Europa Star 6/11-1/12

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EUROPE EDITION All Europe Central & Eastern Europe, Russia

N° 310 6 /2011 Dec. / Jan.

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THE WORLD’S MOST INFLUENTIAL WATCH MAGAZINE EUROPE

GENEVA SHOWS PREVIEW

SIHH, GTE & PRIVATE EXHIBITIONS

1 Focus on China 1 Letters from France, Australia 1 Logistics

4 EDITORIAL europa star

The metaphor of the tree R Pierre M. Maillard Editor-in-Chief The most highly prized metaphor among watchmakers today is that of the tree.

As you read through our pages, you will find it mentioned in several places, told to us by watchmakers themselves.

For example, you will find this metaphor mentioned in the supplement that is devoted to Jaeger-LeCoultre on the occasion of the SIHH. Another allusion is found in an interview with Philippe Merk, CEO of Audemars Piguet, who talks about the “Royal Oak tree” that hides the Audemars Piguet forest. In the previous issue of Europa Star there was an article about Lange & Söhne, which talked about its Akademie in terms of “understanding the tree and its roots.”

Why is the metaphor of the tree being evoked so often? Perhaps it is because the tree, in the mind of watchmakers, has as much to do with the art of timekeeping as it does with the state of our societies. Among all living things, man is the best at dominating space while the tree clearly masters time, since there is no other organism that can live as long as a tree—up to 5,000 years for some species of pine trees in California.

The tree is thus virtually immortal since it is capable of cloning itself indefinitely, as is demonstrated by a spruce tree in Sweden that is thought to have first germinated in 7158 BC, more than 9000 years ago. That watchmaking would therefore evoke the metaphor of the tree as the master of time is not really all that surprising. Yet, it is the revival of this metaphor that we wonder about.

The idea of the watch has long flirted with the notion of modernity, and the social importance of the timepiece has increased along with the imperatives

of global commerce, regulation of transportation, and the coordination of world economies. Today, while “instantaneous time” has imposed itself at the heart of financial transactions, abolishing space and its frontiers, the tree, although incapable of moving but better at mastering the dimension of time, seems like a reassuring symbol. The world may crumble around us, crises may provoke storms across the world, hierarchies may be shaken up, but the tree remains standing like a comforting reference point.

It is thus tempting to look to the tree for inspiration. Its structure lends itself admirably to the metaphor of watch brands that, on this globalised planet, are looking to reaffirm their geographical base and their historical depth (the roots), as well as to reassure about their solidity (the trunk). They also demonstrate their savoir-faire through their branches and take pride in the fruits produced each season. The unchanging seasonal cycle of the tree—which blossoms every year and is always

faithful to itself yet different—offers a very promising image.

A tree thus represents a heritage that is continuously accumulated. And while its growth may sometimes slow during particularly cold seasons, it never stops—something that many a watchmaking brand aspires to. Yet, it is also in the most intimate details that the tree evokes timekeeping. Don’t the rings of its trunk actually mark the cyclical passage of time, a bit like a natural clock?

That the metaphor of the tree is so popular today is not at all unexpected.

The euro may explode; China’s expansion may slow down; the sea levels may rise. But the tree will continue its steadfast growth.

EL PRIMERO by Zenith, inventor of the high-frequency self-winding chronograph

EL PRIMERO CHRONOMASTER OPEN

ZENITH, THE PIONEER SPIRIT SINCE 1865 www.zenith-watches.com

In 1839 Vacheron Constantin created several machines, among them the famous pantograph, a mechanical device which meant that for the first time in history principal watchmaking components could be reproduced with total precision, raising the quality of its timepieces once again. This invention carried the brand into the future and would revolutionise Swiss watchmaking.

Faithful to the history for which it is renowned, Vacheron Constantin undertakes to maintain, repair and restore all watches it has produced since its foundation: a sign of excellence and confidence which still today gives the manufacture its reputation.

Quai de l’Ile Retrograde Annual Calendar, Pink gold case, Precision moon phase Hallmark of Geneva, Self-winding mechanical movement Ref. 86040/000R-IOP29

8 CONTENTS europa star

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THE WORLD’S MOST INFLUENTIAL WATCH MAGAZINE EUROPE

N° 310 6/2011 DEC./JAN.

CONNECTING

4

EDITORIAL The metaphor of the tree

10

COVER STORY Chanel: The great white

16

GENEVA SHOWS Geneva’s winter show(s)

18 20 22 28 32 34 36 38 39 40 42 43

SIHH Cartier’s balance of contrasts Panerai flattered by art Royal Oak, the tree that hides the forest Vacheron Constantin, confident in its own future Ralph Lauren SIHH preview The rebirth of Roger Dubuis Parmigiani: Telescopic time Greubel Forsey at the foothills Piaget thinks thin again Girard-Perregaux unveils new look Timeless novelties from Baume & Mercier Montblanc celebrates the anniversary of the chronograph

44 47

PRIVATE EXHIBITIONS De Bethune, ten years and twelve calibres later…

UR-1001 Zeit Device, the mother ship

50 55

GENEVA TIME EXHIBITION The Geneva Time Exhibition moves upmarket Frédérique Constant Vintage Racing

56

WPHH Franck Muller goes classic… and complicated

ICONIC BRANDS TO THEIR CLIENTELE ONLINE

58 61 63 66 70

DIGITAL-LUXURY.COM media partner

MARKET FOCUS - CHINA Marketing and the Asian Dream Belles Montres Shanghai RETAILER PROFILE: The Rolex Experience, only in Shanghai Sea-Gull’s new factory WORLDWATCHWEB® Frustrating digital realities in mainland China

72

POSTCARD FROM AUSTRALIA Bausele watches arrive with a unique sense of style

74

LETTER FROM FRANCE Antikythera: The watch that re-emerged from the depths

76

MANUFACTURING Tissot’s Logistics Centre

78

EDITORIAL AND ADVERTISERS’ INDEX

80

LAKIN@LARGE Be sincere, even if you don’t mean it!

J12 RÉTROGRADE MYSTÉRIEUSE by Chanel The J12 Rétrograde Mystérieuse features a vertically positioned crown that is activated by ceramic inserts hidden in the bezel (at 2 o’clock and 4 o’clock). Since this crown impedes the movement of the minutes hand, a unique flyback system is used to move the minute hand anticlockwise around the dial to resume its course beneath the crown. While this takes place, the intervening minutes (11-19) are indicated on a separate disc at 6 o’clock. White high-tech ceramic case and bracelet with 12 white ceramic inserts on the bezel and white crown and bridges.

CHANEL Place Vendôme 18 75001 Paris France Tel + 33 (0)1 40 98 50 00 www.chanel.com

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 © 2011 EUROPA STAR Audited REMP 2010 The statements and opinions expressed in this publication are those of the authors and not necessarily Europa Star.

10 COVER STORY europa star

THE GREAT WHITE RPierre Maillard

G

Gold is yellow, pink, white, and sometimes even has a blue tint. Platinum is pale grey with a Nordic glow. Steel comes in a more intense grey with a vivid brilliance. But, there is no mineral or alloy in nature that is white, pure and intensely white.

As a result, white had become nearly taboo in “real” watchmaking. It was only associated with inexpensive materials confined to small seasonal and ephemeral watches. In a word, white was only for fashion.

That is until… …until 2003, when Chanel introduced its already famous J12 clothed in brilliant white.

(It was born black in the year 2000.) Chanel?

A white sports watch by Chanel? The watch community could not believe the audacity of what it was seeing. Yet, the public would ultimately decide.

What the watch pundits did not understand was the magic of ceramics. More precisely, they did not understand the magic of the colour “white” that came from a material born nearly 30,000 years ago, during the Palaeolithic era.The oldest known art of man, ceramics was discovered well before glassmaking and metallurgy. It thus can be considered a “noble” material in all senses of the word. It is also a material that, in the 21st century, has earned a reputation for high-

tech sophistication, with its many applications in the aerospace and medical industries.

This “technical ceramic,” as it is also called, produces a material with a low density and is therefore lightweight, but which has a hardness factor well above that of steel (only sapphire and diamond are harder). It is also resistant to the most intense thermal shocks and to the most aggressive and corrosive chemicals. It is a material that does not age, is highly scratch resistant, has insulating properties, and is biocompatible.

Even beyond these remarkable characteristics, ceramic is incredibly sensual, and it absorbs body heat. A comfortable material with a silky feel, the unique and subtle interior glow of ceramic evokes—if we must find an equivalent material—the essence of ivory.

europa star

In 2003, against all expectations, the hightech, pure and spotlessly white ceramic Chanel J12 would become a new aesthetic standard in watchmaking. From then on, white would be one of timekeeping’s noble colours.

Two years later, in 2005, Chanel struck again with a watch that would firmly establish the reputation of this noble material. With its white ceramic J12 Tourbillon, Chanel took its first steps into the sacrosanct circle of haute horlogerie. For the very first time, a tourbillon was presented in this high-tech material. Yet, even more impressive, the main plate of this exceptional timekeeper—available only in a limited series of 12 timepieces—was also made in white ceramic. It was a technical revolution that produced the first grand complication mounted on a 2-mm thick ceramic plate, machined to a tolerance of 1/100th of a millimetre, and visible at the back of the watch under a transparent sapphire crystal. It was also an aesthetic revolution that combined, for the first time, the complexity of a tourbillon and the mysterious silky shimmer of white ceramic. With its bracelet, also carved out of this lightweight material and as flexible as it is resistant and timeless, the J12 Tourbillon reconciled the demands of mechanical watchmaking with great wearable comfort.

Today, Chanel has taken another step with the presentation of its new J12 Rétrograde Mystérieuse (J12 RMT) in white ceramic. This remarkable watch sums up the technical and design achievements of Chanel in the domain of white. Here, the white ceramic not only clothes the piece but also constitutes the major component parts of this unusual haute horlogerie timekeeper. As a reminder, the J12 RMT, a veritable concentrate of innovations, mixing horological complications with world firsts, integrates ceramic at the core of a complex movement in the most advanced manner yet.

Thus, this very special retrograde watch does not have a lateral crown but a retractable vertical ceramic crown whose functions—time setting or winding of the mechanical movement—are controlled by two push-pieces, also in ceramic, placed respectively at 2 o’clock and 4 o’clock on the bezel. These two mobile ceramic inserts seem, at first glance, like two of a dozen ceramic inserts that form the bezel.

J12 TOURBILLON Limited and numbered edition of 12 watches. 18-carat white gold and high-tech* white ceramic. Manual-winding movement, Tourbillon CHANEL 05-T2 on a high-tech white ceramic main plate (a Chanel exclusive). Power reserve: 100 hours.

21,600 vibrations per hour. 10½ line calibre. Movement height: 5.3 mm. Encasing dimension: 28.50 mm. 17 sapphires.

Number of components: 171. Screw-in crown, water-resistance to 50 metres. Triple fold-over clasp in 18-carat white gold. Diameter: 38 mm. *High technology material, highly resistant to scratches.

COVER STORY 11

Because of its position, the ceramic vertical crown effectively stops the minute hand in its tracks, thus preventing it from going past the ten-minute mark. But, starting at this point, the hand retrogrades peacefully and travels over to the 20-minute mark, where it again takes up its normal course. During this interval, the minutes between 11 and 19 are indicated by a counter located on a small minute disc, thus “digitally” indicating the time. And of course, the disc is also in white, as are the power reserve indicator (placed at 12 o’clock) and the large screwin bridges that support the gear train.

12 COVER STORY europa star

J12 CHRONOGRAPH High-tech* white ceramic. Self-winding mechanical chronograph movement, COSC** certified. Power reserve: 42 hours.

Functions: hours, minutes, seconds (counter at 3 o’clock), date, and chronograph (12-hour counter, 30-minute counter, centre seconds). Unidirectional rotating bezel. Screw-in crown, water-resistance to 200 metres. Triple fold-over clasp in steel. Diameter: 41 mm. *High-technology material, highly resistant to scratches. **Contrôle Officiel Suisse des Chronomètres.

The white, the great white, this wonderful white that Coco Chanel described as going with everything (just as for black) underscores the vigorous architecture of the J12. It goes right to the heart of the form.

Apart from its obvious physical qualities, ceramic makes the watch delightfully lightweight. Wrapping gently around the wrist, its bracelet is composed of 48 curved white ceramic links. Individually polished, they confer an exceptional softness to the bracelet, thus providing a feeling of warm comfort. This warmth comes from the fact that ceramic is a conductive material and it absorbs and maintains the heat of the body part that it touches.

Its very particular brilliance, which we might qualify as an interior glow, combined with the silky polishing, make the timepiece truly magical. The watch is forgotten on the wrist.

Launched in 2000 in black ceramic, the J12

Camille Lacour, Chanel’s new watch ambassador, wearing a white J12.

becomes resolutely masculine and sporty with its vigorous lines, scratch resistance, and sturdiness. In 2003, with the introduction of the white ceramic timekeeper, an additional step was taken. Not only did Chanel dare to enter the world of sport, but it also broke all taboos by introducing the colour white into the world of masculinity. Yet, the sportiness of the piece does not detract from its elegance. With its balanced proportions, its determined lines, and the confidence of its design, the J12 exudes a remarkable overall harmony.

This sportiness is accentuated even more with the J12 Chronograph that, in the words of its creator, is “a superlative J12, ready for all uses”.

Driven by a highly reliable self-winding Swiss

mechanical movement and certified by the COSC (Contrôle Officiel Suisse des Chronomètres, Official Swiss Chronometer Testing Institute), the J12 Chronograph displays hours, minutes, and seconds, as well as chronograph functions and the date. In addition to this reliability, the case of the J12 Chronograph confers upon the timepiece an additional air of sportiness.

The screw-in case back provides the high-tech scratch-resistant white ceramic case with waterresistance to 200 metres (20 ATM).

Also in ceramic are the two push-pieces activating the chronograph functions (start, stop, return to zero), the screw-in crown, and a crown protector. The case also includes a unidirectional rotating toothed bezel made of steel.

europa star

Since reliability and readability go hand in hand, its dial offers numbers in relief made of Delrin along with luminescent hour markers and hands.

Even though the ceramic J12 was initially created for men, it is clear that women love it, too. This is undoubtedly due to the particular qualities of the white ceramic—its ability to harmoniously combine with the most precious of metals, such as gold, and of course with the sparkle of diamonds. Ah, diamonds set in white ceramic—what an amazing union between the fire of the earth that, over aeons of time, transformed black carbon into the hardest and most transparent material, and the fire of man that transforms oxides, powders, and granules into a material as perfect and perennial as ceramic.

This blend of remarkable materials and the resulting plays of light confer upon the jewellery versions of the white ceramic J12 a level of brilliance like no other. By bringing together ceramic, diamonds, and precious metals, Chanel has broken with traditional styling and has opened new creative perspectives.

The addition of gold, diamonds, and precious gemstones to the J12 only adds to its architectural balance. Whether discretely set with diamonds around the bezel or radiating with PREMIERE TRIPLE ROW CERAMIC STEEL DIAMONDS

COVER STORY 13

J12 JEWELLERY Limited and numbered edition of 100 watches. 18-carat pink gold and high-tech* white ceramic. 46 baguette-cut diamonds (~4.4 carats). 8 diamond indicators. Self-winding mechanical movement. Power reserve: 42 hours. Functions: hours, minutes, seconds and date. Screw-in crown, brillantcut diamond (~0.15 carat), water-resistance to 100 metres.

Triple fold-over clasp in 18-carat pink gold. Diameter: 38 mm. *High-technology material, highly resistant to scratches.

the brilliance of baguette diamonds, the J12 demonstrates the extent of its versatility.

Always different, but always itself, it succeeds in creating multiple effects while maintaining its own recognisable form. Undoubtedly, this is one of the characteristic signs of an “icon.”

Since 2008, Chanel presents another one of its icons, the Première watch, available in the same white ceramic, a material that, in only a few short years, has become immensely popular because of its intrinsic qualities. Combined with white gold or steel, the white ceramic of the Première timepiece demonstrates that it lends itself perfectly well to the subtlest of alliances. Because this noble, luxurious, smooth and shiny avant-garde material is perfect for setting off the precious, fine and feminine silhouette of this watch, which elegantly recalls the small watches of the 1930s.

In 2011, almost 25 years after its creation (1987), the Première is now available in per-

haps one of its most audacious versions: with a white lacquered dial and a stainless-steel case set with 52 diamonds on a very fluid triplewrap bracelet that is 53 cm long and consists of links in steel and white high-tech ceramic. O For more information about Chanel click on Brand Index at www.europastar.com

16 GENEVA SHOWS – SIHH europa star

Geneva’s wintter show(s)

RPierre Maillard

T

The first major international event of the watch calendar year, the SIHH, is a must-see show, since it is here that the major lines are drawn for the year to come, whether in terms of ambitions or the upcoming trends. In this sense, the SIHH is both a barometer of the current horological situation and an invaluable indicator of what will be happening over the year.

Around this flagship event is anchored a whole range of other assorted boats of every shape and size that want to take advantage of the timing. Suites and meeting rooms in the major hotels have already been commandeered for the occasion.

The race for the retailer begins, and the kick-off date is constantly being moved forward. While the SIHH opens its doors officially on Monday morning, the previous Saturday is when the limousines begin to line up at the starting gate.

Solicited from all sides, the large buyers are invited on tours of the Geneva manufacturers, and are requested to come to the hotels, private exhibitions and various boutiques while they are in the city.

All of this activity, however, is not carried out only by the large wellknown watch brands. Little by little, a backstage presence has gradually grown to become almost an institution, like the GTE, which is trying to increase its level of acceptance this year.

So, what can we already say about—and what can we expect from— the 2012 edition of the grand Geneva watch week?

Watchmaking, like the rest of the world, is in a strange situation. The storm of the preceding crisis—2008—has passed, business has nicely resumed, and the Chinese motor is turning at full capacity, absorbing all the available stocks. Yet, there is a feeling of uncertainty in the air.

As we know, around the whole world, when things go well, businessmen are afraid that things will take a dive. When things go badly, they worry that things will get even worse. Today, things are statistically good, so they are worried. What if China stalls, if the Euro collapses, if the United States gets mixed up in all this?

To these economic-geo-strategic concerns can be added other disconcerting factors related directly to the watch industry itself. We have the impression that a sort of watchmaking Darwinism is accelerating its pace. The strong are getting stronger and the weak, instead of gaining self-confidence, are getting weaker. The groups are controlling distribution in an increasingly hegemonic manner, leaving only a few crumbs in terms of the windows available for the more modest brands.

The 2012 edition of the SIHH and the surrounding exhibitions and private shows will tell if this feeling is justified or not. In this respect, we will be watching closely what happens in the hallways of the GTE, where a number of ambitious newcomers will be presenting their wares. The success or lack of success of these different brands will help us better understand the current trends. Certainly, the sales figures of these companies will be nothing like those of the big dominant brands, but it is often by looking at the outskirts that you can better understand what is brewing in the centre. O

18 GENEVA SHOWS – SIHH europa star

Cartier’s balance of contrasts

RPaul O’Neil

C

Cartier has served up models for both sexes as its appetiser for the 2012 SIHH, each with a unique dial that immediately draws the eye to the watch. For ladies, there is the Masse Secrète Panther Décor watch and for gentlemen the Rotonde de Cartier Cadran Lové Tourbillon.

Ladies first. Cartier’s house animal, the panther, prowls around the dial of the Masse Secrète Panther Décor piece, set against a deep purple mother-of-pearl dial. The beast in 18-carat white gold is set with diamonds and has black lacquer spots—a design familiar from the brand’s jewellery pieces, in particular the “Panthère de Cartier” brooch. But the panther is not just decorative, since it is actually a novel form of “inversed” oscillating mass and

it powers the calibre 9603 MC manufacture movement (a self-winding movement which has a 48-hour power reserve) hidden inside the 18-carat white-gold round case. The case itself recalls the famous Cartier jewellery pieces and is fully paved on the case, bezel and lugs with a total of 633 diamonds for a total of around 6.8 carats.

For gentlemen, Cartier offers a flying tourbillon model whose dominating crescent-shaped scale of skeleton Roman numerals slopes towards the centre of the watch, automatically drawing the eye towards the tourbillon cage, which floats above the bridges on the dial.

The Rotonde de Cartier Cadran Lové Tourbillon is powered by the calibre 9458 MC manufacture movement, which is positioned slightly off centre in the case. The manually-wound calibre is 39 mm in diameter and 5.58 mm in height and, operating at 21,600 vibrations per hour, offers a power reserve of 50 hours.

An 18-carat white-gold case and sapphire crystals for the front and back, plus baton hands and a beaded crown set with a sapphire cabochon, provide the signature Cartier design elements. The Rotonde de Cartier Cadran Lové Tourbillon is limited to 100 individually numbered pieces, each bearing the prestigious Geneva Seal hallmark as a confirmation of the high-quality finish of its components. O For more information about Cartier click on Brand Index at www.europastar.com

Tambour Voyagez Automatic chronograph with tachymeter function, manufactured in Louis Vuitton’s watchmaking workshops in Switzerland Sold exclusively in Louis Vuitton stores and on louisvuitton.com .

20 GENEVA SHOWS – SIHH europa star

Panerai flatttered d by art RPaul O’Neil

O

Officine Panerai presented its latest model in October 2011 at the inauguration of a special exhibition entitled “O’Clock. time design, design time” organised in partnership with La Triennale di Milano Design Museum. For the inauguration of the exhibition, artist Patricia Urquiola created the installation “I mondi di Officine Panerai” (The worlds of Officine Panerai), which highlighted the unique design of Panerai watches with eight historic and contemporary models.

Panerai watches were also featured in two of the most eagerly anticipated new works among those on display: the world premieres by British artist Damien Hirst, who used Panerai dials to create “Beautiful Sunflower Panerai Painting” and “Beautiful Fractional Sunflower Panerai Painting”, two works created using the spin painting technique.

The new Luminor Marina 1950 3 Days model presented at the inauguration of this exhibition uses a new movement based on Panerai’s in-house P.3000 calibre launched in 2011.

Baptised the P.3001, the manually-wound movement with a 72-hour power reserve differs from the “parent” calibre in that it has a power reserve indicator with 3-day scale on the back of the movement, which is visible through a sapphire crystal case back.

“Beautiful Sunflower Panerai Painting”, © 2011 Damien Hirst and Science Ltd. All rights reserved DACS. Photography

by Prudence Cuming Associates

The 47 mm polished stainless-steel case of this new model is, of course, classic Panerai, with the trademark crown protector and minimal markings—oversize 12, 3 and 6 plus hour markers and small seconds at 9 o’clock—on the dial, which is housed behind 3 mm-thick Plexiglas®.

The Luminor Marina 1950 3 Days is water resistant to 10 bar (approximately 100 metres).

At the same time, Panerai has also revamped its entire advertising, placing its products at the centre but with subtle references that reflect the brand’s Florentine heritage whilst at the same time alluding to its Swiss Made manufacture movements, which can be seen in the background of the advertisements. O The exhibition “O’Clock. time design, design time” runs from 11 October 2011 until 8 January 2012 at the Triennale Design Museum, viale Alemagna 6, Milan. www.triennaledesignmuseum.org For more information about Panerai click on Brand Index at www.europastar.com

Watch with linear power-reserve display, grade 5 titanium case. Sapphire crystal back.

CORUM superlight titanium baguetteshaped movement (7 gr).

www.corum.ch

22 GENEVA SHOWS – SIHH europa star

Royal Oak, the tree that hides the forest sitions, of overpowering the brand’s identity?

Philippe Merk, CEO of Audemars Piguet, talks to Europa Star about these and other questions.

RPierre Maillard

A

Audemars Piguet is celebrating the fortieth anniversary of the Royal Oak as well as the twentieth anniversary of its “extreme” Offshore version and the twentieth anniversary of the Audemars Piguet Foundation. The emblem of the foundation is an oak tree encircled by the famous octagonal design of the Royal Oak, which also incorporates the equally famous screws, which at the time were considered to be nearly a crime against watchmaking.

This contested design, the brainchild of the ingenious and late Gérald Genta, was nonetheless immediately successful, and this success has lasted and has inspired many other examples. This long-lasting appreciation can largely be explained by the fact that there was nothing gratuitous in the watch’s styling when it was launched in 1972. Its design worked in the service of an innovative concept, a concept whose goal was to create a luxury mechanical sports watch crafted in stainless steel (as a reminder, this was three years before the eruption of the “quartz crisis”). In other words, it was a design created to bring together innovation and timekeeping mastery, all while enter-

Philippe Merk

ing into a new arena for watchmaking, the domain of lifestyle. Advertising created for its launch said it all: “A price like that, he teased, and they don't even hide the screws,” mused a gentleman leaning on the railing of a yacht.

The Royal Oak’s success is also due to the enormous adaptability of its design. Over its forty years, versions of the watch have covered the complete range of watch styles: classic, very flat, skeletonised, equipped with complications, and jewel-set, with high jewellery watches at one end of the spectrum and severe, extreme, and ultra-sporty versions at the other end.

Yet, at the same time that the watch has made the reputation (and fortune) of Audemars Piguet, the Royal Oak today poses a risk. The large oak branches—don't they run the risk of overshadowing the brand’s other collections and propo-

Philippe Merk: It is possible that the success of the Royal Oak and the extent of its collections may lead some consumers to feel that the name Audemars Piguet is summed up by the Royal Oak—which in itself is not so bad, let’s admit it. And, certainly we must work towards a more precise repositioning of our brand, which is exactly what we are doing at the moment. We are injecting still more watchmaking not only in our products, but also in terms of awareness by the consumer. We want to demonstrate to the consumer, to make them understand, above and beyond the lifestyle and these undeniable successes, that Audemars Piguet is an extraordinary company.

It is a complete manufacture, with a mastery over watchmaking skills and great savoir-faire in craftsmanship that has been built up continuously since 1875. It is also, with Renaud & Papi, a research department and a specialised production unit, as well as an incredibly innovative and very high-level incubator. What is more—and this is very important today— Audemars Piguet is also a family-owned brand with a long history of independence, linked to a specific region, the Vallée de Joux, the cradle of watchmaking. You see, there are a lot of different angles of attack and messages to convey.

ROYAL OAK Collection

ROYAL OAK, 1972

ROYAL OAK SELFWINDING

RRR

ROYAL OAK CHRONOGRAPH

ROYAL OAK DUAL TIME

ROYAL OAK GRANDE COMPLICATION

ROYAL OAK DAY DATE

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TACTILE TECHNOLOGY Touch the screen to get the ultimate multisports watch experience with 11 functions including compass, tide, chronograph split and lap.

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24 GENEVA SHOWS – SIHH europa star

RRR

ROYAL OAK PERPETUAL CALENDAR

ROYAL OAK EQUATION DU TEMPS

Europa Star:And all of this is happening as the Royal Oak celebrates its fortieth anniversary…

PhM: During its 40-year history, the Royal Oak has greatly evolved while still maintaining its own identity. This is its strength. And, because it has diverse models, it speaks to very different customers today. All by itself, the Royal Oak has become a tree whose branches will continue to grow.

But we must still get the watchmaking message out everywhere. We must speak about our profound authenticity and maintain the core of what is the Royal Oak—an elegant watch with subtle values. Take, for example, the three new models of the 44mm Royal Oak Offshore launched in 2011. Each element has been reworked. The push-pieces have been redesigned to give an additional touch of sophistication. Extreme? Perhaps, but with elegance, sophistication, and many watchmaking details.

LADY ROYAL OAK JEWELLERY

ROYAL OAK CARBON CONCEPT TOURBILLON GMT

with great classic elegance. This product also speaks loudly about what Audemars Piguet is and what we are capable of doing.

Another of our in-house movements, the 2120 base calibre, an ultra-thin calibre measuring 2.45 mm, equips the new models in the Jules Audemars classic collection. This beautiful collection ranges from an ultra-thin manual-winding movement to a perpetual calendar, and also includes a self-winding small seconds watch, evoking great purity, a tourbillon with big date, date with moon phase, and a dual time zone version. This collection represents the most accomplished expression of our very rigorous watchmaking traditions. As you can see, the spectrum is quite broad.

OPENWORKED ROYAL OAK

regarding supply following the changes in strategy by the Swatch Group and Nivarox?

PhM: I have no particular worries on this subject. We will find solutions, and in fact, we already have solutions, if I might say. We have the necessary network and contacts, although we will remain open while waiting until the situation becomes clearer. I understand the position of the Swatch Group and I have a lot of respect for its enormous industrial investments.

We, however, will not be blocked by this decision and the solutions are purely watchmaking

ES: It is said that Audemars Piguet produces approximately 30,000 timepieces per year.

How are you meeting the future challenges 2120 BASE CALIBRE

ES: Where are you with the other collections?

PhM: This year, we presented a new Millenary collection that has been very well received by our network, and was launched this autumn into the marketplace. The Millenary 4101 is equipped with a new form movement, the calibre 4101, a very high-level movement, with very good timekeeping, which, with its 12 to 13 bridges, is a small “Venice” of watchmaking in itself. One particularity is that the assortment and escapement are placed on the upper face of the movement, which gives the piece a very spectacular and very horological allure, imbued

MILLENARY 4101

JULES AUDEMARS

26 GENEVA SHOWS – SIHH europa star

ROYAL OAK OFFSHORE Collection

ROYAL OAK OFFSHORE ROYAL OAK OFFSHORE ALINGHI TEAM LADY ROYAL OAK OFFSHORE ALINGHI ROYAL OAK OFFSHORE DIVER ROYAL OAK OFFSHORE GRAND PRIX CHRONOGRAPH

elsewhere. Hong Kong is our biggest market and we are seeing strong growth in South America.

Mexico is a very good market and Argentina has now become an established market.

ES: You have started, as have many, the policy of having your own stores…

LADY ROYAL OAK OFFSHORE CHRONOGRAPH

ones, I might add, and not micro-technical ones.

Moreover, we are investing in many directions and we are going to construct a new factory in Geneva, which will be more particularly involved with cases.

ES: What is happening with the famous Audemars Piguet escapement, presented as a revolutionary solution?

PhM: For the moment, this very high-efficiency movement with a large power reserve is still reserved for very complicated pieces, in the very high-end range. But we are actively working towards its industrialisation, which is not a trivial affair. There are still problems to solve in the process for mass production. It will come in good time.

ES: And in distribution, where the large groups are very active, how does Audemars Piguet— an independent brand, even with a great reputation—manage?

NEW ROYAL OAK OFFSHORE CHRONOGRAPH

PhM: Audemars Piguet has strong control over its various markets because we are structured into subsidiaries, fifteen in all. For the last few years, we have been—and still are— re-evaluating our network of retailers. The situations vary greatly from one market to another and also depend on our degree of implantation and our historical relationship. Thus they require different responses. The United States, for example, remains traditionally a very important market for us. We are very well established and known there, and it is a market that continues to work well for us.

But the world has two speeds. While Asia is booming, Europe is slowing down, as exemplified by Italy, which is an emblematic market that today lacks dynamism. In China, our current challenge is to move into the so-called ”medium-sized” cities, even though they have populations in the millions. We have a subsidiary and after-sales service in the country and we are gradually making investments there, even if the large groups are even more powerful there than

PhM: There are always pros and cons of hurriedly developing one’s own stores, and it is necessary to find the right balance. As independents, our direct and favoured contacts with retailers are central to our strategy. This relationship of trust, both in the past and for the long term, is a precious advantage in the ferocious battle for window space that is happening just about everywhere. Having said that, we have a network of 25 boutiques, of which ten are managed directly by us. Even if the profitability of a store is often difficult to balance, it is important to be able to present the totality of our collections and our identity to consumers, as well as offering them exceptional service.

This direct link to the final consumer is precious, especially for the feedback this gives us from the market. We are thus not going to rush to open new stores at any cost. Rather, we are going to reflect upon our key markets and key consumers in order to focus as closely as possible on our needs within our global strategy, where the retailer is never forgotten and where plenty of room is left for us to assert our own profound watchmaking identity. O For more information about Audemars Piguet click on Brand Index at www.europastar.com

A RACING MACHINE ON THE WRIST

RICHARD MILLE CALIBER EXTRA FLAT AUTOMATIC RM 033 Diameter: 45.70 mm x 6.30 mm Free sprung balance with variable inertia Monoblock micro rotor in Platinium Power reserve: 42 hours Baseplate, bridges and balance cock made of titanium Balance: glucydur, 4 arms Inertia moment 5.75 mg.cm2, angle of lift 53Âş Frequency: 21,600 vph (3hz) Spline screws in grade 5 titanium for the bridges and the case Upper flange in carbon fiber Baseplate in hand-ground grade 5 titanium, wet sandblasted, TitalytÂŽ treated Bridges wet sandblasted, top surface polished by hand, grade 5 titanium PVD treated Locking sections hand polished Sapphire blasted surfaces

www.richardmille.com

28 GENEVA SHOWS – SIHH europa star

Vacheron Constantin, confident in its own future

Manufacture and Headquarters in Plan-les-Ouates, Geneva by Bernard Tschumi

RPierre Maillard

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At the beginning of October 2011, Vacheron Constantin announced a plan for investing CHF 100 million between now and 2020. On the menu are: a 5,400-square-metre facility in Le Brassus, in the Vallée de Joux, at a cost of CHF 30 million; an extension of the Geneva headquarters, designed by the famous architect Bernard Tschumi and inaugurated only in 2004, which will be completed in two stages, a first step of 50 per cent from between now and 2014-2015, plus a second step for another 50 per cent by 2020 at a cost of CHF 40 to 50 million; and the remaining CHF 20 to 30 million earmarked for the purchase of equipment, production tools, and training.

With these new facilities, Vacheron Constantin is planning on doubling its workforce to 1,300 employees, which is twenty times more than it had 30 years ago when its current CEO, Juan-Carlos Torres (whom everyone calls Charly Torres), joined the venerable watch house located on the Ile, in the heart of Geneva.

Juan-Carlos Torres

In time, this major investment will allow the Geneva manufacture to increase production from its level of 17,000 to 18,000 watches this year to 27,000 to 30,000 timepieces. Charly Torres thus has great confidence in the future of Vacheron Constantin and enjoys the trust of the brand’s owner, the Richemont Group. Yet, he does not seem to be as confident in the global future of Swiss watchmaking in general, even predicting a slowdown in the sector in 2012 based on a remark he made to Bastien Buss in an article in the Swiss newspaper, Le Temps.

This was subsequently taken up by Bloomberg under the title: Not so confident for the future of watchmaking. Is this then a contradiction?

Charly Torres: It is the job of the agencies to synthesise and to simplify. However, it is true that, while I am more than confident about Vacheron Constantin, I have certain doubts about the overall industrial and artisanal fabric of the watch industry as a whole. I am going to be a bit provocative here in declaring that the crisis of 2008 was not serious enough to really shake up the current comfort level.

Very quickly, things took off again as if nothing had happened. Watchmaking only advances when it is under pressure. Now, today, we are again moving back along the “easy roads”.

ES: What do you mean by “easy roads”?

CT: Oh, there are many. Betting on China is perhaps the most dangerously travelled of the “easy roads”. Today, we can sell 100 per cent of our production in China, including Hong Kong—maybe even more. But we don’t. Other “easy roads” are the dependence on traditional retail as the only way to distribute the product, or counting on an empty avant-gardism in terms of content. Other “easy roads” involve forgetting about the product in a brand’s communication and marketing, or flouting a certain sense of responsibility, or neglecting training, etc.

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GENEVA SHOWS – SIHH 29

f PATRIMONY TRADITIONNELLE WORLD TIME

into sectors—adjusting, decoration, assembly, etc. Why? Because this is the essence of the early craftsmen, the cabinotiers, in which Vacheron Constantin has its origins. It is emulation by career, sharing savoir-faire and secrets...

If we industrialise, we do so around the human element. We industrialise the process so that it allows the human element to be deployed in its full creativity. Quality of environment, flexibility, the speed of the processes and the relevance of quality control are the key elements in the ensemble. And, I want to emphasise, this investment is 100 per cent selffinancing. But, it must also be recognised that we benefit fully from the expertise of the Group, which is very large, and from certain centralised services, such as, for example, a distribution platform with incredible logistics.

This is an immense advantage.

PATRIMONY CONTEMPORAINE SMALL MODEL p

ES: In light of the future, you say that we need to do away with the current comfort levels, but how?

CT: Let’s take the ridiculous arguments surrounding the Swiss Made at 50 per cent or at 60 per cent, for example. If the requirement were 100 per cent, we would be forced to think differently. In this case, we would be obliged to re-think the entire industrial fabric of watchmaking if we really wanted to keep the industry in Switzerland. In its day, Swatch was very successful in producing the Swatch timepiece, at the lowest cost possible but with the highest level of image at that time. Switzerland has many advantages—avant-garde engineering, advanced technology in all domains and materials, etc., as well as highly skilled artisans. We have to be careful not to think short term, not to launch into a sort of production tourism, always moving to wherever wages are cheapest. In a world adrift, with no reference points, it is reassuring to know the origin of a product. A luxury brand should mark its territory very clearly.

ES: Speaking of origin, you have stated that you want to have 100 per cent of your production meet the criteria of the Poinçon de

ES: You mentioned distribution, and you have told us that one of today’s “easy roads” is to use only one type of distribution. What exactly do you mean by that?

Genève (Geneva Seal) compared with approximately 70 per cent today…

CT: This is one of the major reasons for the major investments that we have announced.

Certifying all our movements, whose production will increase in parallel, with the Geneva Seal means making investments in equipment, of course, but, very importantly, it means investing in people. Because this is about excellence, it is necessary to perpetuate our labour force and keep our craftsmanship more alive than ever. This also means organising our production

CT: I am convinced that to expand, a brand must work in close cooperation with retailers but also be very attentive to the balance between its own stores and multi-brand retailers. We have grown with these retailers and we must share the profit with them. This is also a form of respect. This balance varies from one country to another and each time it is necessary to fine tune it. It is true that certain retailers are also asleep in their own comfort zone, but others have understood in time that they were real partners in the brand’s development. Contrary to what we sometimes hear, the large groups, or at least a group like ours, have a genuine long-term strategy. As proof of this, the CHF 100 million investment that we just announced was planned already in 2006.

ES: If we may, let’s return to the topic of distribution. You say that today you are in a “suffocation” situation...

30 GENEVA SHOWS – SIHH europa star

“MONTRE COLOMBES” UNIQUE PIECE

QUAI DE L'ILE RETROGRADE ANNUAL CALENDAR

CT: Yes, not only because we could sell more watches than we produce, but also because our growth potential is very high: there are many markets that are still underdeveloped or not developed at all, such as the Middle East, for example. But in Europe, we also must work at strengthening our presence. In Germany we almost have a shortage. The USA is a market that is now more mature for us, but we still have a lot of work to do there. This does not even count the countries where we are simply not present at all, such as Brazil and India where we are going to open our own subsidiaries.

which will celebrate its hundredth anniversary in 2012; the round Patrimony timepiece; and the cushion-shaped Quai de l'Ile watch.

To these three major divisions can be added the Métiers d'Art collection, which expresses the quintessence of our savoir-faire in the arts applied to watchmaking, and the Atelier Cabinotiers, which only produces bespoke timepieces. The latter is incredibly successful since this atelier alone employs 40 people. A new axis will be added at the beginning of 2015, which is made up of a family of rectangular watches. We must also add two lines with variable geometries: the ladies’ timepieces and the Overseas sports watch.

Finally, we are continuing with the re-editions of the Historiques collection by re-introducing into the marketplace icons that disappeared many years ago.All this will be done, and this is a very important point, by respecting a growth rate that is perfectly mastered and totally controlled. We use the word “growth” as if it were a magic mantra. In reality, there is growth, and there is growth. Vacheron Constantin has been in great condition since 1755, so we are not about to start building on sand. O For more information about Vacheron Constantin click on Brand Index at www.europastar.com

ES: Let’s talk about the product. Don’t you feel that the watchmaking rigour and classicism evoked by Vacheron Constantin is in your favour in the current context? And in this respect, I am thinking again about China, a nation, it is often said, with classic tastes?

CT: I don’t know whether the Chinese have classic tastes or whether it was the large classic brands—who were the first to establish a foothold in the nation when it opened to foreigners—that formed the tastes of the Chinese.

Whichever is the case, we can say that Vacheron Constantin has been a trendsetter in China and

ATELIER CABINOTIERS PHILOSOPHIA

has imposed, along with others, a certain level of classicism. Following this, it has been the rest of the world that has returned to classicism.

And, there is also the question of anteriority that counts for a lot. As the Chinese market opened up, we saw families come in with old Vacheron Constantin timepieces that they had kept like hidden treasures for many years. We were able to restore them and this created an enormous amount of buzz. Such are the virtues of classicism!

ES: How do you divide your collections?

CT: The current collection is arranged around three main axes—the barrel-shaped Malta,

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32 GENEVA SHOWS – SIHH europa star

Ralph Lauren SIHH preview

RKeith W. Strandberg

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"I like places and objects that transform us, that take us somewhere else for a day, an evening or just a moment. I like the romance of films, cars, Cole Porter tunes and Frank Sinatra songs.They all have one thing in common: they are ageless.They are timeless." – Ralph Lauren.

For SIHH 2012, Ralph Lauren continues its classic and timeless direction with two new watches in the Ralph Lauren Slim Classique Collection – the 867. The new 867 timepieces combine bold geometric lines inspired by the Art Deco period with a sleek and thin silhouette, elegant guilloché engraving craftsmanship and masterful gem setting.

The first Ralph Lauren 867 watch model places a single row of brilliant-cut diamonds on the bezel of the watch, and accentuates them with a glossy black frame that reflects the use of contrasting blacks and whites that characterises much Art Deco design.

With the second Ralph Lauren 867 watch model, two rows of brilliant-cut diamonds adorn the bezel of the watch. Diamonds have also been set into the lugs, and a single rosecut diamond graces the crown.

Both models feature traditionally crafted silver opaline dials, with domed and strongly defined black Roman and Arabic numerals. Presented in 18-carat white gold, these models come on a black alligator strap with a white gold pin buckle,

and both are executed in a classic 27.5mm width, respecting the traditional dimensions of an iconic dress watch. As with the other models in the Slim Classique collection, these watches are powered by an ultra-flat (2.1mm thin) hand-winding movement by Piaget for Ralph Lauren. O For more information about Ralph Lauren click on Brand Index at www.europastar.com

You know your destination – your watch knows the time: Patravi TravelGraph.

Carl F. Bucherer developed the CFB 1901 caliber speciďŹ cally with frequent travelers in mind. In the Patravi TravelGraph, the movement combines the chronograph functions of a stopwatch with an additional display for a second time zone. Designed to be an eye-catcher, the rotating bezel made of hardwearing rubber and stainless steel has a 24-hour scale that enables it to be used as temporary third time zone. State-of-the technology for globetrotters. www.carl-f-bucherer.com

34 GENEVA SHOWS – SIHH europa star

The rebirth of Roger Dubuis RKeith W. Strandberg

we have now. This is a different situation, in terms of follow up and professionalism, and we have a region, Asia, which likes this type of product and is growing very strongly.

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Roger Dubuis, now a part of the Richemont Group, as a brand and a movement manufacturer, is poised to be relaunched, with Georges Kern supervising the brand (in addition to Baume & Mercier and IWC) and Jean-Marc Pontroué set to take over the reins officially as CEO from next year. Europa Star caught up with Kern during a short break in his intense schedule to talk about Roger Dubuis.

Europa Star: How are things going with Roger Dubuis?

Georges Kern: What is very important and the key element of Roger Dubuis is that we keep that huge point of differentiation, which is a unique combination of classical watchmaking in a highly innovative way (like the Excalibur Double Tourbillon or the Skeleton).

We have to continue to come with exceptional horological novelties, but with the sense of great watchmaking. The second element is at our price point to have a design that is totally different. We are not in classic design, here, so

ES: What product represents Roger Dubuis best?

both elements together make the product so different. What we have to do is fine tune that idea, formalise that idea, establish it and make it sustainable over the years, and independent of any creator, designer or CEO. The typical creator’s brand was Roger Dubuis under the direction of Carlos Dias, and now we have to formalise it and make it sustainable. We have to re-establish it as a specific segment in high watchmaking.

I’m not worried about bringing Roger Dubuis back. We have a strong background which is giving us the time and the means to follow our strategy. Roger Dubuis is highly complementary to the other brands in the group. We have a huge capacity for development and innovation, which is why Richemont was so interested in the brand. We are on the right track, results are good.

The feeling in the market is still very positive.

This brand was successful around the world, and it never had the structure around the world

GK: The Excalibur Double Tourbillon Skeleton is the ultimate product that represents Roger Dubuis. This is innovative, with a great cutting edge design, and features the high watchmaking complication of the double tourbillon.

LA MONÉGASQUE PERPETUAL CALENDAR

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you, much more than anything else. For some reason, which I cannot explain, watches have high emotional value for the wearer. When you look at it, the watch industry is very small, compared to other businesses, but when you are at a dinner and you sit with CEOs of the biggest companies in the world, at the end of the day you talk about watches. The emotional impact of watches is phenomenal and this is quite interesting.

ES: How did you get interested in watches?

LA MONÉGASQUE FLYING TOURBILLON

ES: How do ambassadors fit into the Dubuis plan moving forward?

GK: My father was a jeweller. I was raised in watches and jewellery. The stores of my father were my second biggest customers in Germany.

ES: What is your favourite watch?

GK: We will be working with more ambassadors like Gerard Butler. We recently did a photo shoot with him while he was visiting the manufacture. We are looking for more ambassadors – they will not be part of our advertising, but they will be wearing the watches, going to events, and more.

ES: What do you enjoy about working on Roger Dubuis?

GK: I can do stuff I personally like that I can’t do with IWC and Baume & Mercier. As a manager, I have to be dedicated to the DNA. You cannot do everything with every brand, but with Dubuis we can do really interesting things that are truly part of the DNA and customers expect you to do. That’s what makes it exciting to work on three brands.

My job is to give impulses to each maison in terms of marketing ideas, distribution concepts, products, but we have excellent management in each of the companies.

GK: I like the watches that I was involved with. The ones I contributed to, I have a more emotional connection with. I like all the IWC watches, because I had ten years to work on the collection. I am wearing the new Portofino right now and I also wear the new Monégasque Tourbillon in platinum.

ES: Do you remember your first watch? What was it?

GK: I got my first nice watch from my father, and it was an Ingenieur from IWC when I was 19 years old. It was stolen in Geneva a while ago.

GENEVA SHOWS – SIHH 35

ROGER DUBUIS CELEBRATES 125 YEARS OF THE GENEVA SEAL The celebrations of the 125th anniversary of the Geneva Seal on 9 November 2011 were accompanied by the announcement of new requirements for obtaining the prestigious hallmark. While the existing criteria regarding movement production, assembly and decoration remain unchanged, from June 2012 the entire watch will be subject to the certification procedure in order to certify that the timepiece lives up to its manufacturer’s claims, particularly with regard to precision, water-resistance and power reserve.

One day after this important announcement Roger Dubuis—the only manufacture to certify every one of its products with the Geneva Seal—announced a limited edition of eight timepieces to commemorate the century and a quarter existence of the Seal, which since 1886 has stood as proof that a mechanical watch movement stamped with the Seal has been produced, assembled and regulated in Geneva and that it has been meticulously hand finished and decorated in accordance with strict requirements.

The Excalibur Flying Tourbillon Chronograph produced by Roger Dubuis to celebrate this important milestone in the Geneva Seal’s history has a 45-mm diameter rose-gold case that houses the new RD580 calibre with monopusher chronograph and power reserve display. Special permission has been granted to the brand to display the Geneva Seal emblem on the platinum micro-rotor, which is visible from the dial side of the watch. This timepiece is the brand’s first to fulfil the new requirements of the Geneva Seal, with all other Roger Dubuis models set to meet these new criteria from 2012.

ES: What do you enjoy about your job?

ES: What do you like about watches?

GK: I love the creative aspect. I can have an idea, implement it and see the result and the success, and the emotion it creates in people.

When people tell me they love something and it took me three years to do it, it’s very satisfying. We create something real and we create an emotion. O

GK: What strikes me with watches, and cars, is the emotional impact that they can have on

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

ROGER DUBUIS RETURNS TO THE BRAND HE CREATED Seven years after leaving the company he founded in 1995, Roger Dubuis is set to return to the Genevabased manufacture in order to pass on his experience to the young watchmaking teams led by Gregory Bruttin, Head of Movement Development. “I am both happy and moved to be back at the heart of the firm I gave everything to, from my passion, to my name and to support the revival of this remarkable house,” Dubuis said of the news. “I see a glittering future for Roger Dubuis.

As I see it, the strong values that have been and are the strength of the brand continue to be upheld.”

36 GENEVA SHOWS – SIHH europa star

Telescopic time RPierre Maillard

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We all know well the activities of Parmigiani’s restoration workshops, since Michel Parmigiani himself passed by the great school of restoration, and is also responsible for the fabulous collection of timepieces belonging to the Sandoz Family Foundation, a major shareholder in the

Parmigiani brand. It is quite natural then that Michel, being extremely interested in the great history of watchmaking, would draw inspiration from the past for his own watches, pieces that are at the crossroads of mechanical classicism and contemporary form.

The latest in Parmigiani’s historical landscape is the Ovale watch, inspired directly by an oval pocket watch dating from 1800, which was the first to feature telescopic hands. It is a very elegant manner—and one that is visually quite attractive—of solving “the squaring of the oval”, if we might call it that. In other words, the

challenge was to draw a perfect oval, around which the hands could travel in a well-proportioned manner.

As the product director at Parmigiani, PierreYves Grether, himself admits, “the difficulty was not so much mechanical as it was in how to assemble the hands”. From a mechanical point of view, the minute hand is articulated in six segments while the hour hand is articulated in four segments. They both retract at 3 o’clock and at 9 o’clock and then lengthen at 12 o’clock and at 6 o’clock, driven by a cam placed directly under the dial. The most complex steps are the laser cut-outs and the assembly by axes to the nearest micron of the miniscule elements that make up each hand.

Delightfully poetic, this telescopic “complication” with its blued hands comes to life in a white or pink gold oval case measuring 52.2 x 37.88 mm, which also features a magnificent grand feu enamel dial. The power reserve indicator (eight days for the manual-winding PF 111 movement) is placed at 12 o’clock and the date appears in a window at 6 o’clock. O For more information about Parmigiani click on Brand Index at www.europastar.com

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www.dewitt.ch

38 GENEVA SHOWS – SIHH europa star

Greubel Forsey at the foothills RPaul O’Neil

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A new GMT model will be the star of the SIHH 2012 for Greubel Forsey. It’s a model that signals a certain maturity of the brand’s unique tourbillon technologies, since it is the first time that one of these so-called “fundamental inventions” by the company has been associated with a complication.

The invention in question is the 24-second inclined tourbillon, whose compact size is perfect for allowing complications to be added to the movement. The 25-degree inclination and the fast rotation of this tourbillon help to compensate for the effects of gravity on the movement and therefore offer improved isochronism.

For Stephen Forsey, the GMT indication had to be something special. “We felt that there was very much a need for a timepiece which has world time, universal time, GMT possibilities and being able to have this temporal representation of the earth day and night,” he says.

The result is a GMT display that includes a globe—visible both from above and through a sapphire window in the case middle—with a 24-hour day/night scale engraved on a sapphire ring around its equator. But the rear view is just as important as the dial side, since the wearer can use a large wheel divided into 24 time zones (each bearing the name of a city within that time zone) to set the “home time” on the globe using the GMT pusher at 10 o’clock.

This practical scale even uses different colours for time zones that use daylight savings time.

Once the time zone has been set for the globe, the same GMT pusher can be used to change time zones as the wearer travels. Pushing and holding the pusher locks the movement of the globe so that the primary time indication can be set. The wearer can then see at a glance on the globe—for anywhere on earth—both the time and whether it is day or night.

Aside from the revolutionary tourbillon movement and novel GMT display, the watch also shows a painstaking attention to detail in its decoration. Upholding the traditional decorating skills of 19th century English and French watchmakers is so important to the two founders of the company, in fact, that they have helped the canton of Neuchâtel set up a course for re-training that welcomes around 10 students each year.

One of the fruits of this intensive decoration work is the relatively rare frosting finish on the base plate that is used in place of a dial.

Not to be confused with shot-blasting, this decoration requires a fine touch using a metal brush with no room for error.Against this background, the elements screwed on to the base are also finished by hand using techniques

such as graining, bevelling, polishing, lapping and flat black polishing.

Greubel Forsey’s victory at this year’s chronometry competition with its double tourbillon movement is a vindication of the company’s research and development work, which continues with three more inventions currently passing through the company’s “Experimental Watch Technology” process.These are the binomial oscillator, the differentiel d’égalité and a system with two fixed escapement oscillators that are both inclined within the movement and driven through a differential.

Despite creating a brand that has come from nothing to establish a genuine manufacture with around 50 employees in its state-of-theart premises in La Chaux-de-Fonds (some 60% of components are produced in-house) over the past seven years, Stephen Forsey likens his present situation to standing on the foothills looking up at a mountain whose summit he cannot necessarily see. Given the company’s past record, the journey there and the view from the top are sure to be breathtaking. O For more information about Greubel Forsey click on Brand Index at www.europastar.com

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GENEVA SHOWS – SIHH 39

Piaget thinks thin again RKeith W. Strandberg

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Well known for its world records in extremely thin watches, Piaget has done it again with the Piaget Altiplano Skeleton Ultra-Thin. This new timepiece, debuting at SIHH, sets two world records: the world’s thinnest self-winding skeleton watch (5.34 mm) and the world’s thinnest self-winding skeleton movement (2.40 mm).

The new Altiplano Skeleton Ultra-Thin isn’t just about being thin, it also highlights the skills of Piaget’s engraving artisans, specialists in skeleton or openworked movements.

The Piaget 1200S ultra-thin skeletonised movement is designed, developed and produced by the Manufacture de Haute Horlogerie Piaget.

Piaget currently offers a range of 18 ultra-thin movements and five skeleton movements.

Openworking the world’s thinnest self-winding movement was a tremendous challenge, as engraving and hollowing the movement had to have no influence on its rigidity or its smooth operation. Piaget started at the conception stage, redesigning the world’s thinnest self-winding movement without affecting its

resistance and its reliability. In order to ensure the optimum rigidity of this Piaget Calibre 1200S, the design itself comes into play, since the long curves extending across the mainplate and bridges ensure the necessary overall firmness and resistance.

It took more than three years of research and development to fine-tune the Piaget Calibre 1200S. Compared with the Piaget 1200P movement from which it is derived, the new Calibre

1200S comprises a number of innovations. In addition to the micro-rotor in 950 platinum, the balance-bridge also features a harmonious and symmetrical new aesthetic. The hour-wheel bridge has been slimmed down (to a minimum wall thickness of just 0.11 mm) in order to ensure the extreme thinness of this movement.O For more information about Piaget click on Brand Index at www.europastar.com

40 GENEVA SHOWS – SIHH europa star

Girard-Perregaux unveils new look RKeith W. Strandberg

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In1966,Girard-Perregaux received the Neuchâtel Observatory’s Centenary Prize in recognition of its developments in research and precision.

The Girard-Perregaux 1966 Collection pays homage to the brand’s innovative spirit and illustrates its creative freedom, a combination of watchmaking excellence and style.

The 1966 has become an icon for the brand, and this year Girard-Perregaux introduces a new design for its classic 1966 Annual Calendar and Equation of Time.

This special complicated wristwatch features a sunray-brushed ruthenium dial, enhanced by baton-type applied hour markers and leaf shaped hands. Powered by the GP033M0 movement, which is made up of 287 parts, this timepiece is entirely developed and produced by the Girard-Perregaux Manufacture.

The timepiece presents delicate decorations

1966 SMALL SECOND

1966 ANNUAL CALENDAR AND EQUATION OF TIME

crafted with respect for the strictest watchmaking traditions—flat surfaces are circulargrained, sunray-brushed or decorated with Côtes de Genève, while sharp edges are chamfered then polished, as are the flat-head screws.

“A very long-term commitment in creating high-end sophisticated mechanical timepieces is one of the hallmarks of Girard-Perregaux’s

success,” says Stefano Macaluso, president.

“Because the demand for our timepieces is very strong, the big challenge is to increase our production, while keeping the high level of quality and exclusivity.” O For more information about Girard-Perregaux click on Brand Index at www.europastar.com

NOT MY FIRST LOVE AFFAIR AN ARMIN STROM MAY NOT HAVE BEEN YOUR FIRST WATCH. BUT IT WILL BE YOUR NEXT PASSION. ARMINSTROM.COM

ARMIN MANUAL FIRE

MANUFACTORY CALIBRE AMW11

42 GENEVA SHOWS – SIHH europa star

Timeless novelties from Baume & Mercier RPaul O’Neil

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“If you’re trendy, you’re already too late,” says Alexandre Peraldi, Director of the Baume & Mercier Design Studio since 2001.The strictness of this dismissive phrase explains the timeless elegance of the brand’s models over the past decade. But Peraldi nevertheless saw a need for improvement of the Linea collection. “The new Linea needed to be radically innovative, and not just in terms of its design,” he says. “Over the past few years we have seen an increased interest from women for automatic movements.

This is hardly surprising, since they involve a fascinating level of craftsmanship and are perfectly in line with the idea of sustainability.”

LINEA

CLASSIMA JUMPING HOURS

The new Linea model with its 32-mm diameter case is therefore equipped with an ETA 2892A2 self-winding movement that can be seen through a sapphire crystal case back.The design retains the round stainless-steel case with contrasting brushed and polished finishes and is supplied with an interchangeable stainlesssteel bracelet and a black satin strap (when introduced in 1987 the Linea was the world’s first wristwatch with interchangeable straps).

Although the Linea will celebrate its 25th anniversary in 2012, it represents only a small epoch in Baume & Mercier’s history of ladies’ watches, which started back in 1869 when Louis-Victor Baume offered his daughter Mélina a beautifully decorated fob watch for her communion.

Having offered wristwatches with a feminine design since the 1920s, Baume & Mercier’s Linea automatic model continues a 90-year heritage in ladies’ watches at the brand.

In addition to the new Linea models, Baume & Mercier will also be presenting its latest offerings for gentlemen at the SIHH in 2012.

These timepieces retain an equally classic allure (as one would expect from models bearing the name “Classima”) and are available as a three-hander with date and a GMT model with

CLASSIMA GMT

power reserve and date. Available in 18-carat red gold, these two new models are complemented by limited editions in polished stainless steel with an annual calendar, big date and small seconds (1000 pieces) and jumping hours (500 pieces). O For more information about Baume & Mercier click on Brand Index at www.europastar.com

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Montblanc celebrates the anniversary of the chronograph RKeith W. Strandberg

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Montblanc is in the middle of celebrating the 190th anniversary of the chronograph this year and their SIHH previews continue this theme with three special chronographs.

“We are going in the same direction we established at SIHH 2011,” says Alexander Schmiedt, Director Category Management Watches, Montblanc. “We are lucky in that we have a long-term view. Watches have been a priority, you see this in investment and in product development, and we have opened up another facility in Le Locle, and we have invested in our boutiques as well. We have increased the space dedicated to watches.

“The percentage of watches is the second biggest product category in Montblanc, and writing instruments are significantly below 50% of the overall Montblanc business,” he continues. “We hope to have the watches be as big as writing instruments within five years.”

To that end, Montblanc continues to innovate in its regular range of products, as well as in the high watchmaking Villeret collection. The three new products released prior to SIHH are prime examples of Montblanc’s continued commitment to watchmaking.

Montblanc Nicolas Rieussec Chronograph Open Hometime “This is an evolution of the Rieussec range.

It’s the introduction of the open look in a technical design,” Schmiedt says. “This is a new calibre because we are using a disc for the home time. It features a dual time function, which makes it very easy to adjust the local

MONTBLANC VILLERET VINTAGE TACHYDATE

time by one hour jumps. You have the home time on a disc, rather than on a separate hand.

The disc in the centre of the dial is the same colour as the case of the watch. ”The highlight piece is the red-gold version with a new colour combination, with a very light anthracite dial,” he continues. ”The dual time has been very successful. Rieussec is a real iconic watch for us and the watch in the mind of the customer who thinks about Montblanc.

Commercially, it has really gone very well, with the automatic.”

In addition, this watch features a monopusher chronograph, which is complicated further by having to drive the turning discs of the chronograph counters, the Rieussec signature.

This new watch is made in Le Locle, at the Montblanc facility there.

Montblanc TimeWalker TwinFly Chronograph GreyTech Montblanc is currently launching its new manufacture movement for the TimeWalker collection and this is a new flyback chronograph with the minute subdial in the centre.

“Moving TimeWalker into the manufacture level has worked very well,” Schmiedt says.

“When you look at the TwinFly black, it’s a combination of the movement, a contemporary modern look and new materials. With the GreyTech, you have a completely grey watch,

with cutting edge design and different shades of grey. The manufacture TimeWalker has added a different layer to the TimeWalker range.

Before, the TimeWalker range went from 2,200 Euros to 5,000 Euros, and the manufacture collection ranges from 6,000 - 10,000.”

The new TimeWalker is a flyback chronograph with a second time zone. The dial is open to show the date disc, to give the watch a highly technical look. The case is titanium, with different levels of finishing and even the movement is grey treated.

Montblanc Villeret Vintage TachyDate In the Villeret collection, every year Montblanc chooses a watch from the rich history of Minerva and uses it as inspiration for a Villeret Vintage piece. “This year, we have picked a very interesting Tachymeter design from the 1930s,” Schmiedt says. “To make it special, this is a new calibre, the first Villeret chronograph with a date function. It’s also in a new case, 43.5mm with an exhibition case back.

The watch will be limited to 58 pieces in red gold and 58 in white gold.”

This is just a taste of what’s on offer from Montblanc at the 2012 edition of SIHH. O For more information about Montblanc click on Brand Index at www.europastar.com

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De Bethune, ten years and twelve calibres later…

RPierre Maillard

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For the last ten years—since 2002 when the brand was founded—De Bethune has been managed by its two co-founders, David Zanetta, president, and Denis Flageollet, technical director. The men could not be more different, and yet they are totally complementary. One is an aesthete, designer, artist, and collector with a sense of taste that only Italy can produce. The other is a watchmaker, hard and fast, with a love of liberty and research. Together, they have succeeded in creating a type of watchmaking like no other, one that is immediately recognisable, one that can be summed up by one of their slogans: “an avant-garde vision of traditional horology.”

But even more than this, they have established a capacity for production that is really quite amazing for an independent brand. With discretion, patience, great consistency, and a clear vision of their course of action, Zanetta and Flageollet have created a veritable integrated manufacture that would be the envy of many. Here, De Bethune makes everything, including the regulating organ, the sole exceptions being sapphire crystal and leather.

In January 2011, hardly a year ago, a third man joined the original duo. Pierre Jacques, former editor (of the watch magazine GMT) and retailer (director of Les Ambassadeurs in Geneva), passed to the “other side of the fence” to become the CEO of De Bethune. And, he is a CEO of whom the two founders cannot stop singing the praises. Endowed with a sure sense of contact, an understanding of how to be diplomatic when necessary, and an excellent connoisseur of the watchmaking terrain,

David Zanetta

Denis Flageollet

Jacques is assuming his new mission with great confidence, convinced that the brand’s intrinsic qualities will establish it firmly in the bitterly disputed arena of distribution. Europa Star sits down with Pierre Jacques and Denis Flageollet to talk about a variety of subjects.

Europa Star: Why would retailers today put the De Bethune brand in their windows?

Pierre Jacques: For many reasons, but essentially because De Bethune is different from all others and that its high-quality products are immediately recognisable. And, because we speak a watchmaking language and we form relationships with retailers who, like us, are independent and who understand what this means, and who are in it for the long haul.

And, also because we are an integrated manufacture. Today, this autonomy is a guarantee for supply and for quality control.

Denis Flageollet: I might add that we make objects that can have, for some people, a very avant-garde allure, yet that are still very much watches with a wealth of timekeeping qualities—readability, relatively pure design, full of emotion, and evoke strong feelings.

ES: So, what resistance have you encountered, if any at all?

Pierre Jacques

PJ: To all these common-sense arguments, we are sometimes criticised for a lack of visibility.

Up to now, all investment has gone into our production capacity, to its stability, and to research and development. Everything that is inside the package is more than legitimate in watchmaking terms. But the exterior, the marketing, is not yet up to the mark, we might say.

It will come in its own time, as will investments in communication, without stress, but with consistency. The retailers that carry De Bethune are among the best and most prestigious in their respective markets. And, this is how we will continue to progress—by only working with the best. Think about it—we don’t need to be in a thousand stores. Today, we produce 250 pieces per year. Our goal is to gradually arrive at 500 watches within three or four years.

ES: 250 pieces, at an average price of...?

PJ: Approximately CHF 40,000 ex-factory, thus about CHF 80,000 at sell-out.

DF: The last ten years have been devoted to the development of a complete line of movements. Today, we have 12 in-house calibres and will present, at the next BaselWorld, a new chronograph calibre beating at 36,000 vibrations per hour, including one with a tourbillon. I would, however, like to insist upon

Master Series

masterpieces

Treasure the past, embrace the future

TITONI LTD. SchĂźtzengasse 18 | 2540 Grenchen | Switzerland | Phone +41 32 654 57 00 | www.titoni.ch

46 GENEVA SHOWS – PRIVATE EXHIBITIONS europa star

DREAM WATCH IV

what I consider a central point. We knew from the very beginning exactly where we wanted to go and what we wanted to do. This strong vision dissuaded us from following possibly erroneous detours, in which, without this vision, we could have become bogged down. In this vision, our research and development pole is fundamental. It allows us to explore, in depth, various fields of experimentation, such as those involving very high frequencies, for example.

Already in 2005, we had a timepiece that turned at 72,000 vibrations per hour on a silicon balance spring. This was purely experimental and we did not talk about it. We are not interested in just discussing things for the sake of marketing, but rather we will communicate information when we introduce something concrete.

ES: Stylistically, you have always had two very different collections, a classic line—the DB25— and an avant-garde line—the DB28. Why this dichotomy?

DF: For us, “playing on the classic theme” is like a pianist who practices scales to become a virtuoso. Classicism has its rules and its precise codes. To make a classic piece, no matter what anyone says, is always more difficult than to make a very contemporary watch. To maintain this timekeeping pressure, we make, each year, a classic watch such as, for example, the DB25T, with its tourbillon hidden at the back of the piece and its classic dial, made of very pure silver and titanium, which gives the impression of one of the great regulators of the 18th century. Elsewhere, however, we offer a very contemporary interpretation of our classic mastery with pieces that are strong, with a very noticeable identity and a style that totally belongs only to us. We are going even further with the Dream Watch pieces—concept watches from a technical and design point of view—which we will introduce regularly. The latter give us the impression of being really ahead of the game and sometimes of not even

DB 25 QP Calibre DB 2324 QP self-winding mechanical movement, featuring patented self-regulating twin barrel, titanium/platinum balance wheel with flat terminal curve, triple parechute shock-absorbing system and exclusive three-dimensional moon-phase display. Balance frequency: 28,800 vibrations per hour. Case: 44 mm diameter, 12.50 mm height, double anti-reflective sapphire crystal front and back. Dial: silvertoned, hand guilloche; apertures for day of the week and month, date sub-dial at 6 o’clock, blued-steel moon-phase display at 12 o’clock and blued-steel hands. Strap: extrasupple alligator skin with pin buckle.

being understood. But our classic propositions put things back into their rightful place, if we might describe it this way.

ES: You are presenting a new case for the iPhone. Is this a sort of “diversification”?

PJ: No, not at all. It is a type of exploration that allows us to test many things, mechanically and/or aesthetically. De Bethune is like a large laboratory and it is sometimes interested in testing things externally that are simmering internally.

DF: We already presented a “case” concept at BaselWorld 2011, but with a very classic look.

For the new one, we have chosen a more futuristic form. On one side, you have a magnificent and simple mechanical timekeeper with a six-day power reserve—which you can also remove from the case and wear as a pocket watch—and on the other side, you have the iPhone and all its modern applications. This brings together the best of both worlds. It is like a real pocket watch from the 21st century.

In design terms, a lot of attention has been paid to the lines of this case, which are perfectly reminiscent of the forms of our contemporary watches. This helps us push even further our aesthetic choices.

PJ: And, you will discover this spring new propositions that we cannot talk much about now. In addition to the surprises to come, I can say that we will present a Maxi-Chronograph featuring five hands and 36,000 vibrations per hour, of which we have completely reworked the movement. O De Bethune was recently awarded the prestigious “Aiguille d’or” at the Geneva Grand Prix d’Horlogerie.

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

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GENEVA SHOWS – PRIVATE EXHIBITIONS 47

UR-1001 Zeit Device, the mother ship RPierre Maillard

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The very imposing UR-1001 Zeit Device condenses the last fifteen years of experimentation conducted by Urwerk into a time-measuring object with more than generous dimensions (106mm x 62mm x 23mm) and ample weight.

It is neither a wristwatch nor is it a traditional pocket watch—unless you have a solidly reinforced pocket. “It is,” as Felix Baumgartner (who manages Urwerk along with his partner, Martin Frei, in charge of design) says with a

1. Revolving Satellite Calendar The Revolving Satellite Calendar is an ingenious device and is “simple” because it requires few pieces. The month indications are shown on the mobile satellites mounted on a carrousel with three arms. Three Maltese Crosses are mounted on the wheel that carries the carrousel. Each of these Maltese Crosses corresponds to a satellite of four months (one month per side) at the opposite end. At the end of the 30-day months, a finger on the Maltese cross advances the date wheel by two days to the first day of the following month. The date indication is shown by the tip of the satellite that points to an engraved scale.

2. Day/Night Indicator The Day/Night indication is given by a rotating disc coated half with Black SuperLumiNova for the night, and half with white ruthenium for the day. This indicator is especially useful for setting the calendar mechanism so that the date changes at midnight rather than midday.

3. Hour Satellite Complication The rotating central carrousel supports three hour satellites with four faces, on which are marked the hour numbers. They position themselves at the beginning of the flyback minute scale, pushing a spring ring along a guide rail on which is fixed the flyback minute hand. When the minute hand gets to the end of the rail at 60 minutes, the star cams release the minute hand, which goes back to zero at the start of the scale in front of the next hour satellite. Hours and minutes can be set backwards without affecting the other functions.

4. Power Reserve Indicator This indicator shows the amount of power in the mainspring, up to 39 hours. It features a red warning zone to indicate when the Zeit Device needs to be re-wound.

4

1 5 2

5. Seconds Indicator This indication is shown by three hands displaying 3 x 20 seconds over a 120° sector.

3

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7

8

6

6. 1000-year indicator The linear 1000-year indicator is driven by the 100-year indicator. The small pointer at the base of the 1000-year indicator thus moves in 100-year increments.

7. 100-year indicator The 100-year indicator advances in five-year increments and keeps track of the total running time of the movement.

8. “Oil Change” indicator The “Oil Change” indicator runs over five years. For the first three years, the dial is white. For the last two years, it is red, thus alerting the need for service. The indicator returns to zero after the timepiece has been serviced.

Case The case of the UR-1001 is made of stainless steel coated with AlTiN (Aluminium Titanium Nitride). Originally an industrial surface treatment material, AlTiN features superior resistance to oxidation and great hardness. Its semi-matte black colour gives the watch its hi-tech appearance.

Use of ARCAP ARCAP alloys are patented alloys that contain no iron and are thus non-magnetic. They are resistant to oxidation and chemical corrosion, are insensitive to temperature variations, and have very high tensile strength. This alloy thus has advantages over brass for making the plates, carrousels, satellites, dials, bridges, retrograde balance springs, and retrograde u-springs. Most of these pieces are machined by Urwerk.

smile, “the Mother of all other watches, the Mother Ship of all the space shuttles that make up the Urwerk timekeeping fleet.” Except that this “Mother” has been born after its offspring, which is hardly conceivable in the world of living beings, but is perfectly acceptable in the world of advanced mechanics.

The UR-1001, which thus arrives on the scene after the various UR-101 and UR-201 models, marks an essential step for the brand in grouping together, in this new type of object, all the primary mechanical advances explored by Urwerk over the last decade. Limited to eight pieces, with a selling price of CHF 340,000 (a sum that Urwerk’s collectors declare to be “surprisingly inexpensive”), this “Mother” unites the brand’s style and its horological research by a number of functions and indica-

tions that come together to make a totally unique and original Grande Complication.

Rare are those timekeepers that indicate the seconds, minutes, hours, day/night, months, years, centuries, and even the millennium. And that is not all. To these temporal displays can be added indications concerning the working state of the piece: a power reserve (39 hours) indicator and an “oil change” indicator (every five years).

Delivered in an impressive presentation case, equipped with a system for automatic winding, the Zeit Device is thus ready to confront the next thousand years, during which the “Mother Ship” will certainly have launched many new “shuttles”. O For more information about Urwerk click on Brand Index at www.europastar.com

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The Geneva Time Exhibition moves upmarket RPaul O’Neil

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In its fourth year, the Geneva Time Exhibition (GTE) will be presenting itself in a different light, with an emphasis on quality rather than quantity. Exhibition director Florence Noël has confirmed that the number of exhibitors is unlikely to exceed fifty and that only “selective” brands will be present.

The exhibition will nevertheless welcome its first major group, in the form of the Groupe Frédérique Constant, which now covers the three brands of Frédérique Constant, Alpina and Ateliers de Monaco (see our separate CYRUS KLEPCYS

article on Frédérique Constant in this issue).

Other names exhibiting for the first time are DeLaCour, Jordi Swiss Icon, Milus and RSW. A special area, called “The Avenue”, will be dedicated to these first-time exhibitors at the show.

For the first time, the general public will be admitted to the show on its last day, a move that was not easy to push through after it first met with some resistance from the brands according to Florence Noël: “At first the brands weren’t very keen on the idea because they needed to be able to concentrate on sales without any distraction. But now the public will be admitted on the last day of the show, when it will be a little quieter. This will give watch fans a chance to see some of the rarer pieces on the market.”

Not all brands will be concentrating 100 per cent on sales, however. Cyrus watches cofounder Laurent Lecamp sees the show as an excellent opportunity to present his collection to the press. “I think it is an ideal opportunity to invite journalists,” he says, “because they have more time available than they do in Basel, where they are often stressed.The atmosphere is much calmer, which makes it a lot better for discussion.”

Since registration for the exhibition is openended, there will not be a definitive list of exhibitors until shortly before the show opens in January next year. We therefore offer here an overview of what to expect from some of the brands that have already confirmed their presence.

Cyrus Created by “double cousins” Julien and Laurent Lecamp and backed by an anonymous private Swiss investor, Cyrus watches debuted in 2011 as a brand suffused with references to ancient empires. The company is named after the Persian king Cyrus the Great (c. 600 BC) who is credited with being the first emperor to show respect for the religions and customs of the lands he conquered.

The brand’s Klepcys timepiece features Cyrus’s own in-house CYR598 calibre to power its innovative display, which has two patents pending. Developed by Jean-François Mojon (the man behind Harry Winston’s Opus X), with whom the brand has signed a long-term contract for movement design and manufacture, this calibre displays the hours and the date on patented retrograde scales and the minutes and seconds on two centrally mounted concentric discs. It also has an innovative moon phase indicator in the form of a threedimensional stationary moon that is gradually

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GENEVA SHOWS – GENEVA TIME EXHIBITION 51

DIETRICH

this understated piece is the perfect companion for a smart suit at a gala dinner and is called simply—and appropriately—“Night”.

The second model, “Snow”, is specifically designed for wearing on the piste and will appeal to anyone who understands the difficulty of checking the time when wearing skiing gloves and a thick jacket. The Snow elegantly solves this problem with an elastic strap attached to four separate lugs so that the watch can be worn over the top of a ski jacket. The simple black dial has just two hands, for the hours and minutes, finished in a bright-green SuperLuminova. The watch is also supplied with a separate adjustable leather strap so that it can be worn directly on the wrist for the après-ski.

Jordi Swiss Icon covered by a black hemisphere to indicate the moon phase.

Cyrus’s least apparent design trait is perhaps its most significant, as Laurent Lecamp explains: “A flat watch on a wrist has no logic. Just as Cyrus the Great conquered the world, we wanted to conquer people’s wrists. After more than two years of development work we have a patented design that fits the wrist perfectly, regardless of whether small or large.”

Production of Cyrus timepieces is limited to 188 pieces for each reference—all identified by a limited-edition number hidden under the second screw-in crown at 9 o’clock. Furthermore, all gold models feature a replica of a gold coin minted for Cyrus the Great. Laurent Lecamp travelled the world over a period of several months to track down the original of this 2,500 year-old coin and purchased it for the brand.

Dietrich Emmanuel Dietrich was born in the French watchmaking town of Besançon. But while his native town is enjoying a renaissance in

watchmaking (see our article “The resurrection of Besançon” in Europa Star 05/11), Dietrich opted for the Swiss Made appellation for his eponymous collection of watches launched in 2011.

Having worked as a freelance designer for clients in various sectors, the man behind the famous Hermès “Harnais” has been designing solely in the fields of watchmaking and jewellery from 2005 and in 2010 found the ultimate independence in his creative expression with his own brand.

His first two timepieces could not be more different. One is a classic small seconds watch in stainless steel or gold with solid gold hour markers and a transparent case back that reveals a 16 ½-line manually wound ETA 6498 calibre. With a matching alligator leather strap,

Following the success of his “Clip” watch launched back in 1986, the “Swiss Ethno Watch” in 1988 and his move into haute horlogerie with the “Twins Héritage” collection from 2004, Michel Jordi is back with his Jordi Swiss Icon collection that will be presented to the watchmaking community for the first time at the GTE. “I didn’t like the site of the Geneva Time Exhibition last year and it didn’t fit with our image of accessible luxury,” Michel Jordi says.

“Our average price is around CHF 7,000. We did consider going into a hotel but we realised that it’s very difficult for people to run around all those different hotels. When I saw that the Geneva Time Exhibition had changed its site and it was more prestigious, I decided to go there.”

The Jordi Swiss Icon collection is inspired by pebbles that Jordi found in the Rhone valley after crossing the Furka pass. “I saw these pebble stones that were so round and when you touch them they are so smooth,” he explains.

“So my idea was to make a watch as smooth as a pebble stone.”

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JORDI SWISS ICON

LOUIS MOINET ASTRALIS

A traditional Swiss scissor-cutting design is used for the brand identity and features on some of the watch dials and all of the bracelets.

Because Jordi felt that the small area of the dial alone did not do sufficient justice to this traditional design, he has also developed an entire range of accessories with the same motif, including leather goods and clothing to support the promotion of the watches.

The timepiece collection comprises the Mega Icon with small seconds and GMT, using quartz movements, as well as automatic models with small seconds or chronographs. All models have a big date window and a distinctive crown in which the Swiss cross is embossed tone-on-tone in a red-coloured recess.

In the mechanical models, a patented Dubois Dépraz 360-degree rotor is used with a traditional Swiss rose design at the centre. Jordi is also set to present a new manufacture movement at the GTE. It will have an alarm function and retail at around CHF 50,000.

The brand is already stocked by 10 retailers in Switzerland, including the main winter resorts, with five more expected to come on board by the end of the year. A Jordi Swiss Icon flagship opened its doors in the heart of Zurich at the end of November. The GTE will determine whether these very Swiss timepieces also find an international audience.

Louis Moinet A successful 2011 has seen two products from the company based in St. Blaise, near Neuchâtel—the Tempograph and the Jules Verne mobile lever chronograph—pick up prestigious Red Dot design awards. Their latest offering is the Astralis, a limited edition of 12 pieces in 18-carat red gold with three complications: an astral tourbillon, a split-seconds column-wheel chronograph and a 24-hour planetarium display.

The Astralis exhibits all the Louis Moinet DNA, including the signature case design, the regis-

54 GENEVA SHOWS – GENEVA TIME EXHIBITION europa star

tered Côtes du Jura motif on the dial and the “dewdrop” hands. But this timepiece sets itself apart through the use of some of the rarest materials known to mankind. The planetarium display at 6 o’clock incorporates material from four meteorites to represent the sun, the moon, Mars and Mercury. The price per gramme of a Martian meteorite, such as the Jiddas al Harasis 479 that provides the material for the Astralis, is higher than that of gold, platinum and diamond combined. Furthermore, the material used to represent Mercury comes from a meteorite (thought to come from the planet Mercury) that is estimated to be 4.566 billion years old.

The beautifully-crafted LM27 calibre visible through the sapphire crystal case back shows off the hand-engraved tourbillon bridge, which is made of aventurine (a type of quartz), as well as the hand-engraved rattrapante bridge and the blued-steel column-wheel that operates the chronograph functions.

Magellan Mario G. Nargi bought the watch company named after the intrepid explorer Ferdinand Magellan just one week before last year’s GTE exhibition. Since then he has extended the collection from one reference to include numerous models and interpretations based on the unique Magellan design that has a highly domed sapphire crystal and hemispherical dial.

The design lends itself to interpretations of the earth, the sky and the planets but has also proved ideal for an original interpreta-

tion of the lucky number eight so prized by the Chinese consumer, in the form of a black 8ball from the game of pool (also the company’s first watch to sport a steel bracelet).

Mr Nargi has plenty of ideas for developing this design further, including depictions of the oceans and a couple of more extravagant and highly original designs that it is too early to present in detail but which will undoubtedly make waves on their debut at BaselWorld 2012.

In the meantime, GTE 2012 will act as the launch platform for two new models, one featuring a hand-engraved and hand-painted moon dial and another using a meteorite design. The distinctive shape of the dial also lends itself perfectly to personalisation and Magellan produced a special piece for Oman in celebration of the country’s 40th anniversary, with a hand-painted map of the sultanate on the dial.

MAGELLAN

Mr Nargi is happy with the development of the brand over the past year and is certainly in no hurry to overstretch himself. “We are here to stay and I am looking at things over a horizon of 10 years,” he says. “Our aim for the near future is to consolidate our existing markets. We aim to work with retailers who are looking for something different and exclusive but who nevertheless stock high-end timepieces and have a good knowledge of watchmaking and its culture.”

The Geneva Time Exhibition takes place from 15-20 January 2012 at the Espace Hippomène in Geneva. The exhibition confers its own “SuperWatch” award, which is decided by a panel of experts from the specialised press and the retail world. O www.geneva-time-exhibition.ch

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GENEVA SHOWS – GENEVA TIME EXHIBITION 55

Frédérique Constant Vintage Racing

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For quite some time, Geneva-based Frédérique Constant has been affiliated with vintage racing, first with Austin Healeys and most recently with La Carrera Panamericana, the legendary Mexican race that is eagerly watched by millions of classic car aficionados.

La Carrera Panamericana dates back to 1950 and this year 118 cars with drivers from 15 different nationalities participated. They travelled more than 3,000 kilometres across Mexico, starting their journey in Huatulco, located on

RKeith W. Strandberg

the south coast of Mexico, finishing seven days later in the colonial city of Zacatecas.

The first car to reach the finish podium—located in front of the Cathedral of Zacatecas—was the Studebaker of Ricardo Triviño. The brand awarded the winners with a Frédérique Constant timepiece from the Vintage Rally Collection.

Frédérique Constant is the Official Timekeeper of

La Carrera Panamericana, considered one of the most important classic car events in the world.

This year for the GTE, Frédérique Constant introduces the Vintage Racing Collection, inspired by La Carrera Panamericana. This 43mm steel timepiece has an exhibition case back, where the owner can clearly see La Carrera Panamericana logo engraved on the mechanical hand-winding movement. O For more information about Frédérique Constant click on Brand Index at www.europastar.com

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Franck Muller goes classic...and complicated RKeith W. Strandberg

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The Franck Muller Group is defined by its namesake brand, the one that started it all with designs by the man, Franck Muller, that set watchmaking on its ear. For a brand that has been distinguished by inimitable designs, groundbreaking innovations and technical achievements, Franck Muller’s key introduction this year, the Vintage Collection, is refreshingly sober. It doesn’t mean that Franck Muller is not going to continue to push boundaries, it just adds something more to a brand that has become complete.

“From a brand standpoint, we have a much greater range now,” says Ron Jackson, president, Franck Muller North America. “We won’t show you a picture of an ancient man and hang our hat on that, our image is not dusty.

For such a young company, we have a unique position—most companies that started at the same time aren’t around anymore, or they produce such a small number of watches.

“The product from Franck Muller is unique, and the brand is a well-known name, it has products within the brand that are extremely recognisable and admired, and copied,” Jackson continues. “You can see the influence that Franck Muller has had on the industry. You take the character and strength of design and combine that with our industrial capability.”

That industrial capability, located chiefly in Genthod, Switzerland at “Watchland,” is continuously growing. Any visit to Watchland entails dodging construction equipment and watching out for the mud, as new constructions, expansion and renovations are always on-going.

“Franck Muller has one of the strongest manufacturing infrastructures of any independent group,” Jackson adds. “We can come up with ideas for products and go into our resources and make that product with speed and quality that no one can match. Other companies go to suppliers and ask them to produce. You always rely on under-suppliers for certain components, but Franck Muller has the ability to control the quality of key components.”

The tag line for Franck Muller is “Master of Complications” and the collection is chockfull of various demanding watchmaking cre-

ations. “The complications we have created and are still creating are traditional complications with something special, like the Giga Tourbillon, which has the biggest balance wheel and the highest torque, but then you have the Crazy Hours, which is also a complication but it’s not a traditional complication,

VINTAGE

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GIGA TOURBILLON

it’s an emotional one,” Jackson details. “A lot of times, the features of a highly complicated watch can only be appreciated by the owner, but the emotional complications are something that starts conversations. The Secret Hours, the Crazy Hours, the Vegas where you have the roulette wheel are some examples, then you have the Master Banker, a functional complication. We have the most complicated watch in the world, the Aeternitas Mega, the smallest tourbillon and the biggest tourbillon.”

Where do all these ideas come from?

The fertile mind of Franck Muller.

“For the most part, my ideas come from the world of art,” Muller says. “It is foremost a quest for harmony in each new collection. For me, the functional and the aesthetic sides are inseparable. Both aspects represent my personality—my father is Swiss German from Zurich and my mother is from the South of Italy, where great designers come from. I make watches for my own delight and it is always my next creation which gives me the most pleasure.”

The big introductions recently unveiled by Franck Muller in Monaco were the Vintage Collection, a serious timepiece with a vintage inspiration, and the Lady Tourbillon Automatic.

LADY TOURBILLON AUTOMATIC

“I like Franck Muller because it’s legitimate, it’s real, it’s concrete,” Jackson says. “The company itself has such merit as a manufacturer and we really need to help the consumers understand this. Franck Muller created such incredible products that the product was accepted without consumers understanding it. That gave the company the possibility to build the infrastructure we have today.”

The challenge now is to communicate how complete a company the Franck Muller Group is. The brands within the group include Franck Muller, Pierre Kunz, Cvstos, Backes & Strauss,

PIERRE KUNZ For master watchmaker Pierre Kunz, this year’s introduction is the “Clean Sweep” Tourbillon.

Housed in a round 45mm case (available in white gold, red gold or steel), this new timepiece features a tourbillon movement with three instantaneous retrograde second hands. The dial comes in black, grey or blue with applied hours and minutes.

“Clean Sweep” refers to the action of winning it all at roulette, so at six o’clock, the tourbillon carriage is decorated like the arms of a roulette wheel. The decoration on the sides of the case is inspired by the roulette table. The “Clean Sweep” Tourbillon will be presented in a limited edition of 38 pieces numbered 00, 0 and 1 – 36.

GENEVA SHOWS – PRIVATE EXHIBITIONS 57

ECW, Rodolphe, Barthelay, Martin Braun, Pierre Michel Golay and Christian Huygens.

“We have so many strengths as a company but consumers don’t necessarily understand enough about the true qualities of the brand,” Jackson continues. “They know we can make beautiful watches, but they don’t know what’s behind them. The other brands that are in our segment, their message has always been more about tradition, longevity and manufacturing, and our message has really just been product. Now, the consumer wants more than a good looking product, so we can combine the product range with the movement and manufacturing side, and we’re off to the races.”

For Franck Muller, the man, life is good. Tasked with creating new designs and representing the brand around the world, he is having the time of his life. “First of all, I’m wearing the name Franck Muller, so I have to represent it through the watches as well as give inspiration and creativity,” he explains. “I love meeting people who love Franck Muller watches during my trips—they are so passionate about watchmaking. It’s great satisfaction to see how well received the watches are, and it recharges my batteries and encourages me to future creativity.” O For more information about Franck Muller click on Brand Index at www.europastar.com

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Marketing and the Asian Dream After considering themes such as “The watch user in a changing world” (2009) and “Watchmaking and its ambassadors” (2010), this year’s international watch marketing day, which was held at the Théâtre de l’Heure Bleue in La Chaux-de-Fonds on November 3rd, looked at the “Asian Dream”.

RPaul O’Neil

A

lation of China (India has a population of 1.2 billion compared with China’s 1.3 billion) but people’s attitudes towards luxury there differ markedly from those of the Chinese. Indians place a great emphasis on price and value for money, whereas Chinese will, for example, happily invest one year’s salary in the purchase of a luxury timepiece!

The presentations throughout the day offered an in-depth view of this burgeoning market, from its history of watch imports to the current state of the luxury market in China and the tastes and perceptions of its consumers.

This latter point is perhaps one of the most important, since India—which was also the subject of a market survey on the day—is only 100 million inhabitants behind the popu-

While statistics on the number of rich and super-rich in China differ according to which base currency you use, Rupert Hoogewerf of the Hurun Report, which publishes the annual Hurun China Wealth Report, offered a detailed overview of the “iceberg” of Chinese wealth.

The tip of this iceberg is represented by the 600 or so US dollar billionaires in the country.

But beneath the surface there are a further 7,500 RMB billionaires, 60,000 people with a fortune of RMB 100 million and 960,000 with a fortune of RMB 10 million (1 RMB = 0.15 USD). In order to be financially independent, the Chinese millionaire needs a fortune of USD 17 million, of which on average nine million will be tied up in property and the remaining eight million in investments and collections, allowing for “expenses” of USD 300400,000 per year.

Although the conference took a broader look at Asian markets, there was an unavoidable focus on China in particular, which is not surprising in view of the Swiss watchmaking industry federation’s statistics for the first nine months of this year: exports to Hong Kong increased by 29% and those to China by a staggering 48%. The two countries combined accounted for CHF 3.9 billion in value and thus accounted for nearly a third of all Swiss watch exports.

Hoogewerf drilled down further to reveal valuable insights to anyone aiming to market luxury goods to the Chinese: the Chinese super-rich are on average younger than their European counterparts, Beijing has more billionaires than Shanghai and 40 per cent of the nation’s billionaires are in the east of the country. He also revealed the more surprising facts that two-thirds of the world’s top 30 women billionaires are from China and that— contrary to brands’ efforts in advertising— swimming, not golf, is the preferred sport of the millionaire. (Golf does, though, come second, and is followed by yoga, badminton and mountaineering).

According to Alvin Lye of Azimuth Watches, who presented a snapshot of the Chinese market, the good days look set to continue for the foreseeable future. In China’s supply-driven economy, the motto “build and they will come” applies, with new stores generating new customers and, with the growth in population coupled with GDP growth rates that are the envy of any Western economy at the moment, new customers are emerging every year— even if over half of those who buy Swiss watches do so outside China.

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The top three Chinese regions by RMB millionaires 1. Beijing 2. Guangdong 3. Shanghai China’s millionaires’ favourite sports 1. Swimming 2. Golf 3. Yoga 4. Badminton 5. Mountaineering China’s millionaires’ favourite collections 1. Watches 2. Classic art 3. Red wine 4. Cars 5. Contemporary art 6. Trophy properties Source: Hurun China Wealth Report

Discussing the meaning of time. From left: Georges Baumgartner, Japan correspondent for Swiss Radio and Television; Prof. Kunal Bhattacharya, University of Pune, India; Prof. Fang Liu, University of Changchun, China; Takahiro Hamaguchi, Designer, Audemars Piguet; Kalust Zorik, President of the International Watch Marketing Days (JIMH).

The situation appears rosy, but there are still plenty of things that a brand needs to pay attention to in order to profit from the success of the Chinese economy. Since the Chinese consumer prefers a conservative design that is simple and elegant but which nevertheless exhibits a certain amount of “bling”, this can have an impact on the design of an international collection and can disadvantage brands with a high proportion of sports watches in their collection. Oddly, no mention at all was made throughout the day about the fact that

the Chinese consumer is also very brand conscious, which makes it all the more difficult for new brands to break into the market.

Even if a brand wants to target the 0.8% of the population capable of buying luxury goods (according to figures in the prize-winning survey presented by Dorothee Lacroix of the “1000 Mercis” advertising agency), this is still a potential audience of over 10 million people to address. One elegant solution to this conundrum was offered by Guillaume Giroir from the University of Orléans in France, who presented Round table of watch experts on Asia. From left: Prof. François Courvoisier, Dean of the Institute of Watch Marketing; Michele Sofisti, CEO Gucci Group & CEO Sowind Group; Philippe Laurent, Business School Lausanne; Fadi Marachly, Managing Director of RSW.

the phenomenon of “gated communities”.

These private communities, which house China’s super-rich, can comprise more than 10,000 dwellings and in Beijing alone cover a surface area the size of Paris. With an estimated 3,000 such communities in China—often with their own infrastructure—there is a clear opportunity here for geomarketing.

Customer feedback presented by Alvin Lye suggests that Chinese customers are no different to any others in terms of the shopping experience they expect. On a general level brands present in China need to improve their customer relationship management, train their sales staff to offer a warmer and more professional service, improve after-sales service and enhance the overall shopping experience.

Once a brand has addressed these points and established a firm presence in China, it may want to look further afield—to the broader “Asian Dream”—and consider how to tap the potential in what could be the next big market: Vietnam. Experts see the country as being like China five years ago, which, if true, could see its luxury watch imports increase five-fold by 2015. With an almost non-existent sales network and poor awareness of Swiss watch brands, there is undoubtedly a lot of work required to tap into this market, but with an estimated 300,000 US dollar millionaires already in the country, the potential is clearly there. O

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Belles Montres Shanghai RKeith W. Strandberg

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Following on the success of Belles Montres in Paris, the organisers opened the first Belles Montres in Shanghai, China from October 26 30. Designed to help brands raise exposure in the Middle Kingdom by attracting a mixture of end customers, local and national press and retail partners, Belles Montres Shanghai was an intriguing experiment that most brands thought was worth the effort, and worth continuing.

Held at the Shanghai Exhibition Centre, Belles Montres Shanghai had the feeling of an industry trade show, like a mini-Basel and SIHH, but it was open to the public. Brands relished the opportunity to take their message, and their products, directly to the end consumer, something that has been rarely done but also something that smaller brands are trying to do more and more.

At the end of the four days in Shanghai, most people thought that Belles Montres Shanghai was a qualified success. Though traffic was not what was expected, there were still many quality contacts, with collectors, distributors, retailers and journalists.

For many brands, it was the first exposure to China, an opportunity to feel first-hand the energy of the country and to see the retail miracle that is modern day China.

The plan is to hold a Belles Montres Shanghai next year, each year improving the presentation and the attendance.

Here’s what some of the exhibiting brands had to say about Belles Montres Shanghai: Guillaume Tetu, Hautlence: For the niche market brands, this kind of exhibition is really new. For us, this is a good mo-

ment for the Chinese market. You have a lot of Chinese who know a lot about watches, they have many established brands, and they are looking for something unique. You also have the second generation of watch buyers, who don’t want their father’s watches.

We need to educate the customer. We are not a destination brand and we need good partners who want to build these niche/alternative brands.

Everyone is coming to the Chinese market, so we have to find alternative ways to distribute.

We have to do events, collector dinners and general watch education to share the experience of the brand and the passion we have for it. We are building a brand but we are not a brand yet.

We have done four years with Belles Montres in Paris, and we were one of the first ones to work on developing contact with the end customers. Shanghai was really great, in that the public could touch the watches and talk directly with us, so for us it was a good opportunity.

If I am sharing my passion with someone who only can afford a Swatch, I am still sharing the dream. If he becomes rich, he will buy our watches. We welcome everyone who wants to take a look at our watches.

After the four days in Shanghai, I am more convinced than ever that we need to work with someone who speaks Chinese and who truly understands the Swiss watch industry and the Chinese culture, someone who can help advise on entering the market, and at the same time help explain the brand to the Chinese customer.

Martin Pauli, Angular Momentum: For everyone, China is an emerging market. I lost some markets in the last few years, so I need to open China. Customers here have an affinity with my products, with the hand craftsmanship and the unique pieces. They love the fact that it’s all handcrafted and completely custom.

It’s exactly the right time for smaller brands.

CHINESE EMPEROR by Angular Momentum

Consumption has been going on for a few years now, so customers have already purchased their Rolexes and Omegas and they want something different. And the richest people are really something different.

I work directly with the end customers. The good part of bespoke is that you never have price problems because there is no way customers can compare or shop prices. You are in complete control.

Olivier Müller, Laurent Ferrier: Belles Montres was a good opportunity to meet with the end customer. It’s always interesting to see what the customers know about the brand. You can see the reaction of the customers, unfiltered. I think we will have two collectors who will buy as a result of this show.

The Chinese luxury customer right now buys for the brand, not for the product. He has to feel like he is investing, not buying.

Pascal Brandt, Bulgari: It is very important for a high-end brand to have an exhibition here. China is a sophisticated market, which has a very long relationship with time measurement culture and history. For that, we speak to people who are quite sensitive to these kind of products.

We are in China, we have boutiques in the main cities in China—China is a huge country. Southern China, especially the coast from Shanghai to Hong Kong, is quite developed in

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GALET SECRET by Laurent Ferrier

CENTENUS by Heritage

LEDIX VÉLOCE by Celsius

our brand awareness. Globally speaking, Bulgari is an international brand active in jewellery, perfume, accessories and watches, so there are several entries into our universe. Many Chinese travel to Europe and Western countries, so they have already discovered the brand. We saw many customers and had many press meetings as well, and persons active in watch distribution.

In Asia, the spirit is good and business is good.

There is demand here and if we are able to provide the best of our creativity and innovation, we can succeed, but this is a demanding country.

and a special display based on China’s old system of telling time, which broke the day up into 100 equal segments. This can also be adapted for the Japanese.

We developed the watch and wanted to show it here, directly to the end customers to get their feedback. I’m surprised at how many people have come to the exhibition. I know now that we need a local partner.

Alain Silberstein: This year I am happy to introduce a Chinese collection. It’s quite challenging to put your knowhow and expertise to a culture other than yours.

I have a Chinese lady who helps me to understand the Chinese culture, and break the barrier of understanding. This is my 25th year in watchmaking, so I am making a test here.

The response has been good from the Chinese so far. They love my style. One of the main reasons I came here is to discover the difference between mainland China and Hong Kong.

Asia has been my first market since the very beginning. I will do some homework, I collected many magazines from China and Hong Kong and I will hopefully understand better the difference between China and Hong Kong. It’s important for me. I need to understand people.

In Shanghai, you have some incredible malls. I came to Shanghai 20 years ago with the first exhibition of the Swiss Watchmaking Federation, and the changes have been remarkable.

There are 30 million people in Shanghai with 130,000 millionaires.

Pierre Jacques, DeBethune: Our plan was to approach the market to showcase the brand a bit, to show that we exist. We don’t have a huge expectation in China, since we are such a small brand, producing only 250–350 pieces a year. It’s good to market to China, because Chinese people are buying all around the world. If you are unknown here, you can miss out on these sales.

About half of the people who came to Belles Montres knew our brand, while others were surprised that they didn’t know.

If you don’t have people who speak the language here, it’s really tough.

If I can find a good retailer here, we would love to work with them, but we don’t expect much. It’s not possible to sell a lot of watches because we don’t have a lot of production.

I think this is the right time for us to come to China. We are an independent brand, it’s a good time for us to enter the market. Before, the Chinese buyers wanted to wear the famous name watches, but now they are ready to wear different, unique brands. It’s the perfect timing.

Christian Gütermann, Heritage: Our Centenus line was developed for the Chinese way of telling time, with a regular display

Edouard Meylan, Celsius: As a relatively new brand, based in France, Belles Montres Shanghai was the perfect place to launch our newest product. We don’t want to be seen as a gadget, but rather as the ultimate pocket watch.

The people who came to Belles Montres were really wowed by the product and there has been a lot of real interest. We put these people in contact with our retailers in Hong Kong and Singapore. We plan to have retailers in China next year, with our next generation of product.

China has been the saving grace for so many major brands in this challenging economic world, and it is shaping up to be a key market for the independents as well. Belles Montres Shanghai was the first step for many of the brands exhibiting to make contact with the Chinese market, learn more about it and the wants and needs of the end consumer, and to see how to proceed from here.O

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The Rolex Experience, only in Shanghai RKeith W. Strandberg

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In Shanghai attending Belles Montres Shanghai, I was fortunate to receive an invitation to tour the recently inaugurated Rolex Experience, located right in the centre of Shanghai, on the Bund (27 Bund). The Rolex Experience is a combination of museum, educational presentation and interactive playground, all designed to educate the end consumer about what is considered the most widely-known brand in the world.

Rolex is aware of how well known they are, but they are also concerned that customers understand the key core values of the company, know a little bit of the history, appreciate the lengths to which the company goes to guarantee quality and have a sense of how innovative and cutting-edge the company is.

The space on the Bund, the most prized location in all of Shanghai, is very visible and incredibly well thought out. One side of the 8,000 square foot, ground floor area is dedicated to the Experience itself, while the other side is a combination showroom, lounge and selling area.

The Rolex Experience The Experience is designed to take you from the Pulse of Rolex (a changeable exhibition area) right into its heart, leading you into a

Rolex watch-like gallery space made up of interactive exhibits and historical presentations, all designed to educate and amaze you with the accomplishments of the Rolex brand.

You enter the Heart of Rolex through a door that is shaped like the winding crown of a Rolex watch. The presentation is broken up into five points of the famous Rolex crown, which are the five pillars of the company.

64 MARKET FOCUS – CHINA – RETAILER PROFILE europa star

Heritage In this section, the history of Rolex and its incredible founder, Hans Wilsdorf, are presented in images, historical photographs and more.

Oyster Here, the ground-breaking Oyster case is detailed and examined.

Performance This interactive presentation allows the visitor to learn about every watch, every innovation and key features in every Rolex timepiece.

Partnerships A combination of museum exhibition and interactive playground, visitors can explore Rolex’s partnerships in tennis, exploring, skiing, motor racing and more.

The Rolex Institute Here, visitors can explore Rolex’s philanthropic endeavours, including the Rolex Awards for Enterprise and the Mentor and Protégé Arts Initiative.

After being given a private tour, I walked away from the experience with a much deeper appreciation of the Rolex company, and a huge fan of founder Hans Wilsdorf, who was certainly a watch industry visionary and an incredible marketer.

As a watch journalist, I am certainly well aware of the power of the Rolex brand, and familiar with its products, but the depth of knowledge I received from this one hour walk through really was amazing. If I had had enough Chinese

RMB in my pockets, I would have purchased a Rolex Daytona right then and there.

For a brand like Rolex, who has such great awareness all around the world, to invest in the Rolex Experience, a beautifully done presentation of the brand, is really remarkable. The brand has made this commitment to make sure the right message gets out about its history, its legacy of innovation and attention to quality, its milestones in product and marketing and its philanthropic activities around the world.

Every brand in the watch industry, and every retailer, can learn from the Rolex Experience

about the need to educate the end customer directly, without the filter of the Internet, blogs and other intermediaries.

Visits to the Rolex Experience are by appointment only, and 400 people have been taken through it in the first month it has been open, but along with the Jade Buddha Temple, the Bund and the Peace Hotel, it is well worth a visit.

My thanks to the folks from Rolex in Shanghai, who made my private tour possible. O www.therolexexperience.com

atelier-zuppinger.ch

A form of seduction or a part in an independent seconds watch?

Discover the world of Fine Watchmaking at www.hautehorlogerie.org

The Foundation’s Partners : A. Lange & Söhne | Audemars Piguet | Baume & Mercier | Bovet | Cartier | Chanel | Chopard | Corum | Fédération de l’industrie horlogère suisse | Girard-Perregaux | Greubel Forsey | Harry Winston | Hermès | Hublot | IWC | Jaeger-LeCoultre | JeanRichard | Montblanc | Musée d’art et d’histoire de Genève | Musée d’Horlogerie Beyer, Zürich | Musée d’horlogerie du Locle, Château-des-Monts | Musée international d’horlogerie, La Chaux-de-Fonds | Panerai | Parmigiani | Perrelet | Piaget | Richard Mille | Roger Dubuis | TAG Heuer | Vacheron Constantin | Van Cleef & Arpels | Zenith

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Sea-Gull’s new facttory “WITH OUR NEW FACTORY, WE CAN SUPPLY A QUARTER OF THE PLANET AND ONE HALF OF CHINA.”

RJean-Luc Adam

These and other questions were answered by the company’s delightful 32-year old deputy general manager,Aries Lee.

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The Chinese are like big kids, always in a hurry to build the framework of what we might call “Modern China”. With more or less competency, they produce everything, from vuvuzelas to space stations. The problem is that things are moving way too fast and, if the production is not rigorously controlled, the locomotive derails (quick, bury the wagons!).

Clearly then, there is no time for invention, making it impossible to catch up with the West and its overflowing creativity. This situation is even more flagrant in watchmaking since the dominant Swiss industry has no need to create joint ventures with Chinese watchmakers in order to sell its products in this fabulous new market. “It is an incredible luxury,” remarked a German friend, who is an engineer at Shanghai Volkswagen, as he went on to explain the difficulties in assembling their high-tech cars in China without any technology transfer…

Europa Star: Such a large factory for such small watches… Did they give the neighbouring Airbus facility to you?

Aries Lee

Having said that, what should we think about Sea-Gull, the oldest Chinese watch brand, dating back to 1955, with its 100 per cent manufacture and which is capable of constructing double tourbillons? Does it have any more time to create and invent, given that it belongs to the richest bank in the world—the Chinese state?

The government, in fact, just provided Sea-Gull with a large new factory that we had the privilege to visit. Can Sea-Gull spread its wings to become a future Swatch Group, Chinese style?

Aries Lee: (with a smile) Believe it or not, we already have plans to expand! But since we moved in last August, we have discovered a number of drawbacks such as the fact that the transport shuttles for our 3,000 employees cost the tidy sum of 8 million yuan per year [CHF 1.14 million].

ES: What are the advantages, then, of leaving the city for the industrial zone?

AL: As a state-owned company, we did not have a choice. We must follow the strategy of the government, which has made the industrial zone of Tianjin the third largest economic centre in the country, attracting many foreign enterprises. Here, we enjoy substantial fiscal

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MARKET FOCUS – CHINA 67

ES: Your watches are elegant but extremely classic in design. Will they be able to attract a younger clientele, whose tastes generally run more modern?

AL: In China, at the height of its 56-year old history, Sea-Gull is considered to be an “old” enterprise, and our retro design is called “museum style”. It is true that we do not have “fashion” models for young consumers, but this will be coming. Last month, we went to Switzerland and talked with some watch designers who used to work for Tissot, and they have agreed to design for our brand.

ES: Given the size of the factory, this number seems a bit low…

benefits. The land is practically free, and the buildings, costing 300 million yuan [CHF 43 million] will be amortised in four or five years, since the watch market is in expansion.

ES: In expansion? In 2009, you announced the sale of 300,000 watches yet, in 2010, you are talking about 200,000?

AL: That is because, in 2009, we also distributed quartz watches that were supplied by a manufacturer in Hong Kong. That relationship, however, has ended, and we now only manufacture mechanical watches and movements.

The quartz sector is too low-end and is not profitable. Very importantly, it is also not good for our brand image, so we abandoned it. As for the production of calibres in 2010, it reached 3.7 million pieces.

AL: By exploiting our new capacity for production, we will have the potential of supplying one half of the Chinese market and one quarter of the global market. In the next few years, we will adopt a new strategy, first by going public on the stock exchange in order to increase our liquidity, and then by dividing the enterprise into two independent sectors.

On the one hand will be the movement supplier, and on the other hand, the Sea-Gull manufacture will move upmarket.

ES: What is the purpose of your cooperation with the Swiss manufacturer, Alfex, located in the canton of Ticino?

AL: We supply them movement parts that they assemble in their own way, and that they resell, perhaps under the label “Swiss Made”.

ES: Will this future collection indicate that the designs are Swiss?

AL: Yes, since our goal is to become a brand with global reach. Currently, we are recognised as a good Chinese enterprise by the Chinese themselves. In the future, however, we will export more of our brand.

ES: And yet “China Made” watches, even the good quality pieces, suffer from a bad reputation. How do you convince the world otherwise?

AL: Our market is peculiar. We do very little advertising and our sales are still high. This happens uniquely by word of mouth. If you make a good product at a reasonable price, one day, the public will come. Just think that in 2003-2004, our turnover did not even reach 1 million yuan. Compare that with 2010, when our sales topped 220 million yuan. The growth has been enormous, but it is still not enough.

ES: Do you also export your tourbillons?

ES: Are you setting your sights on the Swiss watch market?

AL: We supply mechanical movements to many markets, especially Europe, the United States and Africa. We used to export a few tourbillons, but now we have stopped altogether. The tourbillon is an added-value product that we reserve for our own timepieces.

AL: The Swiss are the masters and we are the students. We make no pretensions about competing with Swiss watchmaking. One day, though, we believe that there will be a place for us in the global market. For many people, we can offer an alternative at a more afford-

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DOUBLE TOURBILLON WITH DATE AND MOONPHASE

AL: Yes. It is the prototype of a manual-winding mechanical movement that is only 2.5 mm in thickness. And, we are preparing an automatic version as well. They will be placed in an ultra-thin case and will enter the market in 2012. We are also innovating in terms of material, with the introduction of silicon and its exceptional mechanical properties.

ES: As a watch aficionado yourself, what brand do you admire the most?

able price. This is not a war. Just look at the situation in Switzerland. There are so many brands, each with its own style, and all are coping well in this environment.

ES: Do you think, however, that overseas— especially during this period of economic turmoil—China’s financial power is disconcerting to people? Is it understandable that the Swiss watch industry, which nearly disappeared thirty years ago because of the invasion of Japanese quartz watches, thus remains on the defensive?

AL: What can we claim in the face of more than 200 years of excellence in Swiss watchmaking? We do not have the ability to confront them in the top-of-the-range segment. I know many Chinese who love Swiss watches, but not their prices. In any case, I would say that competition is always a healthy thing. Perhaps some Swiss brands will have to improve their value for money. Our tourbillons, for example, are sold at one-tenth of the price.

ES: That is true, but many claim that the precision is not comparable… Do you have some type of certification?

AL: We offer something better than a certificate, and that is a ten-year guarantee, which

includes all maintenance and repairs. This is important for a tourbillon because it is a sensitive mechanism. Wearing our watches, the owner can partake in sports activities, something that is unthinkable for a Swiss tourbillon. For the latter, the owner would be advised that this type of activity is very bad for such a delicate and precise calibre.

ES: Looking at the brand’s museum in the entrance hall, we saw an ultra-thin mechanical movement in a rather thick case. Is this a scoop?

AL: In fact, it is not Swiss but rather German— A. Lange & Söhne. I think their collection is super elegant yet discreetly refined. In a few years, with two or three hundred employees for a production of around 5,000 watches per year, the brand has moved to the top. This is an example for Sea-Gull.

ES: You see, people have been correct to be worried about you… So what is your strategy in terms of expansion?

AL: (laughs) In China, this year, we opened 25 monobrand boutiques in addition to the existing 20. We are aiming to have 200 stores by the end of 2015. Then, we will start to look overseas, beginning with Asia.

AUTOMATIC

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SELF-WINDING POCKET WATCH

ES: What is your opinion of your Chinese competitors, namely FIYTA, Ebohr, and Beijing Watch, among others?

AL: It is difficult to make a comparison. They are all privately owned, while we are under state control. The main difference, however, is that Sea-Gull is an authentic manufacture. We produce 100 per cent of our watches, from A to Z. Our competitors are simple assemblers who are supplied movements, bracelets, hands, and dials. They do not have the capacity to produce their own movements.

ES: But, isn’t Beijing a real manufacture?

SKELETON DOUBLE TOURBILLON

MARKET FOCUS – CHINA 69

AUTOMATIC WITH DAY, DATE AND MONTH

AL: Yes, it is, and a rather good one in the topof-the-range segment, but their volumes are too limited to consider them as a competitor.

ES: In fact, your position is similar to the Swatch Group and its suppliers, except that— unfortunately for you—FIYTA and Ebohr prefer to use movements supplied by Seiko and Citizen…

disasters to hit Japan, Seiko and Miyota can no longer guarantee the volumes that FIYTA and Ebohr require. These brands thus have come back to us because they must “safeguard” their market. For its part, Sea-Gull is absolutely not affected by the Japanese problems since we do not depend on any outside supplier, except, of course, for raw materials.

This is our opportunity to convince them to buy from us. O

AL: Henceforth, not only do they purchase our tourbillons, but also our mechanical calibres. Why? Because, following the various

For more information about Sea-Gull click on Brand Index at www.europastar.com

TOURBILLON DAY-DATE

AUTOMATIC

70 MARKET FOCUS – CHINA – WORLDWATCHWEB europa star.com

Frustrating digital realities in mainland China RClaudia Garofalo de Pretto, Digital Luxury Group

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Every serious luxury watch brand knows that quickly establishing a presence in Mainland China is a must if they want to weather the economic storms coming to the West. Notwithstanding the dark clouds over Europe and the United States, China is undoubtedly the jewel of the East, now surpassing Japan as the world’s second largest market for luxury goods. Recognising this opportunity, Mainland China is rapidly becoming the new Eldorado for luxury brands eager to make their mark in a previously productstarved economy, with brick and mortar shops popping up at an alarming rate in tier two as well as lower tier cities.

If you are already packing your digital marketing bags to launch out into the Chinese market, take a moment to check that you are well prepared for the trip. Having your website translated into Chinese is not enough. An appropriate offensive digital strategy for the Chinese market must take some extraordinary factors into consideration. In fact, entering this complex market requires crucial passkeys that many luxury brands have neglected to prepare beforehand.

Coming up against the Great Firewall of China One of the major hurdles to Western brands is the unbelievable amount of time it takes for mainland locals to actually be able to

access a brand’s website. A recent study published this summer

by Strangeloop evokes this colossal time lag as the most dissuasive blockage for Chinese Internet users, 80 per cent of whom lose patience before actually accessing a brand’s homepage. On the whole, optimal load time for a website should not exceed two seconds. However, the reality is that some high-end brands go so far as to brush with the 40-second mark. And in cases where the homepage does finally appear, most users never make it past the first page.

Why the wait? The geo-localisation of the site is the spanner in the works. When targeting Chinese consumers, one click of the mouse and Internet users will know precisely on which side of the Chinese Firewall the site is hosted. It is estimated that sites hosted outside of Mainland China can see their site’s upload speed severely handicapped, requiring about five times more time to open the homepage.

In an attempt to remedy this situation some brands have solicited the help of a Content Delivery Network (CDN) to speed up load time. However, statistically even this has not proven fruitful.

Brands will simply have to face the harsh reality of the structural limitations to their website functionality, and revamp their digital strategy accordingly.

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MARKET FOCUS – CHINA – WORLDWATCHWEB 71

Out with the old, in with the new? Not in China While most web users in the Western world succumb to the overwhelming technology phenomenon of instant-obsolescence, Chinese users have been merrily surfing along for years on outdated equipment and operating systems. And while the West enjoys and relies on its mass availability of technology, Chinese users are now beginning to see their outdated tools as roadblocks to the access to basic information and an enjoyable user experience. But awareness does not proffer a solution from the user end. It is in the hands of companies to adapt appropriately, since web technology in China is simply not able to support sites that require a large bandwidth to operate.

Luxury brands do a double-take when they realise that over 60% of online shoppers in Mainland China still use Internet Explorer 6 (IE6), a browser that had its final update in 2008. To make matters worse, it is no longer even supported by Microsoft, but rather is viewed as an object of derision in the company’s online countdown to the browser’s death and burial. But as most online banking in China is done on IE6 and there are no plans in the pipeline to change this, there appears to be no light at the end of the tunnel for the browser’s demise from the user end.

The good news is that for Chinese online shoppers using alternatives to IE6, a more pleasurable and engaging web experience is within their reach, provided brands have already made the necessary modifications to accommodate the firewall issues.

Average website loading times for watchmaking brands On November 14, 2011, Digital Luxury Group calculated the average loading time of the following websites from Beijing, Shanghai and Hong-Kong.

The average loading time is 11 seconds, which is 9 seconds slower than the optimal loading time to attract and retain visitors’ attention.

How to guarantee an optimal web experience Given these technological and legal constraints, what can luxury brands do to create the most seamless flow of navigation on their sites for users in Mainland China?

Any optimal web experience will be contingent on the brand’s ability to come to terms with the unorthodox modus operandi imposed by the local Internet framework. Understanding the challenges and implications of China’s web reality is just the beginning. To this end, a logical first step would be for brands to do their homework. Having a trusted partner geographically on-site to evaluate the site’s current accessibility statistics and “feel” would be a good place to start.

Once the current gap between website user experience objectives and hands-on reality has been identified, companies can enquire about the practical steps and legal formalities that need to be taken to host the site on the mainland. Usually, a non-Chinese company will only be able to host in Hong Kong or in Macau. This will most likely involve going through registration formalities facilitated by a

local partner or Chinese-speaking representative. Whether a brand decides to go down this road or not will determine their potential to effectively reach this growing pool of wealthy consumers.

After that, IT specialists will have to sit down and simplify, simplify, simplify. A successful website should perform well across a range of browsers. After all, what good is it for a brand to open the door of their luxury universe to Chinese consumers if users will only see it slam back in their face?

Convincing Mainland Chinese that they are understood by luxury brands goes much deeper than language. Most brands that already have a mainland presence have been able to successfully adapt their web content to reflect specific local trends and preferences. But it is only when Chinese consumers feel that a brand has engineered its site to make the unique Mainland web experience as positive as possible, that a brand will stand out from the crowd. It will have successfully created a subtle but non-negligible touchpoint on the right side of the Wall. O

Brand

Average load time (sec)

Cartier (www.cartier.cn)

4.90

Tag Heuer (cn.tagheuer.com)

4.95

Patek Philippe (www.patekphilippe.com)

4.95

Zenith Watches (www.zenith-watches.cn)

5.95

Breguet (www.breguet.cn)

6.15

Rolex (www.rolex.cn)

6.35

Hublot (www.hublot.com)

8.00

Bulgari (www.bulgari.cn)

8.05

Raymond Weil (www.raymond-weil.com)

10.20

Chopard (www.chopard.cn)

11.75

Omega (www.omegawatches.cn)

12.05

Longines (www.longines.cn)

12.30

Piaget (www.piaget.com.cn)

14.40

Audemars Piguet (www.audemarspiguet.com)

14.80

Ebel (www.ebel.cn)

17.65

Blancpain (www.blancpain.com)

18.90

Breitling (www.breitling.com)

18.90

Girard-Perregaux (www.girard-perregaux.ch)

20.00

Franck Muller (www.franckmuller.com)

22.95

Rado (www.rado.com)

22.95

72 POSTCARD FROM AUSTRALIA europa star

Australia

8888

Bausele watches arrive with a unique sense of style

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World famous Bondi Beach, Sydney Harbour Bridge, Ayers Rock, Sydney Opera House are all Australian iconic landmarks in the serious traveller’s diary. Recognising this potential, the new Australian watch brand Bausele, pays tribute to the Australian culture and its remarkable iconic landscape.

For the first time, Bausele offers buyers the opportunity to celebrate Australia with a timepiece on the wrist introducing an absolutely unique discussion feature not shared by any other brand.

The designer has captured natural physical elements by using grains of sand, coal and red earth gathered from famous Australian places and setting them into the crown of each watch behind a tiny crystal window.

Initially the Bausele collection launches in three styles (Surf,Yachting and Wine Bar) using three Australian elements (sand, coal and red earth).

Three Australians of expatriate French extraction are the driving force behind the new brand—and clearly there is no shortage of industry knowledge and experience.

Maxime Elgue moved to Australia for the second time in 2008 to run Oceania Duty Free Shoppers Group (DFS) having worked for Cartier for 18 years in Australia, South-East Asia and the Far East. He is now the Bausele marketing and sales manager, as well as Oceania agent for luxury brands Chopard, Bell & Ross and Baccarat. He has been in the watch and jewellery industry for over 25 years.

Dominique Portier has created marketing and communication companies in France and after establishing his own business online, moved to Sydney in 2007 to look for adventure, quality of life and new business opportunities. Portier is directly in charge of the Bausele website and on-line business.

Christophe Hoppe was a consultant for PriceWaterhouseCoopers in Luxembourg and Switzerland, then chief financial officer for Technomarine (Switzerland and Hong Kong), followed then by CFO for Universo (Swatch Group, Hong Kong). He is now the CFO for Hurley, leader in Australian surfing equipment. He has been in love with the watch world all his life and has chosen to live in Australia to use his watch expertise and passion to launch and nurture the new Bausele brand.

Christophe Hoppe says, “The project started 18 months ago when Maxime and I met and decided to launch the brand together. Dominique joined us at the beginning of the year and we created the company— the three of us at the same time.”

Describing the range Hoppe said, “The target market for the watches are Australians and tourists coming to Australia who want to take home a piece of unique Australia, chic and not the same old souvenir.”

Hoppe added “We wanted to give people something more than a watch to wear—a real experience on their wrist. As Bausele is an Australian brand we decided to look for Australian elements (sand, coal and red earth) and, to be different, put them in the crown.”

He said there were difficulties in making the models 200m water resistant but “to fit the Australian culture the watch really needed to withstand the elements and be suitable for the beach”.

Bausele is the name of the brand which is drawn from Beyond AUStralian ELEments. Bausele has made a break with conservative Swiss watchmaking and is:

europa star

YACHTING The Yachting model has a 43 mm case, Swiss ISA calibre, countdown indicator, progress keeper and race timing functions, alarm, date, SuperLuminova hands. It is water resistant to 200m and has two interchangeable straps.

SURF The Surf model pays tribute to Australia's iconic surfing sport. ISA quartz calibre, 40 mm steel case, moon phase, tide indicator, date, hands with SuperLuminova, rotating bezel, water resistant to 200m.

Set the moon calendar and the tides and waves hold no mystery!

• The first Australian-designed Swiss Made watch by Australians for Australians • An original design, allowing you to carry away your very own small part of Australia • Crafted in Switzerland with all the technical expertise of a Swiss Made watch • A collection reflecting popular Australian icons and pursuits of surfing, yachting and, of course, partying!

• A versatile watch sold with either a metal bracelet or leather strap and an extra coloured silicon band thrown in for good measure • Available with a wide range of strap colours with a simple and ingenious click attachment system, allowing for an impressive combination of fashion alternatives • Delivered free of charge all over the world • Provided with a 5 years warranty

Marketing will be quirky as well. Maxime Elgue says, “We are quite open to have an "unorthodox" distribution for the brand and do some lateral thinking. We believe that Bausele clients can be found in smart bookshops, high level surf shops, ship chandlers, wine bars, clubs, museums... places where it is unlikely to find Swiss watches which are restricted to a traditional distribution system. Some pop-up and on-the-spot animation can also be organised on the beach or during regattas.”

POSTCARD FROM AUSTRALIA 73

WINE BAR The Wine Bar model, with its vintage look, is water resistant to 200m, supplied with 2 interchangeable straps and, like all the brand’s models, carries in its crown the famous Bausele elements of sand, red earth or coal.

Bausele watches are fitted with Swiss ISA quartz calibres and incorporate features such as tide and moon calendars, chronograph and later, we are promised, an alarm clock will be added to the range!

It is easy to imagine the potential for “specials” for this brand with its inclusion in the setting crown of iconic fragments behind its crystal window. A handful of Bondi sand would provide enough material for a full commercial run. Likewise, a Sydney Opera House tile, discarded during repairs and ground into powder, or paint flakes from the current project of repainting the Sydney Harbour Bridge.

So if you spy a furtive Frenchman fossicking for fallen fragments from famous sites then watch out for the latest Bausele special! This watch has been conceived by fertile minds and the promotional possibilities are endless.

The brand is well priced within the impulse discretionary spend range of 220-370 Euros thus avoiding the need to get approval from the wife or the mistress.

Just buy one of these excellent watches and enjoy its unique qualities! O www.bausele.com.au

Martin Foster

74 LETTER FROM FRANCE europa star

France

888888 The watch that re-emerged from the depths The boss of Hublot, Jean-Claude Biver, financed the “Antikythera” project, whose name is derived from the famous astronomical mechanism of ancient Greece. An exhibition in Paris now features a miniature replica of this antique device and its modern namesake that is worn on the wrist.

Make a clean sweep of the present. Only the past is promising. The “Internationale” of the “sovereign debt” nations is the new refrain. Woe to Greece, which is falling into chaos.Well, yes, it was better before—over 2000 years ago—when the Hellenic civilisation radiated throughout the Mediterranean. On October 10, in Paris, at the Musée des Arts et Métiers (Museum of Arts and Crafts), formerly a royal priory, a watch—a large steel and gold vessel—re-emerged from the depths. Its name:Antikythera.

Its manufacturer: the Swiss brand Hublot. Only three will ever be made.

It is a sort of replica of the famous astronomical calculator discovered in 1901 by Greek fishermen off the island of Antikythera. The Parisian museum is devoting an exhibition to the mystery of this mechanism, which dates back to the first century BC. Its remains, as fragile as old bones, are conserved in the Archaeological Museum in Athens.

Hublot’s boss, Jean-Claude Biver, in his role as patron, is getting a symbolic glory tinged with pride and irony from this adventure of “three, five million” (Swiss francs). “All watch brands date back to the 19th century,” he says, “but Hublot goes back to 87 BC.” That is some record to beat.

None of this would have been possible without the financial support of the Swiss brand (which is part of the French multinational LVMH group), which is getting communications mileage commensurate with its apparent selflessness. The collaboration between Greek humanities researchers, a French museum, and a prestigious Swiss watchmaker was highly improbable, but the overriding passion of Mathias Buttet, today Director of Manufacturing and R&D at Hublot, made it all happen.

The story began in 2008 after Buttet read an article in the monthly French magazine Science et Vie, about Antikythera, astronomy, physics and the quest of a team of Greek scientists, led by Yanis Bitsakis, to learn more about the unique Antikythera—nothing similar has ever been found. “I fell in love with Antikythera,” reminisces Mathias Buttet, then director of BNB Concept SA, located in Duillier, in the canton of Vaud. “We have heard a lot of things about this movement, dating back to ancient times and undoubtedly designed by one of the descendants of Archimedes. I don’t see anything religious about it. This epoch was marked by empiricism. People noted their observations, day after day. Using a mathematical model, they could predict the eclipses of the moon and the sun.”

Like Indiana Jones faced with a great enigma, Buttet took it upon himself to miniaturise the original Antikythera—which was the size of a

shoebox—so that it would fit into a wristwatch. His company, which employed 180 people, closed its doors in 2010, a victim of the financial crisis. But, there were still skills and knowledge up for grabs. Hublot, one of BNB’s biggest clients and located in Nyon, only five minutes from Duillier, hired Mathias Buttet and thirty of his associates. Along with them came the Antikythera project. “I told Jean-Claude Biver,” Buttet adds, “that he must not be a grave robber. That he should not make this watch into a commercial product, but rather create something in homage to our scientific ancestors, to our forefathers.”

The Greeks wanted to organise an exhibition on Antikythera at the Musée des Arts et Métiers in Paris. So, Biver financed the exhibition and the production of the three wristwatches. One watch was earmarked for the Musée des Arts et Métiers, the second for the Archaeological Museum in Athens, and the third for the Hublot Museum.

Efthymios Nikolaïdis, like other of his Greek friends, had to eat his hat but he does not seem to regret this collaboration. “We are researchers in the humanities and do not have the habit of working with industrialists. Having said that, however, we have not had any public financial support for the last twenty years, and today, even less than ever. We therefore looked for sponsors.” And along came Jean-Claude Biver.

Europe has returned to the time of the Medicis. O “Anticythère” Exhibition at the Musée des Arts et Métiers (www.arts-etmetiers.net), until June 2012. Address: 60 rue Réaumur, 75003 Paris.

Antoine Menusier

BASELWORLD THE WATCH AND JEWELLERY SHOW MARCH 8 – 15, 2012

BASELWORLD.COM

76 MANUFACTURING europa star

Tissot’s Logistics Centre RKeith W. Strandberg

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Nestled in the hills surrounding Le Locle, in the very heart of the Swiss watchmaking country, Tissot, which has been in business since 1858, just inaugurated perhaps the most technologically-advanced storage and retrieval system in the entire watch industry.

It’s not something you’d expect from a watch brand rich in tradition, but given Tissot’s commitment to technology in its timepieces (think of the amazing T-Touch, Sea-Touch and others), it certainly makes sense.

The need for space Several years ago, Tissot was one of the few companies in the watch industry still growing and the brand’s management knew that when the economy recovered, double-digit growth would return. As it was, Tissot had already maxed out its existing system, so they needed to find another way.

Last year, Tissot shipped more than three million watches, and at peak times, products and parts backed up tremendously. This year, Tissot plans to ship almost four million watches, so the need was clear – more space and a more efficient way of handling incoming and outgoing stock.

“We receive the components here, we do quality control, we send all the parts to the assembly plant, we get the finished watches

back here, then we ship out, so we handle everything four separate times, so having something that makes that easier for us was a priority,” says François Thiébaud, Tissot’s worldwide president. “This kind of logistics centre exists in other industries, like in pharmaceuticals, but such a big facility never existed before in the watch industry. There might be similar concepts, but nothing as big as this.

“We have five robots that can act at the same time, and it’s a huge space,” he continues. “It is 20 metres wide, 20 metres long and 16 metres high. We can have 35,000 storage boxes, and the robots go quite fast, about five metres per second.”

So far, the Cube, as it is called at Tissot, is having a positive impact on Tissot’s operations.

“The new centre gives us a lot more space, it

europa star

is much more organised, it is very secure, and it helps the people working with the stock. Last year, during the peak times, we had watches everywhere, ready to ship, taking up needed space.This month, for example, we had a good increase over last year, and the entire process was much smoother this year than last year.

We expect to have big increases going forward, but we can handle it with the new system. Now, we get a bit of a back-up at the

ity is a delivery volume of between five and six million assembled watches per year, doubling Tissot’s previous capacity. The Cube has a volume of 7,500 cubic metres, and the facility uses five robots that can store up to 12 million components and watches simultaneously.

This project allows a smoother flow between all stages of watchmaking, and enables better cost and quality control of the components and assembled watches. The location of

load-in dock, but we are looking to expand that area to alleviate the input backlog.”

And the system is adapting to how Tissot uses it. “When we store our products, either components or watches, the robots initially stored wherever they found space,”Thiébaud explains.

“Now, the system prioritises the things we use more. It is integrated with our SAP system, with two levels of access to store the products.

When the components arrive, we place them in the stock and we do quality control, we validate, then the stock enters the system.”

any item within the Cube and its 540 metres of conveying system can be pinpointed by the special software in a blink of an eye, and retrieval occurs within five to ten minutes, depending on the position of the part or finished watch required.

Finished quickly Construction started on the Cube, the exterior of which uses Tissot’s brand colours, on August 2, 2010, and the new logistics centre was operational less than a year later.The planned capac-

How it works Everything begins with the unpacking and registration into the system of incoming components and finished watches (from Tissot’s assembly facilities in the Italian part of Switzerland), followed by storage in the Cube.

Any order can then simply be entered by the HQ Sales department and transmitted to the system. The box with the requested material will be ready to collect almost instantly at the picking station.The conveying system also runs

MANUFACTURING 77

through the Quality Control department, which enables Tissot to ensure that everything conforms to the brand’s quality standards.

High security The Cube is state of the art when it comes to security and fire protection. Given the value of the finished watches and components stored inside, the security is top notch and easier to manage, with everything in one place. In case

of fire, detectors trigger a discharge of inert gas, which lowers the level of oxygen in the air, effectively putting the fire out, while at the same time ensuring that both workers and equipment are safe.

The Cube is the future for high volume watch brands, with Tissot leading the way. The lesson, according to Thiébaud? “We can adapt to modern technology without losing the heritage and tradition that we have,” he says.

“We can still be innovative and implement the latest technology. I learned this and many things from Mr. Hayek. It is possible to make very innovative products in quantity, as long as you invest in the newest technology.” O For more information about Tissot click on Brand Index at www.europastar.com

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Editorial & Advertisers’ index A, B Alain Silberstein 62 A. Lange & Söhne 4, 68 Alfex 67 Alpina 50 Angular Momentum 61 Armin Strom 41 Ateliers de Monaco 50 Audemars Piguet 4, 22, 24, 26, 71 Audemars Piguet Renaud & Papi 22 Azimuth Watches 58 Backes & Strauss 57 Barthelay 57 BaselWorld 44, 46, 54, 75 Baume & Mercier 34, 35, 42 Bausele 72-73 Beijing Watch Factory 69 Bell & Ross 72 Blancpain 71

Breguet 71 Breitling 71 Bulgari 62, 71 C, D Carl F. Bucherer 33 Cartier 18, 71, 72 Celsius 62 Chanel COVER I, 10-13 Chopard 71, 72 Christian Huygens 57 Citizen 49, 69 Corum 21 Cousins 78 Cvstos 57 Cyrus 50 De Bethune 44, 46, 62 deLaCour 50 DeWitt 37

www.europastar.com

Dietrich 51 Digital Luxury Group 8, 70-71 E, F Ebel 71 Ebohr 69 ECW 57 Fiyta 69 Fondation de la Haute Horlogerie 65 Franck Muller 56-57, 71 Frédérique Constant 50, 55 G, H Geneva Time Exhibition 16, 50-52, 54 Girard-Perregaux 40, 71 Greubel Forsey 38 Gucci 60 Harry Winston 50 Hautlence 31, 61

Heritage 62 Hermès 51 Hublot 71, 74 I, J Ice Watch 59 IWC 34, 35 Jaeger-LeCoultre 4 Jordi Swiss Icon 50, 51-52 L, M Lansa 79 Laurent Ferrier 61 Longines 71 Louis Moinet 52, 54 Louis Vuitton 19 LVMH 74 Magellan 54 Martin Braun 57

Milus 50 Miyota 69 Montblanc 43 N, O Nivarox 24 Omega 61, 71 Orient Watch Company 53 P, R Panerai 17, 20 Parmigiani 36 Patek Philippe 2-3, 71 Piaget 32, 39, 71 Pierre Kunz 57 Pierre Michel Golay 57 Rado 71 Ralph Lauren 9, 32 Raymond Weil 71 Richard Mille 27 Richemont Group 28, 34 Rodolphe 57 Roger Dubuis 34-35 Rolex COVER II, 1, 61, 63-64, 71, 80 RSW 50 S, T Sandoz Family Foundation 36 Sea-Gull 66-69 Seiko COVER III, 69 SIHH 4, 16, 38, 42, 43 Swatch 29, 61 Swatch Group 24, 66, 69, 72 TAG Heuer 71 TechnoMarine 72 Tissot 23, 76-77 Titoni 45 Tudor 14-15 U, V, Z Urwerk 47-48 Vacheron Constantin 6-7, 28-30 Victorinox Swiss Army 25 Zenith 5, 71

Managing Director: Philippe Maillard 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 • UK: Michael Balfour • Australia: Martin Foster • Russia: Vyacheslav Medvedev • Portugal: Miguel Seabra • Rumania: George Gisca • Art & Techniques of Watchmaking: Jean-Claude Nicolet ART Alexis Sgouridis • asgouridis@europastar.com Dummy: Fonderie Grafix, Geneva 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.

Tel: +41 22 307 78 37 Fax: +41 22 300 37 48 • cbayandor@europastar.com Europe & International: Nathalie Glattfelder.

Tel: +41 22 307 78 37 Fax: +41 22 300 37 48 • nglattfelder@europastar.com Spain: Carles Sapena, Sisserou s.l. Tel & Fax: +34 93 112 7113 • csapena@europastar.es Asia: Maggie Tong Tel: +852 9658 1830 Fax: +852 2527 5189 • maggietong@europastar.com Ukraine: Sergiy Kuzmenko Tel: +38 044 205 4089 Fax: +38 044 205 4099 • skuzmenko@karavan.ua ACCOUNTING Business Manager: Catherine Giloux. Tel: +41 22 307 78 48 • cgiloux@europastar.com Credit Manager: Alexandra Montandon. Tel: +41 22 307 78 47 • amontandon@europastar.com MAGAZINES Europa Star - Europe - International - USA & Canada - China - Latin America / Spain Ukraine, Europa Star Première, Bulletin d’informations, Eurotec, CIJ International Jewellery Trends & Colours WEBSITES www.worldwatchweb.com, www.europastar.com, www.watches-for-china.com, www.horalatina.com, www.europastar.es, www.europastarwatch.ru, www.CIJintl.com, www.eurotec.ch Head office: Europa Star HBM SA, Route des Acacias 25, CH-1227 Carouge/Geneva - Switzerland Tel +41 22 307 78 37, Fax +41 22 300 37 48, www.europastar.com.

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80 LAKIN@LARGE europa star

Be sincere, even if you don’t mean it!

These are really tough times aren’t they? The economic situation in Greece, Spain and Italy, not to mention Ireland, is as close to catastrophic as can be and the so-called leading industrial nations in the EU (which, of course, does not include Switzerland and Liechtenstein) such as France, Germany and the UK are beginning to show signs that “something is rotten in the state of Denmark” to quote our old pal Will Shakespeare. Complete economic and monetary harmony in the eurozone looks about as likely as Ebenezer Scrooge donating all his wealth to the Salvation Army.

If these countries were treated like any leading company in the private sector, the entire management team would have had their lapels ripped from their Armani suits, their Rolexes confiscated and, after having received their million dollar handshake, they would have been put out to graze along with the discredited millionaire bank managers. But no, we continue to lend these cash-strapped countries money from the almost empty coffers. Clearly the current set of leaders need replacing, but the only people capable of replacing them are already gainfully employed as taxi drivers, road sweepers and men’s hairdressers.

But these problems pale to insignificance alongside the forthcoming World Radiocommunication Conference of the International Telecommunication Union in Geneva in January, where a vote will be taken on whether or not to redefine Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) and put our clock time out of synchronisation with the Sun's location in the sky.

This of course refers to that rectifying “leap second” that is added every so often to keep UTC in step with the wobble in the Earth's orbit. UTC is the reference against which international time zones are set by averaging signals from some 400 atomic clocks scattered around the place and the leap second is added to stop UTC drifting away from solar time – which happens to be about one minute every 90 years. If you take that a step further it means we could lose one hour in 5,400 years time and, as you can well imagine, the homeless, people living below the poverty line and the many thousands without drinking water in Africa are really pre-occupied about the vote.

I’m led to believe that the countries overtly concerned about this are Canada, the UK and, in particular, China, whose scholars believe that for philosophical reasons it is important to have a connection to astronomical time because of their culture. (Which reminds me of one of those sayings attributed to Conficius, but which in fact comes from A. N. Onymous: “Support bacteria, is only culture some people have!”)

It goes without saying that it is understandable the Chinese don’t want to lose that leap second. The total population of China is 1,308,254,400 and if we assume that only 50% of them are working that means the country would lose 181,702 working hours in one leap second, which

makes about 10 working years for one person. Do you know how many watch cases and bracelets can be manufactured in that time, not to mention the effect that would have on the Swiss watch industry? It hardly bears thinking about.

But what of the loss of that second on our own lives? Imagine you’re speeding along the motorway in your rickety Citroen 2CV and suddenly, without warning, that leap second is added on. Since you’re now driving a second faster than you actually thought, what’s the breaking distance you now require before you hit the Ferrari in front? And what about the speed traps, try and explain a leap second to the police when they tell you that you passed in front of their speed camera a second faster than you were really driving.

Of course, this mind-boggling concept of the leap second makes about as much sense as Albert Einstein’s remark, “The only reason for time is so that everything doesn’t happen at once.”

In truth, what do we really care about a leap second being added every so often? Will it change the price of beer, the result of an important football match or even bring the grim reaper sooner? And even if it did, assuming that we’re all going to live to at least ninety years of age, we’ve only lost a minute in an entire lifetime – the time it takes to sneeze twice or even pick the fluff from your belly button.

One thing is for sure, the old adage is right: Time flies. However, you’re the pilot, the navigator, the engineer and the air hostess, so stop that cross-dressing and make the most of your time on earth. This isn’t a rehearsal; it’s the real thing.

And if you’re getting on a bit, you’ll appreciate this anecdote about an elderly man telling his friend about his new hearing aid. "It cost me a small a fortune, but it was worth it. It works perfectly, I now hear everything."

"Really," said the neighbour. "What kind is it?"

"Ten thirty."

Well, you’ve got to laugh haven’t you!

D. Malcolm Lakin Roving Editor

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