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ryo Saeba

After reporting on the projects of Péquignet, Humbert-Droz, and Yema to produce a movement in France in our previous edition, we wanted to introduce you to the Aiôn Group, a company with ambitions to become a first-rate watch calibre manufacturer, by interviewing Céline Guth, General Manager in charge of international development.

Before we get into the heart of the matter, could you give us a quick overview of the Aiôn Group?

Aiôn Group SA is a French industrial concern with the objective of perpetuating and developing watchmaking know-how. Our ambition is to position France as a major watch designer and producer on the international scene.

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And in more detail, what is your main activity?

The Group launched its activities just a few months ago. We support watch brands from all over the world, covering the design and distribution of their timepieces, through our various subsidiaries: watch design office, production of components and movements, decoration, assembly, after-sales service, production and marketing of watches, logistics management, and multi-brand distribution.

Does the Group integrate certain watch brands?

Hegid, the French progressive watch brand, recently joined our Group. It is the prime showcase of Aiôn's manufacturing know-how. The development prospects anticipate integrating other companies

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within Aiôn to showcase the Group's spectrum of expertise.

In which region is your manufacturing site located?

After examining the various options available for locating the company, including in the Jura Arc, consulting our future industrial partners, and ascertaining the aspirations of the personnel working in the watchmaking sector, the Group decided to locate in La Ciotat, on the Mediterranean coast.

Can you elaborate on the reasons behind this choice?

This decision was made for several strategic reasons. In terms of recruitment, the Aiôn Group intends on hiring 160 employees over the next five years. In consultation with our partners located in Franche-Comté, who struggle to retain their qualified workforce as they are easily seduced away by Swiss salaries, it was decided to move to another region so as not to further deprive the Franche-Comté local fabric of its talented workforce. Secondly, the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region is already home to cuttingedge industries where innovation is rife. The skills necessary for manufacturing watches, such as precision mechanics for example, are already in practice there in addition to a qualified workforce. Moreover, Marseille offers a watchmaking school training some thirty technicians each year. Finally, the region enjoys excellent national and international transport links throughout the world whilst its quality of life is legendary. Since the announcement of our Group's creation, resumes have

been pouring in. Many specialists in the sector are keen to join us and share their skills. The economic and political actors of the PACA region (Provence-AlpesCôte d'Azur), deeply involved in the reindustrialisation of their territory, welcomed us with open arms.

Where does Aiôn obtain its material and what are your production capacities?

The Aiôn Group SA acquired a Swiss manufacturer of movements, known to date as a subcontractor for major watchmaking brands, that also has a complete catalogue of proprietary calibres. One of its major strengths is its know-how in developing and producing in-house balance springs. This operational industrial tool, consisting of approximately 450 machines, already enables the company to mass produce high-end mechanical movements. These include specific calibres developed in small quantities for specialist luxury watch brands. New machines will be added to strengthen this site over the next few years, bringing a theoretical production capacity of 400,000 movements and watches per year to the manufacturer.

The theoretical production figure announced is significant. In practice, what is the situation?

The primary objective is to reach a production of 50,000 units by the end of 2023. The installed machines will turn out parts according to the growing needs of the Group's flagship brands, as well as the client brands of our various departments.

What is the size of the company? How many people do you employ?

The individual subsidiaries came into operation at the end of 2021 in La Ciotat. Currently fifteen people are already working for the Group. These employees

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include production operators who have been in training for six months, qualified watchmakers, and support functions such as accountants, sales, and marketing. In the next six months, other positions will join the subsidiaries including engineers, production managers, community managers, and others.

As far as your movement production is concerned, can you tell us more?

The Aiôn manufacturer will be producing mechanical movements in medium and large series. It will develop calibres on request, in small series, notably for the luxury watch industry. Numerous finishing and customisation options will also be made available. For decades now, the industrial facilities acquired by the Group have been producing watchmaking calibres for the leading watch brands in Switzerland. It is therefore going to safeguard this rare know-how by continuing the manufacture of automatic movements whose reliability is confirmed by decades of experience on the market, although this time around by producing and assembling them in France.

Are the movements produced already established?

The calibres that the factory produced were often "rebadged" before being assembled. These plans are now owned by Aiôn. Some slight technical improvements are currently being made to the movements that will be presented in the catalogue and marketed within a few months.

Will it be possible to visit your premises?

Moving the machines from the Swiss site to the new factory site in La Ciotat will take place in the coming months. Professional visits will be organised once the installations are fully set up and ready for use.