5 minute read
PORTRaiT
Kari VouTilainEn’s discrEET EmpirE
Benjamin Teisseire
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Among the most renowned independent watchmakers, one name has been constantly mentioned for years now: Kari Voutilainen. This great master of handengraved guilloché-work is also reputed for the outstanding finishes of his movements and for his creations that are sturdy and easy-to-use. In 2022, he celebrates the twentieth anniversary of the creation of his own brand. The time was therefore ripe to review the many developments his business has undergone over the last few years.
His journey began back in his native Finland, at the Tapiola school of watchmaking, then at the prestigious WOSTEP in Switzerland where he finetuned his craftsmanship on watch complications. In 1989, he joined Michel
Parmigiani’s workshop. He stayed there ten years. But, the desire for independence led him to accept a parttime teaching position at WOSTEP… which meant he could devote the rest of his time to his dream: to create his own brand. In 2002, he founded his business. The rest is part of the history of independent watchmaking.
Eight GPHG prizes later (awarded the Men’s Watch Prize five times in 2007, 2013, 2015, 2019 and 2020 and the Artistic Crafts Watch Prize three times in 2014, 2017 and 2019), Kari Voutilainen is at the helm of a small empire. Actually, his business has grown brilliantly to say the least. He explains to us with his characteristic modesty: “I don’t think we can talk about an empire. Today, I still work
in the Voutilainen workshop. I deal with customers a lot and I continue my casing up and finishing hands. But, I’ve also learned to delegate a lot of the operational side for the other businesses”.
It would take a sort of omnipotent Shiva to be able to successfully manage all the firms he’s involved in and that enable him to have full control over his production. In a nutshell, Comblémine S.A., purchased in 2014, produces all the dials for his own watches and subcontracts for others. Voutilainen & Cattin, founded in 2018, procures cases in the same way. And, it goes without saying, all the components of his eponymous brand continue to be produced in his workshop, which has been perched high above Fleurier on the Chapeau de Napoléon since May 2021. In just a decade, Kari Voutilainen has invested to create a real watchmaking manufacture that delivers, firstly, secure supplies as well as the optimal quality he quests and, secondly, a very sound financial base through his subcontracting business. Yet, he has never intended to produce large volumes. The master watchmaker prefers to focus on quality and on transmitting traditional know-how. As such, only 64 Voutilainen-signed watches were produced in 2020 and 53 issued in 2021. His order book is already completely full for 2022, 2023, 2024 and only a few orders still remain open for 2025. Success is unquestionable and 80% of business is exclusively carried out directly with end customers! Notwithstanding, with all these developments, the question of fanning out and of downplaying, raised by some collectors concerned about continuing to showcase the exclusiveness that makes the brand stand out, comes to the fore. Isn’t there a risk that the Voutilainen name could lose its soul with all these partnerships that are being initiated? The watchmaker-entrepreneur answers in all honesty: “We shouldn’t mix everything up. We’ve subcontracted dials for some brands that we get on well with, such as Grönefeld ou Armin Strom. I’m still part of the MB&F adventure, mainly at design level. The only real partnership was with Schwarz Etienne for the Roma Synergy where we redesigned the case. We safeguard our strong DNA. The fact that we have several businesses helps me secure our future. And, as I’m only
involved a bit in the operational side, I can devote more time to creation”.
But what about the purchase of the Urban Jurgensen brand in 2021? Kari Voutilainen was a watchmaker there back in 1996 and developed movement prototypes until 2000. “They were my biggest customer when I began my independent business”, states the most Swiss of all Finns “but the brand never managed to get off the ground. They’ve also always been dependent on their subcontractors. The bottom line would be to create a real manufacture that was productionindependent…but that’s a long-term outlook! We’re going to develop little by little. For the time being, we’re looking for the best partners to collaborate with and we’re working on the launch of a new collection to celebrate the 250th anniversary in 2023. It’s a really exciting challenge, real motivation for enhancing the image of this historic brand”. Yet another CEO hat for the discreet artist. Yet, here once again, he delegates, and his daughter, Venla, has already taken over the after-sales, key entry point for current customers. Voutilainen’s empire pursues its route forwards, at its own pace, forever boasting the same vision of quality and independence. Yet, since the 2000s, things have changed incredibly. The watchmaker confirms: “When I started out, independent people were deemed ‘do-it-yourselfers’ by major brands and only a few collectors knew us. The media and Internet helped independent people to exist and ensured information was disseminated to as many people as possible. The customer base has changed greatly since then. New markets have opened up, such as China and the Middle East. New types of customers have appeared. 20 years ago, my customers were all older men. Today, there’s a wide variety: men, women, from 20 to 80 years old, of every nationality and every culture. It’s brilliant to see that the passion for independent watchmaking, for ancestral know-how, is passed on and has never been more alive than now”.
Something to be proud of after all these years of relentless work. With his magnificently-humble smile, Kari Voutilainen adds: “My teams do amazing work, we’re just like one big family that continues to grow. And, I’m really delighted that my daughter has chosen this profession too”. The empire’s future seems to be well and truly in hand!
