are selling better than Armani.” Gant timepieces retail for between €149 and €300 and combine Japanese quartz movements (Miyota and Seiko) with a design that Owers calls “classic with attitude”. In fact, the brand likes to evoke the fine Swiss watchmaking tradition by adding functions to its movements to create a “Swiss feeling of complication”. Gant is also launching a major offensive in the Chinese market, for which it has adopted a new strategy, as Christoffer Owers explains. “We are present in 2,500 points of sale in 16 countries and have opened

FRANKLIN by Gant

REVELATION by Axcent

COPENHAGEN by JetSet

with a splash of orange colour on the dial. With all of these new models retailing for under 200 US dollars, Skagen has a highly competitive offer in the fashion watch segment.

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150 Gant stores. In China we will do things differently, starting by opening 60 Gant flagship stores, because Chinese customers are very brand loyal. Once we are established, we will then expand into watch retailers.”

In the fashion segment, Axcent of Scandinavia and JetSet are two Scandinavian brands whose timepieces are produced by Paris-based Time

and Diamonds SA (TAD) in partnership with Sweden’s Kin Group distributors. Both brands are at the more “fun” end of the fashion segment, as their latest releases illustrate. For BaselWorld, Axcent goes for the retro look with a difference—a classic digital watch called Revelation that only shows the time on demand, using a combination of numbers for the minutes and dots read around the hour markers on the

SCANDINAVIAN WATCH BRANDS 101

flange for the hours. JetSet plays it safe with its new “Copenhagen” model, which is a classic single-colour round chronograph. TAD will also be launching a new collection under the French NAF NAF label at BaselWorld. O For more information about Obaku, Skagen, Gant, Axcent or JetSet click on Brand Index at www.europastar.com

From space to race

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Swedish brand Halda, based in Tullinge on the outskirts of Stockholm, has made a name for itself by combining vintage mechanical movements with futuristic space functions using two interchangeable modules that can be docked on to a “time platform”. For BaselWorld 2013, Halda brings a new interpretation to this concept with the launch of its Race Pilot model. Conceived for the sporty gentleman with an interest in motor racing, this model’s electronic module (calibre HR 2012-1) uses new software and incorporates a three-axis accelerometer and a race pilot programme, which offers information on 150 of the world’s most prestigious motor racing circuits, as well as advanced chronograph functions (including lap times to 1/100th of a second, average speed and fastest lap) and an FIA Formula 1 countdown. This module can be completed with a new mechanical module that is fitted with a Zenith calibre 685 selfwinding movement with small seconds and power reserve indicator (50 hours). Both modules come in black DLC-treated titanium and together will cost €14,000 when the new Race Pilot is launched in the second quarter of 2013.

RACE PILOT AUTOMATIC by Halda

RACE PILOT DIGITAL by Halda

This new model represents a major step forward for the brand, as Halda’s CEO Mikael Sandström explained to Europa Star, “With the first Halda model we wanted to develop a unique watch produced for the most extreme environment you could think of: space. For this reason we made the model limited, which connected well as we found a limited amount of the vintage movements. Now, when we will have the new Race Pilot on the market and as it is aimed at a larger target group (not limited) we are ready to take the step to promote Halda watches on the international market and we are now looking for distributors in some specific markets.”

Halda has had expressions of interest from Germany, USA, Japan, as well as Abu Dhabi and Dubai but offers an innovative service in the markets where the brand does not yet have an official representation. “We will introduce a new service, ‘the Halda Personal delivery service’,” says Sandström, “that means that one person from the Halda factory will travel directly to the customer and hand over the watch in person, this without any extra cost for the customer!”O For more information about Halda click on Brand Index at www.europastar.com

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High-tech from Finland

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As we move to the eastern fringes of Scandinavia we pick up an entirely different watchmaking vibe in Finland. The minimalist designs and fine mechanics disappear in favour of ruggedly functional, digital timepieces designed for outdoor pursuits—often for use in extreme environments.

The Finnish town of Vantaa is home to Suunto —a company that could be used as a textbook example of how to adapt to evolving technology. Suunto was founded in 1936 by Finnish orienteer Tuomas Vohlonen, the inventor of the liquid-filled field compass. Having established a leading position in the manufacture of field compasses and marine compasses, Suunto branched out into diving compasses. With the advent of mainstream electronics, the company started producing dive computers and later electronic compasses.

Today Suunto produces “wrist computers”

MOON MACHINE by Sarpaneva

DX by Suunto

TERRA BLACK by Suunto

that offer a variety of functions, with dive computers being one of its specialities.

Star “I have been working like I have worked for the last five years,” he did admit to an increase in interest for his brand after his recent collaboration with MB&F on the Moon Machine piece.

“Of course a collaboration with MB&F was a boost for the knowledge of my work,” he says.

“I received more emails, a lot more….”

The brand’s latest model is the world’s first wristwatch-sized rebreather compatible dive computer, the DX (pronounced “D ten”). Forget about simply turning a bezel to time your ascent from a deep dive to avoid decompression sickness: Suunto has developed its own trademarked algorithm that manages the risks of decompression sickness and provides for a slow, continuous ascent from depth, allowing for a shorter total decompression time. A new wireless transmitter developed by Suunto can even transmit the tank pressure and remaining air time to the diver’s wrist computer. For those who prefer more land-based pursuits, the brand has also introduced new-look versions of its Elementum Terra premium sports watch with casual silicon rubber and leather straps.

There is, of course, an exception that proves every rule and in Finland’s case it is Stepan Sarpaneva, the Helsinki-based watchmaker who produces around 50 timepieces per year starting at €6,500, which he mostly sells directly to end customers. Although Sarpaneva told Europa

The moon is a theme that is inherent in Sarpaneva’s watches because “it gives a bit of poetry to the very technical instrument”. In the latest Sarpaneva model, the Korona K0 Wuoksi, the moon phase display, featuring the distinctive oversized smiling moon, replaces the rotating bezel of this diver’s watch. This signature moon will also form an integral part of a new “moon” watch that the Finnish watchmaker will be presenting in Basel.

As you can see, there is a huge variety of watchmaking brands spread right across Scandinavia, from fashion watches to highend timepieces, from design to high-tech and from niche to mass market. O For more information about Suunto or Sarpaneva click on Brand Index at www.europastar.com

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NEWCOMERS 103

Shinola – Built in Detroit The new brand Shinola is born in the Motor City

RKeith W. Strandberg

1069, a derivative of Argonaut. Its website, www.shinola.com, even includes charming little bios on its workers, all hired from the local area.

On all Shinola products is a yellow lightning bolt, something which is meant to represent high quality. “Every time we see it, and our partners see it, it’s a reminder to focus on the quality of the product,” Carr adds.

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Detroit, Michigan, USA is the home of the USA’s Big Three automakers – Ford, General Motors and Chrysler. Severely punished by the financial crisis and the recession, Detroit is undergoing a revival, with new companies sprouting up across the city and region.

One of these new companies is Shinola, a partnership between Bedrock Manufacturing and Ronda (the Swiss movement manufacturer).

One of the owners of Bedrock Manufacturing is Tom Kartsotis, co-founder of the American watch company Fossil.

Shinola is an iconic American company, famous for shoe polish in the early 1900s. To capture the vintage nature of its products, the new company adopted the Shinola brand name and the products (watches, bikes, leather goods and journals) are inspired by the best designs from the past.

Why Detroit?

“Part of picking Detroit was that we were assembling the engine of the watch and what better place to be than in the heart of the auto industry, where so many engines have been produced?” says Heath Carr, CEO, Bedrock Manufacturing. “We knew we wanted to make our products in the USA and now we have

Shinola was so popular in the early 1900s that it became part of the American lexicon, with the phrase “Doesn’t know sh*t from Shinola” (meaning a person is so dumb he doesn’t know the difference between feces and shoe polish. Another similar, watch-related phrase is “He doesn’t know whether to scratch his watch or wind his ass.”)

The watches

just over 25 people working in the Detroit factory today, and we have a capacity to assemble over 500,000 watches a year.”

The factory has been up and running for six months now, and full watch production is set to begin this month (April 2013), with the watches ready to ship in July of this year. Ronda’s main role in the project was to set up the factory in Detroit and train the employees, as well as to provide the movement parts. According to Carr, Ronda ships all the components to Detroit, where the watches are assembled, cased and quality controlled.

“The Shinola brand needed to have a differentiator and having a movement that was assembled in Switzerland or Asia wasn’t going to be different enough,” Carr explains. “‘Built in Detroit’ is on the caseback of all our watches and I think people will make a connection with it.”

Shinola’s manufacturing facilities are housed in the historic Argonaut building in Detroit, the original GM facility that is now part of the College for Creative Studies, and the name given to Shinola’s first movement is Argonite-

The first watch collection debuting is the limited edition Runwell, a vintage-inspired threehand timepiece with a small subdial for the running seconds. The individually numbered Runwell is available in two sizes, 47mm (1,000 pieces) and 40mm (1,500 pieces). These first two Shinola watches retail for $550, but Carr says that the range for Shinola watches will be $500 - $800, depending on the model, and will be all quartz to start. Carr isn’t ruling out mechanical watches in the future, but he acknowledges the leap in difficulty that making mechanical watches on an industrial level in the USA represents.

Other products In addition to watches, Shinola is introducing bicycles, leather goods and journals. “We want to be in many different categories,” says Carr.

“We decided to tackle the most difficult ones, watches and bikes, first.”

It will be interesting to keep an eye on Shinola.

With a great looking design for its first watch collection, and Kartsokis behind the idea, Shinola certainly has a real chance to succeed.

Watch these pages for more news about Shinola. I think a visit to Detroit to see the first American watch industrial manufacturer in a long time, is next. O For more information about Shinola click on Brand Index at www.europastar.com

GOLD. STADT. PFORZHEIM. Watches & Jewellery

Visit our Pforzheim-Pavilion at Baselworld 2013!

Hall 2.0, Hall of Impressions, Stand F71

Our companies are worth their weight in gold.

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SPORT FOR ALL The sports watch can take on numerous guises, from the ultratechnical instrument watch for pilots to highly-resistant divers’ pieces, not forgetting the humble but equally sporty chronograph. Here we present a mixture of the latest arrivals in this segment, mixing the traditional and not-so-traditional with the highly innovative.

RPaul O’Neil

For the armchair pilots Bell & Ross once again assert their dominance in aviation-inspired watches with three new models in the BR01 Aviation collection that continue last year’s theme of reproducing, as faithfully as possible, the individual instruments found in aeroplane cockpits. The models are fitted in the familiar 46mm square black PVD cases, which are reproductions of the surrounds that cockpit instruments are screwed into. The BR01-92 Airspeed and BR0197 Climb models offer a traditional three-hand configuration, the latter using the cockpit variometer (vertical speed indicator) as an inspiration for its power reserve indicator, while the BR01-94 Flight Compass presents a much more technical display. Underneath an aeroplane silhouette engraved on the sapphire crystal, three concentric discs revolve to display the time in a configuration that is a reverse of the norm. The hours are indicated by the outer disc, which is inscribed only with the four points of the compass (E, S and W for East, South and West, with the double arrowhead at North indicating the hour), the minutes are read off the middle disc and the seconds off a simple stick hand on the small central disc. All three models are water resistant to 100 metres, come with separate rubber and heavy-duty fabric straps and are lim-

BR01 FLIGHT COMPASS and BR01-92 AIRSPEED by Bell & Ross

ited editions of 999 pieces, the first 99 of which are reserved for a special collectors’ box that contains all six BR01 instrument models.

Chronograph 2.0 At BaselWorld this year, Concord will be presenting a redesigned version of its six year-old C1 chronograph model. Although still clearly recognisable, the design of this latest iteration

of what was originally a boldly different chronograph has now been toned down a little. The overall look is much less angular, with a more rounded form to the model’s signature eight blocks clamping the bezel to the case (whose screws have also disappeared), rounded chronograph pushers and a smaller crown. The most noticeable difference, however, is the dial, which has been transformed from highly technical to

C1 CHRONOGRAPH by Concord

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SPORTS WATCHES 107

effect to establish the brand. Unsurprisingly, their initial focus is on Colombia, Mexico, Panama and Venezuela, with expansion to the rest of Latin America to follow, together with a gradual roll-out across Asia, Europe and the Middle East over the course of 2013.

At first glance, the new Snyper Ironclad model looks like a normal, robust chronograph with a complex design and multi-level dial. But this 53mm x 48mm stainless-steel timepiece can

watchmaking tide in more ways than one. The brand will be presenting its products in the shadow of Hall 6 and is the brainchild of a distributor who is familiar above all with the Latin American market. Three collections are being presented at the launch for a total of some 50 individual references fitted with Miyota quartz three-hand and chronograph movements. Visitors to the company’s website are confronted by a well-inked torso showing off the watches in a break with the more

IRONCLAD by Snyper

1968 CHRONOGRAPH by Bomberg

ORIGINAL CHRONOGRAPH by Victorinox

accommodate some rather unusual extra modules on the special bar found in the 9 o’clock position on the case. The three modules currently available are a red laser/white LED combination, a container and a special container with pill dispenser. We can only speculate what these strange accoutrements are intended to be used for. The timepiece is powered by the Snyper F101 chronograph calibre by Concepto, which runs at 28,800 vibrations per hour and offers a 48-hour power reserve and includes a day-date indication.

familiar advertising codes. And the new timepieces themselves dare to be different, with the “1968” line sporting an asymmetric case with the crown and pushers on top, in the style of a traditional stopwatch. It is joined by the rugged Maven and “neo-classic” Semper collections, all of which are available in a satisfying range of dial configurations to match their cases in brushed stainless-steel and brushed black or red-gold PVD.

covers or grilles, and the original cases of the brand’s world-famous pocket knives, which were also in leather. The two quartz-powered models (Ronda for the three-hand and ETA for the chronograph) come with distinctive leather cuffs that can be added to the natural leather strap, while the chronograph (a limited edition of 1989 pieces in commemoration of the year that the original “Original” was launched) has an additional removable hood that can be used to cover the entire watch head. The 40mm case is forged in a shockproof and lightweight nylon in a typically military dark-grey colour and to complete the military associations the oversized Arabic numerals

a model of readability, with elegant rounded octagons for the subdials and a brickworkeffect background that both evoke classic watch models. Under the skin, however, the model remains unchanged and is still powered by the trusty ETA Valgranges A07.211 calibre.

Newcomer Bomberg, based in Neuchâtel, seems happy to swim against the current

With a strong product range and bold marketing, Bomberg already stands out. Its success now lies in the ability of its founders to use their distribution knowledge to maximum

Military offensives The latest versions of the “Original” model

by Victorinox recall both the early military watches, which often had protective leather

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are printed in a stencilled font similar to that found on ammunition boxes.

The owners of Luminox have had not one but two “David and Goliath” moments in recent times. The company’s sister brand Mondaine found itself in the media spotlight last year when Apple released version 6.0 of its iOS operating system, which featured a new clock that was uncannily like the famous station clocks found in every Swiss railway

ceased their cooperation because of differences of opinion. Since then, Migros had claimed the rights to the M-Watch name and petitioned for Mondaine to be forbidden from selling watches under this name, but had also been selling its own copies of the MWatch. In February this year the rights to the name were awarded to Mondaine.

While the company’s lawyers have been busy negotiating their way through the legal jun-

RECON NAVIGATION SPECIALIST by Luminox

station. The information technology behemoth had failed to consult Mondaine, the licence-holder for the clocks design, before foisting its new operating system on its users, much to the surprise of company CEO Andre Bernheim. Apple later settled with Mondaine out of court.

More recently, Mondaine also won a court case against Switzerland’s retail giant Migros (for the record, Migros’s 2012 sales topped CHF 25 billion—three times those of the Swatch Group) regarding the licence and distribution for its M-Watch collection. This was sold by Migros until 2010, when the partners

gle, Luminox was finalising a new model that allows its wearer to navigate in anything from a dense forest to the urban jungle. The Recon Navigation Specialist model in the 8830 collection comes with a detachable liquid-filled compass attached to its sturdy rubber strap and a tachymetric scale that has been calibrated to calculate walking speed based on a distance of 50 metres. Thanks to a handy ruler marked on the strap, hikers, walkers and explorers have all the tools they need for precise, map-based navigation, plus an additional GMT hand for a second time zone.

The black dial on the large 46mm timepiece offers excellent legibility (with the average

walking speed of 3-4 kilometres per hour clearly marked in green between 9 o’clock and 12 o’clock) day and night thanks to LLT (Luminox Light Technology).

New American brand Minuteman has been inspired by an interesting and worthwhile concept. Its products are unmistakably settled in the modern “hunter” category, which has nothing to do with pocket watches and everything to do with removing any shiny surfaces

MM04 PHANTOM by Minuteman

that might reflect light and scare away a hunter’s quarry (or a military sniper’s target).

Thomas Carey, president of the CGA Company, who has experience in the online retailing of watches, explains the concept: “We are very concerned that as a nation we are turning our back on those who have served us the most.

As the current conflicts wind down, less and less attention will be paid to those who have sacrificed for us all. We are also bothered by the multitude of groups that claim to help veterans but are really spending the bulk of the funds they raise on more fund-raising and high staff salaries.” Carey therefore pledges to allocate a share of the profits from each

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Minuteman sold to carefully selected charities that provide genuine assistance to veterans.

The watches are made in the USA using Swiss quartz movements and come in matt black PVD or brushed steel with black dials, Arabic numerals and a canvas strap. At the time of writing, the watches, which are scheduled for a limited production of around 100 pieces per reference, were available on pre-order for prices under 500 US dollars. To reinforce the

In the OrisAquis Depth Gauge model, the brand uses a sapphire crystal that is some 50 per cent thicker than usual and which has a channel machined into its outer edge that runs counterclockwise from 12 o’clock around the dial to between 1 and 2 o’clock. The crystal is joined to the case with the usual rubber gasket to ensure water resistance to 500 metres but the channel in the sapphire crystal is actually designed to allow water to penetrate it from an opening at 12 o’clock. As the diver descends, the

AQUIS DEPTH GAUGE by Oris

charity theme, visitors to the CGA Company website (http://www.cgacompany.com) could also pledge various amounts to enter a draw to win a Minuteman timepiece.

Boyle’s law applied to divers’ watches Chemist and physicist Robert Boyle was the first to publish a law stating that, for a fixed amount of gas at a fixed temperature, pressure and volume are inversely proportional.

In other words, while one doubles, the other halves. Oris has used this law to brilliant effect in producing a new depth gauge that is ingenious in simplicity.

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indeed innovation in the sports watch segment, it came as no small surprise that the best sports watch of 2012 according to the jury of the Geneva Watchmaking Grand Prix was a thoroughly traditional chronograph, the Doppel 2.0, produced by boutique Austrian brand Habring.

But with only 20 examples of this model produced, the brand has capitalised on its success by presenting a successor, the Doppel 3, for 2013.

It is fitted with Habring’s in-house A08MRMONO movement, which is a mono-pusher

DOPPEL 3 by Habring

air in the channel is compressed and, in accordance with Boyle’s law, allows water to enter the channel. It is the boundary between the water and compressed air, marked by a change in colour from light grey to dark grey, which displays the corresponding depth on a scale around the bezel. This innovative depth gauge is housed in a stainless steel case that has a unidirectional bezel with black ceramic insert and interchangeable rubber strap or stainless-steel bracelet. It is powered by the self-winding Oris calibre 733 with date and retails for CHF 3,000.

Among all this variety of models, which clearly shows that there is no lack of inspiration or

split-seconds chronograph with escapement parts in chronometer quality and a 48-hour power reserve. With Habring’s classic styling, reminiscent of 1960s stopwatches, recognised at the highest level, it’s clear that there is still a revered place for the classic chronograph.

We will bring you our usual comprehensive round-up of all the new sports watches presented in BaselWorld in the next issue of Europa Star. O For more information about the brands featured in this article click on Brand Index at www.europastar.com

110 RETAILER PROFILE europa star

Les Ambassadeurs - Opening the doors to the leading brands RKeith W. Strandberg

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Les Ambassadeurs, founded 1964, is one of Switzerland’s finest retailers. They bill themselves as “The Leading House of Leading Brands” and have four stores – Geneva, Zurich, Lucerne and St. Moritz. I attended the grand re-opening of their St. Moritz boutique to see first-hand how they do things, and had a chance to sit down with Les Ambassadeurs’ president Joachim Ziegler.

Europa Star: How's business?

Joachim Ziegler: Business is very good. We just had the best ever month in our history.

We have a great crew, an amazing can-do spirit within the group. We just rebuilt the Lugano store and are starting to profit from that, and one year ago we rebuilt Geneva. We have invested quite heavily in the local customer, a field the others have abandoned, with more advertising, more events, getting closer to the customers, trying to really build a relationship with local customers. We are profiting from the Chinese travellers, certainly, but Lugano

Joachim Ziegler

we don't focus on the groups. I don’t think you can service groups and individual customers at the same time. We have decided to be the number one destination for the watch collector/lover. We focus on individual customers no matter where they are. What matters is the customer and their love affair with watches.

As an example, we have made trips to China to reach out to the elite customers in China.

The programme in our company is to treat the customers 365 days a year no matter where they are. We carry so many limited edition pieces, rare pieces and niche brands, so some customers come to us because we have a selection that no one else has.

Geneva

ES: How has business changed in recent years?

JZ: Business is much more volatile and it is much more international than it used to be.

Due to the mono-brand boutiques, there is a totally different type of competition.

I don't think mono-brand boutiques are bad for retailing. It’s a question of how it's done and how much it is done. I think it raises awareness for the brand, and for customers exploring the universe of the brand. As far as customer experience, I think multi-brand stores have all the advantages. There is still no better way to shop for a watch than to go to a store that carries 20 or 30 brands and you can compare them side by side. You have a neutral salesperson who knows all the watch brands and the watch universe in general. I truly believe that mature shoppers, true watch lovers, appreciate the advantage of a multibrand store.

ES: What is the secret of your success?

JZ: A multi-brand retailer is kind of like a living thing, where the total is more important than any single piece, but the total can't exist without the single pieces. It's the team, it's the mixture of brands, it's the amount of brands, and it’s the philosophy of our company. We

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112 RETAILER PROFILE europa star

St Moritz

are not just selling watches, we are living and breathing watches. We are not just exposing brands but it is the way they are exposed, with our door concept.

In the end, it's all about sales, but when we do an event, we focus on everything but the sale, and the sale comes organically. We try to do something beautifully.

Look at the St. Moritz store, we could have done it so much cheaper and quicker, but we went all the way. I can't sell watches in an environment that is not up to the level of products we are selling. We have to make sure that what we are doing is up to what we are selling.

I believe that whatever I do, I do it with a passion. If you do things you love, and donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t focus on the success, success comes automatically.

ES: What do you like about your job?

JZ: It's not just one particular thing, it's not just watches or jewellery or customers, or the things I get to do and the people I get to meet, it's the package of it all.

Zurich

I don't have a favourite watch now. Brands come up with fascinating new things all the time. I am like a boy in a toy store. They don't belong to me, but I swap watches more often than underwear. However, I am wearing my Breguet Heritage pretty much every day.

ES: What is the biggest challenge facing your stores right now?

JZ: We have some sales people who have been with us for 30 or 40 years, and they have an amazing passion and know-how and an amazing relationship with their customers, and I don't see how we are going to keep today's younger salespeople long enough to build the same kind of expertise. I have to be careful to have a team with the right mix. I need people who have been with us for a long time, yet at the same time we need fresh blood. We need men, women, young and old.

ES: What don't you like?

JZ: I don't like the fact that it's about figures and not about product. Dealing with the big watch groups, the only thing that counts is figures.

I'd rather see the products being the star again.

ES: Who is your customer?

JZ: Having our range so broad, there is no one single Les Ambassadeurs customer. The prototype, however, is someone who doesn't buy watches just for the logo and the brand, but for the product behind it. He has a more profound understanding of the watch world than the average customer would have.

ES: What do you like about watches?

JZ: First of all, watches are living things, they have heartbeats, and they interact with you. I like the fact that so many people invest their lives into such a small and essentially useless thing.

ES: How important is customer service?

JZ: In Geneva and Zurich, we have watchmakers in the store doing repairs. We want customers to meet the doctor not the nurse, so we make it possible for customers to go

FACTS AND FIGURES: Locations: St. Moritz, Geneva, Lucerne, Zurich How long: 2014 will be the 50th anniversary, 1964 Employees: 90 Size of store: Geneva 650m2, St. Moritz 100m2, Lucerne 200m2, Zurich 200m2 Average sale: between CHF 10,000 and 20,000 Range of price: CHF 1,000 to over 1 million Best-selling watch: Breguet, Cartier, Vacheron Constantin, Jaeger-LeCoultre and Ulysse Nardin Brands: A. Lange & SĂśhne, Audemars Piguet, Bell & Ross, Blancpain, Bovet, Breguet, Breitling, Cartier, Chanel, Franck Muller, Girard-Perregaux, Greubel Forsey, Harry Winston, IWC, Jaeger-LeCoultre, Jaermann & Stubi, Jaquet Droz, Longines, Panerai, Roger Dubuis, Tiffany, Ulysse Nardin and Vacheron Constantin (brands vary from shop to shop)

directly to our watchmaker. Sales is all about service. It's not about the sale, it's about everything else.

We don't communicate about after sales service during the sale. When my customer is in the store, they see the watchmakers working, so they know we will take care of it. It's an unspoken message that we send. We don't want to talk about problems during the sale.

ES: Are you optimistic about the future?

JZ: I am a very optimistic guy in general. I don't have a crystal ball. The last few months have been very positive, despite the economic backdrop, so why not stay optimistic? Being pessimistic doesn't help. I can't change the world, but I can impact what is within my universe.

Many thanks to Joachim Ziegler for taking the time to talk with Europa Star. O

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RETAILER PROFILE 113

Türler – The pride of Paradeplatz RPaul O’Neil FACTS AND FIGURES:

T

Total stores: 5, which include Türler stores at Zurich Paradeplatz and Zurich airport plus own-brand stores for Blancpain (Paradeplatz), Omega and IWC (both at Zurich airport) Age: 130 years Employees: 60 Price range: CHF 800 to over 1,000,000 Brands: Audemars Piguet, Baume & Mercier, Blancpain, Breguet, Breitling, Cartier, Chopard, Davidoff, DeWitt, Frédérique Constant, IWC, Omega, Jaeger-LeCoultre, A. Lange & Söhne, Longines, Maurice Lacroix, Rado, TAG Heuer, Tissot, Türler by Alessandro Mendini, Vacheron Constantin and Zenith.

The Türler family watch retail business celebrates its 130th anniversary this year, having been established as a company in Biel, Switzerland at 8.30am on 5th February 1883.

Today the company has a prime location on Zurich's Bahnhofstrasse, in the shadow of the major Swiss banks on Paradeplatz, as well as two stores and two mono-brand boutiques at Zurich airport. Türler's main store on the Bahnhofstrasse attracts thousands of visitors each year who come just to see the unique Türler clock, a phenomenally complicated timepiece developed by Franz Türler, Ludwig Oechslin and Jörg Spöring, which was unveiled in 1995.

At the company’s anniversary celebrations, Europa Star quizzed the father-and-son management duo of Franz Türler junior and senior on their business.

Europa Star: Can you explain the background to the Türler clock?

Franz Türler (senior): It came from a vision and from the desire to differentiate ourselves from the competition. If you are no different to the other stores and the brand boutiques then it will be difficult for you. The company needs its own strategy and the clock is part of this, as is our Türler by Mendini collection, our small "Türler man" and of course our show windows and interior decoration. The idea with the clock was also to do something unique that would never be repeated.

ES: How fierce is the competition on the Bahnhofstrasse? Do you have to compete for the brands as well as for customers?

Franz Türler senior and junior

FT (sen.): Just imagine, there are 28 watch shops and mono-brand boutiques... The watch is still the same, whether you buy it in Lausanne, Paris or Hong Kong. The products are exchangeable. You either have to offer a better price with discounts, which we don't want, or offer the customer added value. You can't differentiate with the product alone.

How much of your business is with tourists, whether Chinese or other nationalities?

FT (sen.): The Chinese account for 30-40 per cent, but the Swiss account for around 50 per cent. This is because we have a very strong position in Switzerland. We have a large catchment area and over twenty thousand regular customers in our files.

ES: You have your own stores and some monobrand stores such as Blancpain on Bahnhofstrasse, as well as IWC and Omega at Zurich airport. How do you manage the collections between your different stores?

FT (jun.): The mono-brand stores obviously need a bigger collection because it has to be representative, whereas for ourselves we look at our watch and jewellery collection very carefully in order to satisfy the needs and demand of our customers.

FT (sen.): Brands are also producing more and more boutique models because they want to differentiate themselves from their retailers. So we are at the same time partners and competitors. But out of experience we know some customers prefer mono-brand stores, others prefer retail stores.

ES: How important is your history for your local customers?

FT (sen.): We have been in Zurich since 1892 so we have fantastic ties with our customers, which we have developed over decades with the different generations of our family. We are members of the sports clubs, the Rotary Club, the guild, I was president of the Vereinigung Zürcher Bahnhofstrasse for 21 years and of Zurich Tourism for 16 years.

ES: Up to 95 per cent of the customers in watch stores in Lucerne, for example, are Chinese.

ES: Are you looking for new brands?

FT (sen.): We are always observing the development of the brand situation but we are very happy with and proud of our current brand portfolio. And taking on a new brand is not that simple. There's a huge investment involved.

You have to find window space, get to know the brand and the people behind it. You can easily spend up to half a million Swiss francs or more on taking up a new brand and in pure

114 RETAILER PROFILE europa star

business terms you need to think about the return on investment.

What do the brands want? They want window space, sales and training. And the more brands you have, the less you have to spend on each brand.

ES: How was business in 2012 and what is your outlook for 2013?

FT (sen.): Our sales increased by 20 per cent in 2012. Unless anything catastrophic happens this year we are confident that we will have another good year. Millions of Chinese are expected to visit Europe this year. Millions!

ES: You have service centres in New York and Japan for tourists from these countries who buy their watches from you in Switzerland.

You also offer a free check after one year for any watches serviced by you. How important is good customer service as a point of differentiation?

FT (jun.): It's very important. Most watches come with a 3-5 year guarantee but we write

to our customers every year to remind them of the importance of servicing the watch and then we send another letter before the guarantee is due to expire.

ES: How much service work can you do inhouse?

FT (sen.): We have four watchmakers and can manage around 50 to 60 per cent of the service work (small services, battery exchange, adjustment, water-resistance checks, partly overhauling) in-house. The remainder is sent to the factories.

ES: And what is your experience with the watches that you have to send back to the factories?

FT (sen.): It's variable. The main problems are the very long delays. The factories are under pressure, they don't have enough watchmakers. This is one of the biggest problems at the moment in the watch industry.

FT (jun.): The problem is that we have no control over this but we do have the responsi-

bility. To a certain degree, we depend on the factories to carry out the work.

ES: How much of a problem are the rents on Bahnhofstrasse? With so many luxury shops competing for prime retail space, do you worry about an explosion in the property market?

FT (jun.): The rents are definitely on an upward trend. We have to budget very carefully. We have gone through many difficult times since the founding of the company in 1883 but we managed very successfully.

ES: So how do you deal with this very competitive situation?

FT (sen.): Above all, it is a long-term customer relationship, including trust which you build up over time. You cannot buy it.

Thanks to Messrs. Türler senior and junior for taking the time to speak to Europa Star for this retailer profile. O Search for “Türler” on our website for an article on the Türler clock.

116 LETTER FROM CHINA europa star

Tian Wang – The famous stranger “Tian Wang tells you the time” is a slogan that has been repeated thousands of times since 1990 just before the Central Chinese television news. You could say that everyone in China knows the brand. Now it’s our turn…

RJean-Luc Adam

I

It may have sold a million watches last year, but Tian Wang remains a discreet, almost secret, brand without history or any discernible image. Its strengths lie elsewhere, in mastering its supply chain, from production to distribution. Without intermediaries, Tian Wang produces, assembles and sells all by itself.

Europa Star visited the headquarters of the Tian Wang Watch Co, in Shenzhen, for a very instructive tour.

Positioning Europa Star has already visited some of the big names in Chinese watchmaking. Sea-Gull is undoubtedly the biggest producer of selfwinding movements in the world (4 million

calibres per year) and its new factory in the industrial area of Tianjin is a match for that of Airbus, its neighbour. Fiyta is probably the most modern brand, since the “official timekeeper of the Chinese space programme” focuses hard on design and high-tech materials. But in China, one in every four watches sold bears the name Ebohr or Rossini, the most ambitious duo, helped by good production quality and a tentacular distribution network comprising 2,900 points of sale.

These two brands are owned by the Hong Kong-based group China Haidian, which is also the most involved in Switzerland, having financed CodeX (2010) then later purchased Eterna and Porsche Design (2011).

Nevertheless, the “Swissest” Chinese watch brand is undeniably the small Beijing Watch Factory, national pioneer of the tourbillon and enamel dials. The exception to the rule, its boss simply wants to produce manufacture watches that are almost custom made. And Tian Wang? Since 2008, it has doubled its sales, taking fourth place in the ranking of Chinese watch brands.

History Tian Wang means “emperor”—a name that indicates the company’s desire ultimately to become the number one in the Chinese market. “Note the logo in the shape of a crown,” says GuangLei Deng, marketing director and a member of the management team of the brand, which was established in 1988 in Shenzhen. But the origins of the company actually date back to 1980, when two entrepreneurs from Hong Kong created the Winning Metal Products Manufacturing Company Limited (WMP), specialised in the sale of watch movements and the distribution of well-known brands such as Seiko/Epson, Citizen/Miyota, Ricoh (Japan), Timex (USA), Ronda, ISA/Prestige Time and Swatch/ETA (Switzerland) and Epoch/ Technotime (China/Switzerland). Opposite Hong Kong, on mainland China, a small fishing village called “深圳” (phonetically ShenZhen) is designated to become the first “Special Economic Zone” by Beijing. In other words, a capitalist paradise, formalising the new policy of “One country, two systems”. Never before in the industrial era had a city experienced

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such phenomenal growth over such a short period, rocketing from a few thousand villagers in 1979 to a megalopolis of 10.5 million inhabitants in the 2011 census. And this doesn’t even include the industrial suburbs…

At the time, Chinese dreamed of having the “three that rotate”: a bicycle, a sewing machine and a watch. Hong Kong’s initial wariness slowly made way for an enthusiasm and its watchmaking component manufacturers invested en masse in OEM production in Shenzhen. Furthermore, although Hong Kong

is the world’s biggest market for Swiss watchmaking products, Switzerland is also the biggest export market for watchmaking components from Hong Kong, in other words for components made in Shenzhen. It is in this context that Tian Wang was born, “established in the spirit of developing, over the long term, a genuine watchmaking brand,” Deng explains.

Growth Twenty-four years later, Tian Wang has 1,200 of its own points of sale, mainly in the form of

TIAN WANG, FROM HONG KONG TO SINGAPORE VIA SWITZERLAND! 1980 – Messrs Koon Ming Tung and Koon Kwok Ming establish the Winning Metal Products Manufacturing Company Limited (WMP) which sells watch movements and distributes well-known brands such as Seiko/Epson, Citizen/Miyota, Ricoh (Japan), Timex (USA), Ronda, ISA/Prestige Time and Swatch/ETA (Switzerland) and Epoch/ Technotime (China/Switzerland).

1988 – WMP launches “Tian Wang”, its own watch brand whose products it designs and produces itself. The first point of sale opens in Canton, followed in 1989 by a second in Shanghai. Today, Tian Wang is sold in 1,200 points of sale.

2005 – WMP introduces the Swiss brand Balco in mainland China, where it counts 200 points of sale.

2006 – After a reverse takeover, WMP becomes Wee Poh Holdings Ltd, a construction company quoted on the Singapore stock exchange. From this moment, the company focuses exclusively on watchmaking, targeting China’s middle class, estimated to comprise 600 million people.

2006 – Wee Poh acquires 51 per cent of the capital of the manufacturers and importers Hong Kong East Base Ltd and the Swiss Tick Tack AG, which has a strong presence in Europa and Asia thanks to its Police brand. The Wee Poh holding is renamed Time Watch Investments Ltd (TWI).

2007 – TWI obtains the exclusive distribution of Police watches and spectacles in China.

2008 – Tian Wang launches a 20th Anniversary limited edition in 18-carat gold with a Swiss movement.

LETTER FROM CHINA 117

stands in shopping centres. “For 2012, we expect to sell 1.2 to 1.3 million watches,” adds the manager. The collection starts at 1,000 yuan (150 Swiss francs) and goes up to 10,000 yuan (1,500 Swiss francs) and Deng claims that the average price is 1,700 yuan (250 Swiss francs). But Mr Deng forgets the extremities because the tourbillon collection is priced at between 10,000 and 25,000 yuan (1,500 to 3,750 Swiss francs) and the entrylevel models start at around 200 yuan (30 Swiss francs). Are Tian Wang’s customers different from others? Are they willing to pay a little extra for a national product with a patriotic fibre? “I don’t think so,” replies the manager, surprised by our question, “we are just meeting the customer’s needs in terms of service, style and culture.” The typical customer is a middle-class Chinese man, a white-collar worker or businessman, “because women are more fashion-oriented, which doesn’t really correspond with our style.”

Made in Japan More recently, following the initiative of other Chinese watch brands, Tian Wang has sensed an increasing interest for self-winding movements, to the detriment of quartz. “They now account for 45 per cent of our models,” confirms

118 LETTER FROM CHINA europa star

Deng. They are supplied by Citizen or Seiko, whereas the quartz movements are produced locally. As for the tourbillon, the manager refuses to reveal its origin to us: “This is a business secret!” An open secret, however, since we all know that it must be Chinese…

Anyway, a Chinese tourbillon in a Chinese watch is coherent, so why not do the same with self-winding calibres, the production quality of which is increasing in China? This is not sufficient for Deng, “We don’t have enough experience at all the different levels: industrial planning, stimulating watchmaking talent, a pool of qualified personnel, high-quality training, the necessary tools and government support.” But the race for precision has already started: “As part of a cooperation agreement, we are fitting some models with Chinese movements that we are continually improving.”

The Swiss in their sights Like the four or five other Chinese brands, Tian Wang fixed its objectives when it was founded: “Our Hong Kong boss at the time had a very clear vision of how the brand should develop

and introduced the notion of ‘branding’ very early on,” Deng explains. The firm systematically reinvested a proportion of its profits in R&D and the brand image. “But you know, there is no rivalry among the Chinese brands, because we all have the same competitors— the Swiss brands who have extensive knowhow and powerful marketing,” he insists.

Tian Wang offers fourteen collections, each quite distinct from each other in terms of style and technology, from quartz to tourbillon via self-winding and radio-controlled. “The devel-

opment of our country is leading to changes in taste towards more individualism. Our classic collections are now complemented by new, more daring ranges.”

With such changes, is “The Emperor” preparing to conquer international markets? “We would like to, but we need to prepare for this scrupulously by asking ourselves one fundamental question: would foreigners accept our brand? To answer this we need to do some indepth studies to find out how we would need to adapt,” our guide wisely concludes. O

120 SERVICE, PLEASE! europa star

Service at the independent manufacturers Customer service can be both a challenge and an important point of differentiation for independent watch companies.

RKeith W. Strandberg

I

Independent watch companies certainly don’t have it easy, struggling to find distribution and customers around the world. Customer service, however, is something by which smaller companies can distinguish themselves. Where the big companies and groups struggle to maintain contact with their customers, independents have the opportunity to manage this side of their business better and more personally.

I talked to four independents, all on the luxury side of the business, and here’s what I found out.

Urwerk Urwerk’s co-founder Felix Baumgartner began his watchmaking career working in after-sales service, and as a result, he is really sensitive to service. For example, he developed the “oil change” indicator, a reminder to make sure the watches were sent back for service every three to five years.

One benefit for an independent luxury watchmaker is that rarely is the watch their customers buy their first complicated watch purchase, so they have an understanding of the needs of complicated, mechanical watches.

“Our customers are aware of the relative fragility of mechanical watches and do take care of their pieces,” explains Baumgartner.

“Of course, there are still accidents that happen. The complications we are proposing at Urwerk are genuine, which means excitement but also risks, controlled risks as we really make sure that Urwerk watches are user friendly.

“Good customer service is really important,” he continues. “The story does not end when the watch is sold, it’s actually the opposite, the Urwerk experience starts when one has the watch on the wrist. This is one of the reasons why we’ve created an Owners’ Club.

Subscribers receive a personalised service.

They can ask questions, receive feedback from myself or Martin Frei, and have more details on how the watch was made, its source of inspiration. In other words, they feel closer to us.”

Today, the danger that the Internet (forums, blogs, etc.) poses is that one bad customer service experience can become widespread knowledge almost immediately. “Nowadays, no independent can afford to offer bad customer service,” Baumgartner says. “The word is spread instantaneously and can ruin a reputation at the speed of light.”

Urwerk doesn’t look at customer service as a profit centre. “We do not overcharge for our service,” Baumgartner says. “Our customers pay only for the work done and materials used, like for a new sapphire crystal. Furthermore, the whole testing process after each aftersales service is free of charge.”

Because of the complexity of Urwerk’s timepieces, they request that all their watches are returned to them for service. ”We are developing our very own horological complications, so we definitely need to be the ones to handle them,” Baumgartner says. “For example, we received an old UR-103 from Asia that was handled by a watchmaker in that part of the world. To our surprise, 20 per cent of the mechanism was missing. He/she threw away all the pieces that did not look familiar! So we

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“We at Urwerk, try to manage it so that the person who has assembled the watch is in charge of it all the way.”

SERVICE, PLEASE! 121

had to replace the whole mechanism, in effect, we had to make a brand new watch.”

Although Urwerk’s customers are very knowledgeable about their watches, it’s important for the brand to service watches as quickly as possible. The average is three months. “We really try to work as fast as possible but each watch has to go through the same testing before being sent back,” Baumgartner details.

“There is no way we can reduce this amount of time. People do understand this as it is a way to guarantee the best service possible. The difference between buying a big brand and buying from an independent is also in the relationship created with our clients. We know our clients, we have met some of them and some have even made the trip to meet us in person.”

The “oil change” indicator mentioned above is one way to reinforce with the client the eventual need for service. “The need for service is really part of the watch itself,” Baumgartner adds.

“Clients know about this specific indication and it is a way to create a real connection between the owner and his watch. He knows exactly how much time he had his Urwerk on the wrist.

“After-sales service is demanding,” he adds.

“The more watches you sell over the years, the more you will see watches coming back for service or repair. We at Urwerk, try to manage it so that the person who has assembled the watch is in charge of it all the way. We hope we’ll be able to keep things this way as long as possible.”

De Bethune De Bethune takes a long-term view of customer service. “Our watches are timeless so we are organised to serve them and are dedicated to them ad vitam aeternam,“ says Denis Flageollet, co-founder of De Bethune. “The customers who choose De Bethune are people that understand artistic products, and therefore they are naturally respectful of our service. At the same time, good service to the customer is not just important, it is essential.”

122 SERVICE, PLEASE! europa star

“A good experience sends a message of competence to the client.”

Flageollet understands the negative impact even one bad customer experience can have on a small brand. “A young brand such as De Bethune cannot have a bad image, so it is all about the relationship with the customer,” he says. “A good experience sends a message of competence to the client. For us, after-sales service is not a profit centre but an investment for the reputation of the brand.”

90 per cent of all after-sales service is done at the factory, with only a few simple repairs done at approved service centres. Sending the watch back to Switzerland results in a longer time out of the hands of the client, but De Bethune does its best to communicate to the end consumer. “A simple explanation can avoid frustration: one week to send the watch here to Switzerland, one week for analysis and quotation, two to three weeks for the service, one week of control, then one week to return the watch to the customer,” Flageollet adds.

This communication occurs at the point of sale, to avoid any unpleasant surprises. “We ask all our retailers to regularly supervise our watches according to a specific check list,” Flageollet explains. “We also offer a free service for the watches they have had in stock for more than one year. We also ensure regular training of our retailers in order that the final customer is fully informed about the use and characteristics of our products.”

Hautlence Guillaume Tetu, the brand’s co-founder, strongly focuses on after-sales service, working to build a good relationship with Hautlence owners.

“Customer service is the most important relationship you can build in your company, so as a result, Hautlence takes care of the watches in our workshops in Switzerland for regular service and in case of any problems any time with our watches,” he explains. “We try to explain the need for service to our customers.

When you have a car you do a service every

15,000 or 30,000 km, and it is the same for mechanical watches – you have to take care of it every three to five years.”

Tetu sees serving the end customer as an opportunity to grow his brand. “The most important is if you have any problem, you fix it, and fix it as quickly as possible,” he says. “One bad experience can be communicated to 100 friends.

We have had the chance to have some success stories, and the good news has been talked about and explained on blogs and forums, and this is certainly positive for our image.”

Tetu has worked hard to develop an Owners’ Club for Hautlence, so he can communicate directly with the owners of Hautlence timepieces.

Hautlence sees many repeat buyers, collectors who buy each piece the brand introduces, but with its new ranges of more accessibly-priced timepieces, the HLRS and HLRQ, Tetu expects the ranks of the Owners’ Club to grow quickly.

Tetu sees storm clouds on the horizon for brands who are not prepared to service all the

watches they sell. “We know that sometimes a customer sends his watch to a company and he waits six to eight months for a quotation and another six to eight months for a simple service,” he says, astounded. “Many companies can’t do the service, because they have not focused on it, and as a result, service becomes a nightmare for managing the business and for customer relationships. Some companies also charge incredibly high prices to service the watches and customers are not able to afford it, and as a result they are really disappointed in the brand, and the brand loses customers. This is not the way to do it properly. Service should not be looked at as a problem, but as a priority.”

Christophe Claret Christophe Claret specialised in repair of vintage, complicated watches before founding his own manufacture, now known for its high complications, including tourbillons and minute repeaters.

“Within my company, we place a very high

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“For us, the after-sales service department is in no way a profit centre, but a service that we provide to our customers.”

level of importance on after-sales service,” Claret says. “We have a specific workshop that handles the after-sales services for the watches, whether for third-party manufactured products or watches under the Christophe Claret brand.

“In general, collectors are understanding, especially if the problem is due to their mishandling, a violent shock or after the watch has been dropped,” Claret continues. “But in case of a technical problem or that the watch does not operate, they will be much more critical. This is why we attach a great deal of importance to the fine-tuning and homologation of each of our watches. Moreover, for each watch, we perform a ‘Test Homologation Fiabilité’, which is a pre-honing for the timepiece where it undergoes numerous shocks and functions that simulate the wear of the watch in an accelerated way, corresponding to a 6 month wear period.”

When a watch out of warranty arrives at Claret for service, an estimate is prepared upon

receipt of the timepiece. “On the estimate, we will establish what issue the watch is having, the components needed to be replaced, the estimated work-time needed (minimum and maximum) for the repair and the time to return the watch to the customer,” Claret explains.

“In the unfortunate and unlikely event that there is an issue that occurs while a timepiece is under warranty, we will strive to answer very quickly to our customer and will not hesitate, if necessary, to travel and pick up the customer’s timepiece ourselves at the client’s location and to return it back to him/her in the shortest time-period possible.

“I have the strong conviction that we should not neglect the impact of bad after sales experience for the client,” he continues. “This is why we initiate everything within our power to never let this happen. Good customer service sends the message of our respect and consideration for the client and our shared passion for our products. For us, the after-sales service depart-

ment is in no way a profit centre, but a service that we provide to our customers.”

Claret requires that all maintenance services or reconditioning of their timepieces must be made at the manufacture in Le Locle. The average length of time to complete a full maintenance varies due to the complexity of the movement being serviced and the time since its last service. It can take as short as one month for a simple mechanism regularly maintained and as long as three to five months for a more complex mechanism that has not been serviced for an extended period of time.

The suggested frequency of servicing a Claret watch is every four years.

“In general, customers understand that due to the strong innovation and high complications of our timepieces that it may take time to have their watch serviced,” Claret details.

“Furthermore, almost all of the collectors at this level have more than one watch and, even if ours is their favourite, they typically cope by using one of their other watches for a short period of time.

“Within our Manufacture, we maintain a stock of all the after-sales service components from our first calibre to the most recent ones,” he continues. “This stock includes over 20,900 references of parts and over 3,000,000 components for each of the more than 70 calibres we have created. Therefore, we are able to repair and replace the components on all of our calibres, from the first one made more than 20 years ago to the current calibres.”

For niche brands, customer service is even more important than for the bigger brands.

Customers of the big brands often suffer the disservice they receive silently, but customers of these small brands are incredibly passionate about watches and deserve a high level of service. Luckily, brands like Urwerk, Hautlence, De Bethune and Christophe Claret give it to them. O

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126 LETTER FROM FRANCE europa star

Eldorado is within reach An entire region of France, devastated by mass unemployment, sees its salvation in the new sites being set up

by Swiss watchmaking companies just across the border in Switzerland.

RAntoine Menusier

I

It is a small French town of 6,000 inhabitants located on the border with Switzerland in the southern part of the Territoire de Belfort, in France’s Franche-Comté region. Delle is now 2 hours and 45 minutes away from Paris by TGV

and a short bus ride for the last few kilometres.

Not too long ago the train ride was five hours.

But this shortening of journey times doesn’t change much: the only thing that counts is employment. And there is a terrible lack of it.

Unemployment here, at a rate of 22 per cent, is twice the national average. And Delle isn’t hoping for help from Paris but from Switzerland, specifically the small village in the Jura that is almost stuck on to it across the border in the form of a spearhead.

The recent construction in Boncourt of a Swatch Group factory, a Jaeger-LeCoultre workshop

in Porrentruy and the imminent arrival of a small production facility for TAG Heuer in Chevenez —all within a radius of twenty kilometres—is a source of salvation for the neighbouring regions of France, which have been bled dry by the economic crisis. And a winning play for the Swiss manufacturers, who know that they can find there, in the middle of the countryside but nevertheless near a road transport network and at an attractive cost, a well-stocked pool of French workers in search of a real job. The French

Pierre Filet, the young director of this school, who we met in February, told us, “The unemployment offices in the region, with whom we are working on this project, received hundreds of applications. There were still 200 names on the first short-list. In the end we selected thirty applicants, the maximum number of students that we can accommodate on this special programme. We currently have fifteen students, including four women, with fifteen more due to arrive in April. They are aged between 20 and 40 years old.”

departments in the Jurassian Arc, which were for many years bastions of watchmaking but are less so today because of the success of Swiss Made, have inherited considerable know-how and already provide a large proportion of the workforce for the watchmaking companies set up nearby on Swiss soil.

In this softly undulating landscape, the last stop before the high wooded mountain chains of the Jura, nothing much distinguishes France from Switzerland, apart from the typically Swiss cleanliness of cultivated land and inhabited areas. What the border does clearly mark, however, is the social desolation on the one side and the relative prosperity on the other.

The Jules Ferry vocational school in Delle has seized upon this opportunity on its doorstep.

This year it started a basic watchmaker training course aimed not at students but at the unemployed, lasting nine months and awarding an apprentice diploma. It triggered a rush.

While manufacturing continued on the Swiss side, it collapsed on the French side. FrancheComté lost thousands of jobs after the closure of numerous small and medium-sized companies.

The labour market is in tatters and the presence

europa star

LETTER FROM FRANCE 127

“Kids shunned industrial careers for the service industry, which they thought was better valued but where it is difficult to find a job because of the crisis.

The paradox is that there is now a lack of experienced labour for industry.” of giants such as Peugeot-Citroën in Sochaux and Alstom (trains, metros, trams) in Belfort is not going to change things. Peugeot-Citroën is adjusting its supply to meet demand by turning to temporary labour on a massive scale and getting ready to lay off 9,500 people in France, of which 580 will be at the Sochaux site. The automobile industry is no longer a promising sector.

The deterioration in French industry is partly due to ideological factors. The class struggle caused a lack of interest in manual work, seen

as a punishment and social relegation. This is exactly the opposite of Switzerland, where it has always been valued and has moved with technological developments. The result, according to Pierre Filet, is that “kids shunned industrial careers for the service industry, which they thought was better valued but where it is difficult to find a job because of the crisis. The paradox is that there is now a lack of experienced labour for industry.”

Switzerland is therefore an Eldorado. In the Jura canton, which shares a border with the Territoire de Belfort, the unemployment rate,

at barely 4 per cent, illustrates the economic health of this small corner of Helvetia. Which fuels the dreams of young French people. “‘I want to work in Switzerland’: this is what they say,” Pierre Filet explains. “They fantasise about salaries of 5,000 euros per month.” That’s a rich man’s salary, compared with the minimum salary currently in force in France, which is 1,120 euros net per month and the rate usually paid to people in their first job. Not enough to start a family, build a house or plan for the long term. Work in Switzerland, live

(well) in France: this is what being a crossborder worker allows you to do, notwithstanding fluctuations in the exchange rate between the Swiss franc and the euro.

that is equipped with watchmakers’ benches and basic equipment, bought in cheaply in order to stay within a budget of 200,000 euros allocated to this training course by the local authority.

Alexandra, 35, already has some experience in watchmaking. “I wanted to improve my knowledge. I am starting from scratch as far as the movement and the casing up are concerned,” she admits. She used to work in Porrentruy, a Swiss town some twenty kilometres away from

Delle, in a company that moulded composite materials, but she was made redundant. “I am hoping to work for TAG Heuer in Chevenez or in La Chaux-de-Fonds. To start with I should earn around 3,000 euros net per month,” she thinks.

Retrain Fifteen apprentice watchmakers in their white lab coats are working on movements in a relaxed and studious atmosphere under the watchful eye of Guy Petit, a retired French master watchmaker who has worked for Zenith in Le Locle and Rolex in Bienne, a civil aviation pilot who has reported back for duty.

They are in a classroom at the Jules Ferry school

“My employment adviser mentioned this training course to me,” says Adriano, 25. “I worked in optics, working with spectacles, which requires quite good dexterity. In an unemployment office I recently saw job offers from Swiss companies for 4,000 euros per month gross.”

Like all his fellow students, Adriano will have to complete a three-week internship inside a

128 LETTER FROM FRANCE europa star

“These future watchmakers are sure to find an employer in Switzerland.

The Swatch Group has grand designs. The group has purchased 75,000 square metres of land in Boncourt, “at a special price.” company in April. “I’ve found one in Porrentruy, at Louis Chevrolet, a Swiss watch brand,” he says. Saisons, 27, has only ever had temporary jobs. “The unemployment office in Belfort sent me here,” he says. “I worked in a pharmacy after my university studies but I didn’t like it.

But I’m interested in watchmaking.”

“I worked in the paint shop at Peugeot,” explains Khad, 31. “I left because there was no more work. I took some tests to be accepted on this training course. There were 60 to 100

multiple-choice questions, which had to be completed in twenty minutes, a watch had to be disassembled then reassembled. Where I live in Valentigney (a town in the French department of Doubs), I have three friends who work in Saint-Imier (in the Swiss Jura, where the headquarters of Longines is). I would like to work in Saint-Imier, too. It’s at least one hour’s drive, so it would mean twelve-hour days. We would do car pooling.”

A former heating engineer from the construction industry, Safi, 35, lived off short-term contracts of three or four months. He would

like to work at Mercier, in Breuleux, in the Franches-Montagnes. “Watchmaking is a nice profession,” he says. He practised disassembling and reassembling watches for six months before taking the tests. “I would rather have the occupational hazards in watchmaking than those in construction and at least I’m sure that there will always be a demand.”

Adin, 23, is from Bosnia, the part of former Yugoslavia that was at war with the Serbs and Croats in the first half of the 1990s. He

arrived in France in 1992, aged 3. He studied to be a financial adviser but narrowly missed out on passing his exams and went freelance.

He is now recovering from a serious car accident. “Watchmaking is a lot more interesting than finance, where only the figures count,” he muses. “In the future I would like to set up a franchise to export watches to eastern Europe.”

Alexandra had a good job at the opticians Optic 2000 in Alsace, but she had “had enough of the sales side” of the job. “My husband said: you are 38 years old, it’s time to retrain.” She would like to find a job “nearby”

at TAG Heuer in Chevenez or The Swatch Group in Boncourt, and then focus on packaging, “managing everything to do with packaging.”

Olivier, 31, is the team’s “watchmaker”. His grandfather works in watchmaking and jewellery and so does his father. “My brother did two years of training in Morteau (in the department of Doubs),” he explains. “He got a job at Jaeger-LeCoultre and earns 5,000 Swiss francs per month. I might go there, too.” As for Anthony, 21, who did an apprenticeship in jewellery making, also in Morteau, and then worked in Porrentruy at a manufacturer of dental implants, “I was unemployed from February 2011 to December 2012. I didn’t think I would get on to this training course,” he says, “I am so bad at maths.”

These future watchmakers are sure to find an employer in Switzerland. The Swatch Group has grand designs. The group has purchased 75,000 square metres of land in Boncourt, “at a special price,” according to André Goffinet, the mayor of this small town of 1,300 inhabitants, the eternal neighbour of Delle, known throughout the Swiss Confederation for its Burrus cigarette factory, set up by Alsatians who settled there in 1814. The family company, the economic lung of a region of Catholic tradition, which employs 300 people but has employed up to 800 in the past, is today owned by British American Tobacco.

“But one day the factory will close,” predicts the mayor, who worked at Burrus for 32 years. The Swatch Group is ready to step in: its first production unit was scheduled to open in March.

French cross-border workers are smiling: the Swiss group plans to create 1,000 jobs by 2020, where before there were just fields. O

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SPOTLIGHT

FAMILY-OWNED KUKI CELEBRATES ITS 50TH ANNIVERSARY The KUKI company from Slovenia has been manufacturing high-quality leather watch straps since 1963. The family tradition dating back fifty years was started by Franc Drolc and his wife Alenka. Sadly, Franc passed away in 2010, leaving the company in the hands of brothers MatjaĹž and Gregor. The company now exports to more than 20 different countries in Europe and beyond. In celebration of its 50th anniversary, KUKI presents a new alligator leather strap using the companyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Strong&Flex technology, which is an amalgamation of two methods of strap construction that have been patented by the company. KUKI Strong&Flex watch straps offer flexibility, softness and durability all in one and provide excellent reliability and resistance to deformation.

Two patents The first patent, filed in 1994, covers the ArmStrong construction, in which Aramid and 18-carat gold-plated stoppers were first used to reinforce the leather strap; the second, filed in 2003, is for the KUKI-FLEX system, which introduced rubber as an intermediate layer to strengthen the leather strap, offering flexibility and softness.

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132 WORLDWATCHWEB europa star.com

The WorldWatchReport™ 2013 highlights the trends impacting the luxury watch industry RLaetitia Hirschy, WorldWatchReport™ Project Manager, Digital Luxury Group

S

Global interest for luxury watches grew +3.3%, led by BRIC markets (+33.0%)

Since 2004, the WorldWatchReport™, published by the Digital Luxury Group in partnership with Europa Star, has provided the industry with an exclusive analysis of the interests and preferences of luxury watch consumers around the world. Based on a methodology utilising Digital Luxury Group’s proprietary technology, the report identifies and analyses over 1 billion unbiased spontaneous consumer searches to highlight the forces that drive the luxury watch industry further.

The three largest markets this year were China (25.6% market share), the United States (19.5% market share) and the United Kingdom (8.6% market share). Global demand growth was fuelled by BRIC markets with the highest year-to-year increases in China (+36%), Brazil (+29.4%), Russia (+28.5%) and India (+19.7%). Early signs of demand decline were seen mostly in developed, mature, Western markets. The United States decreasing by -11.6% since last year and Europe by -8.3%.

At the occasion of BaselWorld, Digital Luxury Group unveils the results of the 9th edition of the WorldWatchReport™, which tracks online interest expressed through search engines for 62 brands across twenty international markets.

GEOGRAPHIC SEARCH BREAKDOWN FOR LUXURY WATCHES BY MARKET 2012 (YEAR-OVER-YEAR)

europa star.com

GROWTH RATES OF ONLINE INTEREST FOR LUXURY WATCHES IN BRIC MARKETS

China consolidates its leadership position with 25.6% of all global searches, growing by +36.0% For the second year in a row, China consolidated its leadership position ahead of the United States, with the largest global market share (25.6%) and strongest year-to-year growth (+36.0%).

One out of four consumer searches for luxury watches originates from Mainland China. Top three brands this year were: Omega

WORLDWATCHWEB 133

2012 VS. 2011

followed by Rolex (up from third place last year), overtaking Longines now at number three. Rolex (+97.8%), Cartier (+71.6%) and Omega (+70.4%) experienced the strongest evolution among the 62 brands analysed.

LUXURY WATCHES BRAND MARKET SHARE | WORLDWIDE TOP 15 MOST SEARCHED FOR LUXURY WATCH BRANDS IN 2012

134 WORLDWATCHWEB europa star.com

Haute Horlogerie (+10.1%) and watch and jewellery (+7.7%) categories growing the fastest Confirming results observed in the Haute Horlogerie Preview report published at SIHH in January, Haute Horlogerie was the fastest growing category amongst luxury watch clients, showing a healthy growth of +10.1%, followed by the Watch and Jewellery category growing by +7.7%. Both categories had their strongest performance in Asia with 44.2% and 46.8% market share each, followed by Europe (37.5% and 30.7%) and America (18.3% and 22.5%). Exposure to Asia played a crucial role in fuelling categories’ growth: the largest market share in Asia, where the highest growth figures were recorded. In the Haute Horlogerie category, Patek Philippe performed especially well, entering the Top 10 Global ranking for the first time this year and with over 50% of its market share in Asia. Another very strong performer was Vacheron Constantin, which entered the Top 20 Global ranking (19th), and had almost 70% of its market share in Asia. The Watch and Jewellery category was led by Cartier, third in the global ranking (well ahead of other brands in the category), with almost half its market share in Asia and the remainder evenly divided between Europe and America.

Gap between industry leaders Rolex and Omega narrows further At constant range over the last five years (25 brands, 10 markets only), the gap between the two leaders narrows further, with a difference in demand of 2.0 percentage points (versus 8.4 in

2009). Rolex continues to lead the Global ranking thanks to number one spots in mostly developed, mature markets (US, India, Europe and the Middle East). Omega’s continuing leadership in large, strongly developing markets (China, Brazil, Russia, Japan, Asia Pacific, Latin America) has helped it slowly but surely gain ground on industry leader, Rolex.

Facebook increasingly influential amongst luxury watch clients: volume growing by +111% and engagement rate by +91% By the end of 2012, the 62 brands analysed regrouped nearly 50 million fans on Facebook, growing by 111% versus last year. The most successful brands per category were: Louis Vuitton (Couture) with 12,170,512 fans, Tiffany & Co. (Watch and Jewellery) with 3,513,922 fans, Tag Heuer (Prestige) with 805,731 fans, Montblanc (High Range) with 374,729 fans and Audemars Piguet (Haute Horlogerie) with 167,333 fans. Brands are getting better at creating interactions with fans, although engagement rate is still low, it is growing, having increased by 91% (from 0.49% in 2011 to 0.94% in 2012).

For more information about the WorldWatchReport™, published

by Digital Luxury Group in partnership with Europa Star on an annual basis, please visit www.worldwatchreport.com.

GLOBAL MARKET SHARE EVOLUTION OF TWO INDUSTRY LEADERS ROLEX VS. OMEGA

europa star.com

WORLDWATCHWEB 135

THE GROWING IMPACT OF SOCIAL MEDIA [ BENCHMARKING FACEBOOK COMMUNITY SIZE & POST ENGAGEMENT RATE FOR PRESTIGE BRANDS ]

BRANDS ANALYSED IN THE WORLDWATCHREPORT™ HAUTE HORLOGERIE A. Lange & Söhne Audemars Piguet Blancpain Bovet Breguet De Bethune Franck Muller Girard-Perregaux Glashütte Original Greubel Forsey Jaquet Droz Jaeger-LeCoultre Parmigiani Patek Philippe

Richard Mille Roger Dubuis Ulysse Nardin Vacheron Constantin WATCH JEWELLERY Bulgari Cartier Chaumet Chopard Harry Winston Jacob & Co. Piaget Tiffany & Co. Van Cleef & Arpels

COUTURE Chanel Dior Watches Hermès Louis Vuitton Ralph Lauren PRESTIGE Breitling Corum Hublot IWC Omega Panerai Rolex

TAG Heuer Zenith HIGH RANGE Baume & Mercier Bell & Ross Bremont Carl F. Bucherer Concord Ebel Eberhard Frédérique Constant Graham Longines Louis Erard

Muarice Lacroix Montblanc Perrelet Rado Raymond Weil Romain Jérôme Sinn Technomarine Tudor Vulcain

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Editorial & Advertisers’ index A, Alexander Shorokhoff 47 Alfex 88 Anson 129 Antoine Martin 79-80 Antopi 119 Armin Strom 86-87 Arnold & Son 85 ASULAB 54 Audemars Piguet 17, 134 Axcent 101 B BaselWorld 24, 36, 42, 45, 50, 58, 61, 69, 90 Bell & Ross 106 Blancpain 22, 50, 62, 64, 113 Bomberg 38-39, 107 Braun 51, 81 Breguet 22, 54, 62 Breva 85 Bruvik Time 99 Bulgari 16, 30, 40 C Carl F. Bucherer 31, 71-72 Cartier 17, 18, 133, 134 Casio 77, 84, 86, 94 Certina 52, 86 Chanel 4-5, 44, 45-46 Chaumet 30 China Haidian 116 China Watch & Clock Fair 140 Chopard 17, 66, 68 Christophe Claret 80, 82, 122, 124 Citizen 53, 92, 116, 117, 118 CodeX 116 Comadur 61 Concepto 107 Concord 48, 106 Corum 15, 69-70 Cousins 140 Couture COVER III Cover 88 D Da Vindice 84 de Beers 30 De Bethune 22, 121122, COVER IV DeWitt 12-13 Digital Luxury Group 8, 10, 132-135 Dubois Dépraz 70 E Ebel 48

Emile Chouriet 49 EPHJ 143 Ernest Borel 41 ETA 17, 20, 50, 54, 55, 58, 61, 68, 99, 107, 116, 117 Eterna 76, 116 F La Fabrique du Temps 36 Federation of the Swiss Watch Industry 17 Fiyta 116 Folli Follie 56-57, 88 Fossil 103 Fred 30 Frédéric Piguet 62 G Gant 100 Girard-Perregaux 68-69 Glashütte Original 58 Graham 82 Gucci 69 Gustafsson & Sjögren (GoS) 98 H Habring 109 Halda 101 Hamilton 58 Harry Winston 85 Hautlence 122 Hermès 11, 44, 45 HKTDC 141 Hublot 17, 30, 40, 42, 55, 144 Hysek 85 I Ice-Watch 95 Ingersoll 43 IWC 17, 54, 86, 113 J Jaeger-LeCoultre 2-3, 126, 128 Jaquet Droz 52, 54, 62 JeanRichard 69 JetSet 101 JS Watch Co. 98 Julien Coudray 1518 76 K Kolber 65 KUKI 130-131 L Laurent Ferrier 22 Léman Cadrans 36 Les Ambassadeurs 110, 112

Les Emboîteurs d’Espaces SA 83 Longines 55, 58, 128 Louis Chevrolet 128 Louis Moinet 6 Louis Vuitton 17, 23, 30, 36, 40, 134 Luminox 108 LVMH 16, 17, 30, 40 M Manufacture des Franches Montagnes 73 Maurice Lacroix 73 Maxell 139 MB&F 22, 85, 102 Mercier 128 Michelsen Watchmakers 98 Minuteman 108, 109 Miyota 93 Mondaine 108 Montblanc 134 Moscow Watch Expo 142 Movado 48 Movado Group 44, 48 N Naf Naf 88 O Obaku 99 Omega 54, 55, 113, 133, 134 Orient Watch Company 96-97 Oris 86, 109 P Packing91 125 Panerai 17 Pascal Vincent Vaucher SA 59 Patek Philippe COVER I, 21, 26-29, 134 Pforzheim 104-105 Piaget 17 Picard Cadet 37 Porsche Design 116 Promotion SpA 115 Q Queloz 73 R Raboud Group 136-137 Rado 55 Raymond Weil 19, 21 Rebellion 82, 84 Richard Mille 21, 25 Richemont Group 16, 17

Rolex COVER II, 1, 16, 17, 54, 86, 127, 133, 134 Romain Gauthier 78-79 Ronda 103, 107, 116, 117 S Saint Honoré 88 Sarpaneva 102 Sea-Gull 116 Seiko 74-75, 90-91, 116, 117, 118 Sejac 123 Sellita 99 Shinola 103 SIHH 54, 69, 134 Skagen 63, 99-100 Snyper 107 Sowind Group 68 Suunto 102 Swatch 14, 50, 52 Swatch Group 16, 17, 18, 20, 24, 50, 54, 55, 58, 60, 116, 117, 126, 128 Swiss Clarity & Cut SA 67 T TAG Heuer 6, 9, 17, 18, 30, 32, 40, 86, 126, 127, 128, 134 Technew 111 Technotime 116, 117 Tian Wang 116-118 Tiffany & Co. 134 Timex 116, 117 Tissot 18, 33, 50, 60-62 Titoni 35 Türler 113-114 U Ulysse Nardin 72 Union Glashütte 58 Universo 61 Urwerk 22, 120-121 V Vacheron Constantin 17, 134 Val Fleurier 17 Victorinox Swiss Army 107 Vulcain 76 W Watch Your Time 138 Westar 89 Z Zenith 7, 17, 30, 32, 34, 127

Managing Director: Philippe Maillard

Moscow Watch Expo The gate to the Russian market

EDITORIAL Editor-in-Chief: Pierre M. Maillard • pmaillard@europastar.com Senior Editor: D. Malcolm Lakin • mlakin@europastar.com International Editor: Keith W. Strandberg • keiths821@aol.com Managing Editor: Paul O’Neil • poneil@europastar.com Editorial Consultant: Casey Bayandor • cbayandor@europastar.com Asst. Publisher: Nathalie Glattfelder • nglattfelder@europastar.com CONTRIBUTORS • Italy: Paolo de Vecchi • Germany: Gerhard Claussen, Timm Delfs • France: Antoine Menusier • Australia: Martin Foster • Russia: Vyacheslav Medvedev • Portugal: Miguel Seabra • Romania: George Gisca • China: Jean-Luc Adam • Art & Techniques of Watchmaking: Jean-Claude Nicolet ART Alexis Sgouridis • asgouridis@europastar.com Dummy: Fonderie Grafix, Geneva

29th October 1st November Moscow, Crocus Expo Hall 18, Pav 3 • More 150 watch&jewelery brands • More 2 000 professional visitors • Meeting point with collectors and final consumers • Special program for independent brands

MARKETING & CIRCULATION PRINT/E-MEDIA Marketing & Circulation Director: Nathalie Glattfelder • nglattfelder@europastar.com Marketing & Circulation Manager: Jocelyne Bailly • jbailly@europastar.com PUBLISHING & PRODUCTION PRINT/E-MEDIA Advertising Manager: Laurence Chatenoud • lchatenoud@europastar.com Editorial, Production & Advertising Coordinator: Talya Lakin • tlakin@europastar.com ADVERTISING / INTERNATIONAL SALES MANAGERS Switzerland / Italy / US: Casey K. Bayandor.

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144 LAKIN@LARGE europa star

Playing with Time “Time flies like an arrow; fruit flies like a banana.”

By the time you read this, we Europeans will have once again messed about with time and put our clocks forward an hour to benefit from the joys of extra daylight. This bi-annual ritual is called ‘Daylight Saving Time’ or DST – not to be confused with the DT’s, which are the vivid pink elephant hallucinations from which alcoholics suffer.

Personally, I’m not a happy bunny because with the way the weather is at present it will only mean that I’ll see an extra hour of rain or snow every day depending on where I happen to be. At least when it’s dark there’s no obligation to look out the window in the vain hope that a break in the clouds will be sufficiently large for me to dash to the local hostelry without being severely drowned.

So why do we go through this annual ritual that millions of people seem to treat with scorn?

To answer that question I switched on my computer, Googled the subject and to my dismay discovered there are 33,400,000 entries on the subject. What I did learn was that Benjamin Franklin was the person that came up with the initial idea of daylight saving time in 1784 when he was America’s ambassador to Paris, although it was, they say, his humorous response to Parisian debauchees’ late night shenanigans and the late night use of candles that brought about his proposal.

The concept was then proposed in a paper to the Wellington Philosophical Society in 1895 by George Vernon Hudson, an entomologist from New Zealand, suggesting a two-hour shift forward in October and a twohour shift back in March, but there was a bug in that suggestion and it too never came to fruition.

Daylight Saving Time again raised its ugly head in the 1900s via William Willett, an Englishman who enjoyed early mornings and late evenings to either go horseback riding or play golf depending on which of the thirty-three million entries on the Internet you read. He managed to get the idea of moving the clock forward put before Parliament in 1908 but it was rejected as being a preposterous idea. It was proposed again in 1909, 1910 and 1911 with the same result.

Then came World War I and in 1916 Germany went onto daylight saving time to save energy for the war effort. Britain followed on May 17, 1916, and Willett's scheme of adding 80 minutes in four separate segments, was put in place a month later. Years later the practice slowly caught on until the addition and subtraction of an hour during the year

became an institution in the four corners of the globe (hang on, how can you have corners on a globe?).

I don’t know how true this story is, but apparently an American Indian on being told the reason for daylight saving time said, "Only the government would believe that you could cut a foot off the top of a blanket, sew it to the bottom, and have a longer blanket."

Talking, worrying and philosophising about time has intrigued man since Adam and Eve pottered around their garden in their trendy figleaf undies and since then philosophers, cosmologists and scientists have continued to delve into the existence of time ever since. According to current thought time hasn't always existed, it all began with the Big Bang 13.82 billion years ago according to the latest scientific estimates, although Hublot may put the date much later. Out of interest, by adding up the ancestral biblical histories of Adam and Eve, Cain and Abel and Moses etc., James Usher, the 17th Century Archbishop of Armagh in Ireland, concluded that planet Earth was created late on Saturday, October 22, 4004 BC. Before clicking out of Google and switching off my computer I came across the following quote attributed to Abraham Lincoln that really gave me something to think about: “The trouble with information on the Internet is that you can never know if it’s genuine.” Difficult to know what to believe now isn’t it?

All of which reminds me of a delightful story about Adam and Eve. Adam returned home late one evening and a somewhat peeved Eve screamed, "You’re seeing another woman, aren't you?"

"Don't be silly," Adam calmly replied. "You’re the only woman on earth."

Later that night Adam was awakened by Eve tickling his chest.

"What the hell are you doing?" he asked.

"What do you think I’m doing, I’m counting your ribs!"

Well, you’ve go to laugh haven’t you?

D. Malcolm Lakin Roving Editor