MASTER MECHANICS

EUROPE EDITION
All Europe - EEC,
Central & Eastern Europe, Russia
N° 304 6 /2010 Dec. / Jan.
1 2
9 770014 260004
CHF12 / €10 / US$10
www.europastar.com
THE WORLD’S MOST INFLUENTIAL WATCH MAGAZINE EUROPE
MASTER MECHANICS
1 SIHH and Geneva shows preview
1 Watches and the suburbs 1 Exotic straps

the l e a d e r ’ s w a t c h
No other watch is engineered quite like a Rolex. The Day-Date II, launched in 2008,
enhances the legacy of the original Day-Date, which was the first watch to display
the date, as well as the day in its entirety. Now in a larger, more commanding
41 mm size, the Day-Date II is a natural evolution of a classic. The Day-Date II can
display the day in a wide choice of languages and is presented here in platinum.
the day-date ii

4 EDITORIAL europa star
“We are not in luxury.
“We are in quality.”
These few concise words say it all.They
describe how the family owners of
Hermès responded to Bernard Arnault
(LVMH) at the announcement, legally
necessary, that he had acquired—as
secretly as it was‘amicably’—17.7 percent
of the shares of their company.
“We are artisans. Our goal is to make
the best products in the world. We
are not in luxury. We are in quality,”
stated Bernard Puech, President of the
board of directors of the Hermès limited
partnership company. This legal
arrangement guarantees control of the
business to the family, the major shareholder,no
matter what happens,even if
the family no longer has majority control
(today it holds approximately 73
per cent of the company). As Bernard
Puech adds, “Even it there is only one
single family-held share, the family will
maintain control.”
We will not venture into the various
possible outcomes of this ‘friendly’ hostile
action, which was immediately and
energetically rejected by Hermès. The
brand obviously fears that the particular
friendship of Arnault might become
too insistent and end up suffocating it
one day. But rather than focus on the
strategy of the ‘kiss that kills’, let’s look
at the forceful response of Hermès that
differentiates ‘luxury’, of which LVMH is
the most striking example, from ‘quality’,
which is of a whole other order.
The subtext of what Bernard Puech is
saying is that quality in the long term—
Hermès is in its sixth generation of managers—cannot
bend to the strategic
family policies of globalized finance. He
goes on to emphasize in passing that
“the structures that have allowed this
attack are the subsidiaries of LVMH
based in Luxembourg,the United States,
and especially in Panama, a country
that is not the most transparent when it
comes to financial regulation and the
source of funds.” Moreover, as the
directors of Hermès are saying, beyond
the financial engineering that made
this happen, there is a deeper incompatibility,
which is cultural. Luxury is
a status; quality is a value. Luxury
addresses the exterior; quality addresses
the interior. Luxury is an image;
quality embodies a product. Hermès,
they say proudly, “is not a signature; it
is a cultural soil, a culture incompatible
with that of a large group.”
This way of considering itself as a ‘soil’
that must be cultivated to grow new
fruits ‘every season’, this manner of
envisioning time over the long term
are culturally at odds with a financial
policy that seeks, on the contrary, to
annihilate time in its immediacy and in
the instantaneousness of the flux of virtual
transactions.
Beyond the case of Hermès versus
LVMH, the shock of cultures concerns
all of us.The battle that is being carried
out on the high-end product level is
raging everywhere else as well. It is
part of what we call ‘the great choices
of society’. Do we want to favour the
absolute race for performance, the
relentless pursuit of growth at any price
that demands instantaneity? Or do we
opt for the ‘soil’ that will perhaps not
give immediate fruits but that we can
certainly cultivate for many years to
come? In other words, do we want to
regulate,organize and plan for the long
term or do we prefer to leave everyone
free to grab up as much as they can in
the shortest time possible?The answers
RPierre M. Maillard Editor-in-Chief
are not insignificant. They will fashion
the future, for better or for worse.
As you can see, we are way beyond
watchmaking, whether it be ‘luxury’ or
‘quality’.And, having observed Hermès’
activities in watchmaking, we can certainly
testify that it has been this ‘culture
of the soil’ that has dictated the
brand’s patient growth. Step by step,
without cutting corners, by planning its
activities in terms of decades, and by
not claiming to be something it is not,
Hermès has, in thirty-two years, gradually
acquired the metier of timekeeping,
of which it can now rightfully be proud.
The moral of this story is that the
most high performance brands are not
always those that claim to be. As
Hermès declares, “Since going public in
1993, the annual growth in net profits
of LVMH has been 7.6 per cent while
that of Hermès has been 14.7 per cent.
The shares of LVMH have risen by a factor
of six on the stock exchange—
those of Hermès by 35.”
The believers in the long term have
thus every reason to continue to cultivate
their soil.

The Poetry of Time
Pont des Amoureux Timepiece - Poetic Complication
White gold set with diamonds, “Contre-Jour” enamel dial,
retrograde mechanical movement, lovers indicate time.
www.vancleef-arpels.com

JULES AUDEMARS
PERPETUAL CALENDAR
The Jules Audemars Perpetual Calendar watch is a masterpiece of miniaturisation
developed on the basis of the extra-thin self-winding Calibre 2120 and the 2802 module.
The entire mechanism is indeed just 4 millimetres thick. Intended to reproduce the
intricacies of our calendar by displaying the cadence of the minutes, hours, days, date and
months, this complex movement also smoothly handles the irregularity of 30- and 31-day
months as well as the leap-year cycle. The calendar module is designed to require no
correction before March 1 st 2100, a date when the Gregorian calendar will imply an
adjustment – exactly the kind of detail true connoisseurs will appreciate.
Pink gold case, brown or silvered dial, applied pink gold hour-markers,
pink gold hour and minute hands.
AUDEMARS PIGUET LE BRASSUS (VALLÉE DE JOUX) SWITZERLAND, TEL +41 21 845 14 00
www.audemarspiguet.com

8 CONTENTS europa star
EDITORIAL
4 “We are not in luxury. We are in quality.”
COVER STORY
10 Chanel continues to challenge watchmaking boundaries
MANUFACTURING
14 The Swiss watch planet in movement Part 3
The Master Mechanics
MECHANICAL GALLERY
40 Harry Winston, Pequignet
42 Chopard, Moritz Grossmann
44 Corum, Zenith
SIHH PREVIEW
46 Panerai looks beyond the sea
48 Vacheron Constantin takes its Quai de l’Ile to a new level
50 Parmigiani takes on the classics
51 Ralph Lauren gallops ahead
53 Audemars Piguet’s plans in the pipeline
56 Montblanc honours the chronograph
57 Richard Mille – the man, the brand
60 JeanRichard goes deep with the Diverscope
61 Girard Perregaux stays classy with small seconds
SIHH GALLERY
54 Cartier, Greubel Forsey
55 Baume & Mercier, Panerai
CASE STUDY
62 MB&F, the strategy of bachelor machines
GENEVA SHOWS GALLERY
64 Laurent Ferrier, Louis Erard, Jean Dunand, Zeitwinkel
65 Ali Zandidoust, Bovet, DeLaneau, Peter Tanisman
66 BRM, Bulova, Marvin, Tempvs Compvtare
67 Badollet, Catorex, Pierre DeRoche, Ritmo Mundo
68 Artya, Hautlence, Rebellion, Valbray
BEHIND THE SCENES
72 Exotic straps could turn around and bite you
RETAILER PROFILE
76 Panama’s La Hora-Alta Relojeria
POST CARD
78 Roger W. Smith – British watchmaking is alive and well
LETTER FROM PARIS
80 The suburbanites love their watches
WORLDWATCHWEB®
84 Understanding China’s clientele of luxury watches online
87 EDITORIAL AND ADVERTISERS’ INDEX
LAKIN@LARGE
88 Bling’s craptastic, but patience pays!
SPOTLIGHTS
70 Orient Watch
www.europastar.com
THE WORLD’S MOST INFLUENTIAL WATCH MAGAZINE EUROPE
N° 304 6/2010 DEC./JAN.
J12 RETROGRADE
MYSTERIEUSE by Chanel
Black ceramic and 18-carat white
gold 47 mm timepiece equipped
with a RMT-10 calibre developed
for Chanel by Renaud & Papi.
Hours, retrograde minutes and
crown on the front of the dial.
Limited edition of 21 pieces – ten
in black ceramic and rose gold,
ten in black ceramic and white
gold and one piece in white
ceramic and white gold.
CHANEL
Place Vendôme 16
75001 Paris
France
Tel +33 1 55 35 50 55
Fax +33 1 55 35 50 51
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
© 2010 EUROPA STAR
Audited REMP 2009
The statements and opinions
expressed in this publication
are those of the authors and
not necessarily Europa Star.

The Ralph Lauren Slim Classique Watch
18K ROSE GOLD 42MM MODEL. ULTRATHIN 5.35MM CASE. ARTISANAL “GUILLOCHÉ” ON DIAL AND CASE.
MANUAL WINDING MANUFACTURE MOVEMENT. 131 COMPONENTS, 18 JEWELS,
40-HOUR POWER RESERVE. SWISS MADE.
NEW YORK BEVERLY HILLS DALLAS CHICAGO GREENWICH LONDON PARIS CANNES
MILAN GSTAAD ST MORITZ TOKYO SHANGHAI MACAU SINGAPORE
RALPHLAURENWATCHES.COM

10 COVER STORY europa star
CHANEL CONTINUES TO CHALLENGE
WATCHMAKING BOUNDARIES
High-tech ceramic, extreme water resistance and cutting-edge crowns on dials are just some of
the innovations that are positioning Chanel at the forefront of horology.
RSophie Furley
W
When Chanel launched its J12 back in the year
2000, the brand could have just put its famous
name on a watch and been content to rest on
its laurels. Instead the company made a point
to do things differently with new materials and
captivating mechanics, that have made even
the most serious Swiss watchmakers sit up and
take note.
Dynamic ceramic
It all started with the use of a material that most
people associate with the common bathroom
tile – ceramic. In fact the word itself comes
from the Greek κεραμικός (keramikos) which
means ‘of pottery’. However, today’s ceramic
material is now an essential component of
products as diverse as space shuttles, ballistic
armoured vests and bio-medical implants. It is
scratch-resistant, hard-wearing and incredibly
lightweight which makes it an ideal material for
a myriad of applications. However, no one had
yet transformed it into a luxury material to rival
the diamond until Chanel mastered how to
manufacture it.
Link by link
The precise recipe for ceramic is not available
in the public domain, so it took Chanel’s scientists
six years of research, trial and error to
come up with the perfect formula. However
when you see the results, it was certainly worth
the wait. The vast majority of watch brands
using ceramic today buy it in block form and
then mill it to the desired shape, in comparaison
RÉTROGRADE MYSTÉRIEUSE

europa star COVER STORY 11

12 COVER STORY europa star
to Chanel who make each and every bracelet
link and case to size, creating a far superior
quality of ceramic that is instantly recognisable.
To discover how this magical material is made,
see Chanel and the chamber of secrets in
Europa Star 5/2009 or on www.europastar.com.
The iconic J12
When the first J12 was launched, it came as
quite a shock for the Swiss watch industry
whose brands, at that time, hadn’t yet ventured
far beyond the use of gold, platinum or
steel. Commercially the J12 was an instant
success and has evolved in many artistic and
technical directions since. 2005 saw the arrival
of a J12 fine jewellery collection and a J12
tourbillon. 2006 was marked by a J12 GMT
and a haute joaillerie piece with 597 baguette
diamonds. In 2008 the company announced a
partnership with Audemars Piguet for an
automatic movement - the Chanel AP 3125.
2009 saw the presentation of the J12 Noir
Intense, a ceramic-set timepiece (instead of
baguette diamond set) in white gold. Just as
we thought that everything that could be done,
had been done, Chanel let off a succession of
fireworks for the J12’s 10th anniversary in
2010 with a mini J12, a new depth-defying
Marine Collection and a breathtaking new
complication that challenges watchmaking as
we know it.
Mini or maxi?
Until this year the ladies J12s had only been
released in 33 mm, 38 mm, 41 mm or 42 mm -
relatively large sizes in the history of women’s
watchmaking. This trend for large women’s
watches has been present in the watch industry
for over a decade and remains incredibly
strong, but a recent parallel trend for smaller
timepieces has also appeared in certain markets.
Chanel has responded to this overlapping
of size trends with the addition of a 29 mm case
so women who love the style and workmanship
of Chanel’s J12, but who are looking for an elegant
timepiece that is a little more discreet in
size, can also appreciate the beauty of a J12.
The J12 29 mm is equipped with a quartz
movement and, like its older sisters, features
black or white high-tech ceramic, diamond
indexes and a white mother-of-pearl or black
lacquered dials.
J12 Marine
The J12 collections have always had a trace of
a diving design in their composition, with
their bold ceramic bezels and great readability
thanks to their contrasting hands and dials.
J12 29 MM

The brand has taken these cues and created a
genuine diving timepiece - the J12 Marine -
whose design and performance are perfectly
suited for both deep sea diving expeditions
and evenings at the yacht club.
The J12 Marine is available in three versions
and two sizes: blue (available in 38 mm or 42
mm), black (42 mm) and white (38mm) and
not only looks spectacular, but can also resist
pressure equivalent to a depth of 300 metres
under the sea, a feat that few diving watches
can achieve.
Some of the most impressive features include
a date and immersion time reading on the
bezel; a highly resistant, mat rubber strap with
J12 MARINE
openings that allows the release of water;
black lacquered dial with luminescent hands
and numerals for perfect readability in darkness
and a sapphire crystal with blue antireflective
coatings on both sides.
The firework finale
Chanel doesn’t need to remind us how serious
it is when it comes to the technology inside its
ceramic cases. Its offering includes GMTs and
tourbillons, and the brand has partnered with
the prestigious Audemars Piguet for a unique
and exclusive automatic calibre, the 3125. But
for the finale of its 2010 introductions, Chanel
went one step further and joined forces with
the famous movement constructor Renaud &
Papi to create a timepiece that was like nothing
anybody had ever seen before.
Transforming time
One of the wishes of Chanel when starting
out on the project with Renaud & Papi was to
have a completely round timepiece, which
meant that the crown had to be relocated to
the back or the front of the case. Putting the
crown on the back has been done many times
europa star COVER STORY 13
before so the constructors decided to break
with all watchmaking codes and put the
crown directly on the front of the timepiece,
traversing both the crystal and the dial.
From a design point of view, the result was
visually stunning, but from a technical point
of view, it created all kinds of problems.
However, the great thing with problems is that
they can often translate into some of the most
intriguing solutions and this is what happened
with the Rétrograde Mystérieuse. The problem
in this case was that the position of the crown
(positioned between ten past and 19 past the
hour) blocked the minute hand from continuing
its journey around the dial. So the constructors
found a solution so that the minute
hand would reach the crown and then go
backwards all around the dial until it rejoined
the 20 minute mark. To avoid misreading the
time, a digital display illuminates when the
hand is regressing with the correct minute
reading. When the minute hand is advancing
normally the digital display turns off.
Like many of today’s unusual time displays, it
sounds complicated in words, but once you
get used to it, two hands can seem rather
boring in comparison!
Continuous inspiration
J12-mania has now been ongoing for over a
decade and there seems to be no end to its
success with a multitude of innovations within
one collection. The brand continues to challenge
the boundaries of watchmaking from
the materials, to complications and design.
Just as when it started, Chanel is not content
to stagnate, but instead finds inspiration year
after year. We can’t wait to see what this year
has in store! O
For more information about Chanel click on
Brand Index at www.europastar.com

14 MANUFACTURING europa star
THE SWISS WATCH PLANET IN MOVEMENT – PART 3
The Master Mechanics
For the third and last segment of our major inquiry into the ‘boom’ of Swiss mechanical movements, we have
taken a look at the ‘watchmaking specialties’. This is a large term, but it covers a wide range of complications
where we can find everything and anything, from special displays, among them the retrograde indications, to
tourbillons and other mechanical follies.
RPierre Maillard
W
Whether they are affiliated with a brand such as
Renaud & Papi, of which 78.4 per cent is owned
by Audemars Piguet, or are independent such as
Les Artisans Horlogers, whether they are a true
verticalized manufacture such as Christophe
Claret or a fiercely independent artist-constructor
such as Agenhor, or whether they also master
virtual imaging and micro-mechanics such as
Magma Concept, all these companies have
something in common. They are all part of a
new generation of ‘suppliers’ that we would do
better to call ‘partners in creation’.
Those that we have just cited—but the list is
far from being complete so for anyone that we
have not included, please forgive us—have
become indispensable for many brands that
are caught up in the necessity of having to
offer mechanical innovation (sometimes at the
risk of mechanical inflation). This mechanical
innovation allows brands to reap a lot of
media coverage even if not a lot of economic
benefits. The designers, constructors, inventors
of unusual functions, the mechanical aces and
the magicians of the cams often all play a pivotal
strategic role.
And from these highly specialized enterprises
come a great many watches with high-end
labels and brand names. The fact that these
timepieces were not made by the brands in
question is not always known to the general
public. And speaking of brands, there are
many different types that turn to the specialty
companies. There are those that don’t hesitate
to declare their collaboration, and then there
are those who will go to any lengths to hide it.
Some of the former are cited below, but be
assured that the list is much longer especially
since the latter, those brands that do not promote
transparency and those adepts at having
so-called ‘in-house’ movements, are much
greater in numbers.
A strategic yet exposed position
By occupying this central strategic position,
the ‘Master Mechanics’ are exposed to all the
air currents that agitate watchmaking’s economic
sphere. When watchmaking catches a
cold, they start to cough. Caught up in the
race for mechanical added-value that preceded
the financial crisis, they are today faced
with clients many of whom don’t really know
where to go next. Some of these ‘Master
Mechanics’ have admitted this fact to us
quite openly: the brands are equivocating;

THE SIMPLICITY OF INNOVATION.
LUMINOR MARINA 1950 3 DAYS AUTOMATIC
Automatic mechanical movement
P.9000 calibre, two spring barrels,
3-day power reserve. Water-resistance
300 metres. Steel case 44 mm Ø.
Steel buckle.
Available exclusively at Panerai boutiques and select authorized watch specialists.
www.panerai.com

16 MANUFACTURING europa star
they don’t know which model to follow; they
hesitate to launch into the creation of a costly
innovation, which they are no longer sure will
be successful like so many others have been
in the past.
And a few premature announcements have left
them cold. For example, how much time and
engineering efforts were spent by TAG Heuer, a
brand that was just not willing to withdraw
from the V4 and thus had to continue with this
concept, sold to it by designer Jean-François
Ruchonnet? Even if, in retrospect, this adventure
was worth the effort and that TAG Heuer
had been able to capitalize on this very difficult
success, it is not sure that the brand would
repeat the experience today. Another example
is the very interesting Mémoire 1, invented by
Les Artisans Horlogers for Maurice Lacroix.
The work started in 2006, and then passed
from hand to hand, but it has still never come
out—and the investment has still never been
recouped. To cite even a third example, what
about the difficulties that are met when trying
to validate an innovative watch such as the
seven years it took Harry Winston to finally present,
in 2010, its ingenious Opus 3 invented by
Vianney Halter!
Temporal considerations
The temporal logic that lead to the development
of a brand and its image are quite different
than those that lead to the conception
of a mechanism, its construction, the development
of a prototype, the tests, corrections and
necessary transformations. From the idea to
the drawing board and then from the drawing
board to the realization, the road is long,
winding and full of pitfalls. Developing a new
movement is a question of years, whether we
like it or not. Some, however, have developed
strategies to avoid or circumvent these difficulties,
as we will see below. But whether one
has recourse to the most sophisticated imaging
and calculation technologies or proceeds
in a more intuitive manner, whether one creates
prototypes or makes the pieces directly,
many various practices exist. They cohabitate
with each other but no single one is superior
to the other. No one cuts corners unless they
want to risk clipping their wings.
Added to all that is the fact that most of our
‘Master Mechanics’ have, like all watchmakers,
a healthy ego. Having long worked in the
shadow of the big brand names, having seen
many of their silent partners parading around
with what they have designed in solitude and
sometimes dreamed of in their sleep, they are
happy to see the spotlight turn a little towards
themselves. They have become objectively
important and, in this new competition, they
are advancing—each with his own arsenal of
weapons—their special designs and their
specific tastes, to the extent that a ‘complication’
invented by X or Y is often recognizable
even when it is anonymously placed at the
heart of such and such movement, presented by
such and such brand. Each of these constructors
has his own footprint, his own system, his
own way of doing things. And for some of
them, they even introduce their own special
poetry. But as Giulio Papi says in a burst of sincerity,
“Do our concepts always make sense?
We will only know in twenty years.”
RENAUD & PAPI,
THE TRAINING GROUND
What is the common point shared by Robert
Greubel, Stephen Forsey, Peter Speake-Marin,
Andréas Strehler (who all have their own brands
today), Carole Forestier (at the head of watch
development at Cartier), Anthony de Haas (at
the head of watch development at A. Lange &
Söhne), and even Frédéric Garinaud (designer of
the Opus 8)? These names do not even take into
account all the countless managers of the various
ateliers. Answer: they all worked at one time
or another in the ateliers of Renaud & Papi,
even Christophe Claret, whose first company,
created in 1989, was called “Renaud Papi
Claret,” before he repurchased all the shares in
1994 and launched out on his own.
“We became a training ground because we
always wanted to hire young people. And
they, as I myself did in 1986, would decide
one fine day to exert their independence.”
Giulio Papi smiles about this, even if perhaps
a little nostalgic when he thinks of all the
efforts expended in training them. Yet he does
understand the reasons.
In 1986, he was one of the first to strike out
on his own. He was only 21 and a bench
watchmaker at Audemars Piguet when he
understood that it would be a long time
before he could even touch a grand complication.
So, he decided to make one himself.
Teaming up with Dominique Renaud, he
founded his own company, thinking that they
could make “two or three watches a year”.
Giulio Papi

EL PRIMERO by Zenith, inventor of the
high-frequency self-winding chronograph
ZENITH, THE PIONEER SPIRIT SINCE 1865
www.zenith-watches.com
EL PRIMERO STRIKING 10 th
LTD EDITION STEEL

MILUS – THE PLAYFUL SPIRIT OF TIME
WWW.MILUS.COM

IMAGINE, CREATE & MOVE
MILUS INTERNATIONAL SA | 2502 BIEL-BIENNE | SWITZERLAND | T : +41(0)32 344 39 39 | EMAIL : INFO@MILUS.COM

20 MANUFACTURING europa star
The watch market was regaining steam and
the art of mechanical timekeeping was again
in the public’s eye. Very rapidly, the demand
increased, to such a point that, in 1992, they
needed additional financing to enlarge the
company and continue their adventure. But
the banks, like they are today, were not ready
to loan money. It was Audemars Piguet who
came to the rescue. The brand was ready to
supply the needed capital to develop their
company but on condition that it obtain 52
per cent of the shares. The deal was made
and, in 1996, Dominique Renaud sold his
remaining shares and moved to the south of
France. Then Robert Greubel, who still owned
4 per cent, decided to launch his own company
and sold his shares to Audemars Piguet,
which today owns 78.4 of Renaud & Papi.The
remaining 20 per cent are still held by Giulio
Papi with the small 1.6 per cent in the hands
of Fabrice Deschanel, General Manager of
Renaud & Papi.
MILLENARY by Audemars Piguet
In spite of the fact that the majority of the company
is owned byAudemars Piguet, which plays
the role of manufacturer for research and development,
Renaud & Papi maintains total freedom
to work for third parties. “Ideally, our
order book is divided 50/50: half for Audemars
Piguet and half for other brands,” explains
Papi.And among these other brands is the very
successful Richard Mille, for which Renaud &
Papi “did practically everything”.
Veritable industrial tool
Today, Renaud & Papi employs 150 people in
Le Locle, working in facilities that are similar
to their principal supporter: rigorously organized,
ultra-functional, but warm and friendly.
It is quite impressive. This veritable industrial
tool allows Renaud & Papi to master the
milling of its plates in all types of materials—
even very hard ones—as well as to cut out its
gears, screws, column wheels, barrels and all
circular parts. It also has mastered the creation
of the axes, pivots, teeth and pinions, as
well as the electro-erosion of the levers, cams
and springs. It also fabricates all its fitting
tools and prototypes.
Situated in a single location, this impressive
array of computer-controlled equipment is
connected to other departments by a long hallway.
The main building groups together the
technical bureau (eight people working in
development) and the very important procedures
office. Both are directly attached to an
office dealing with reliability whose task is to
anticipate problems and analyse their source
when they arise as well as to an office handling
technical and aesthetic controls, in which each
piece spends a minimum of one month.
Next door is a specialized atelier whose main

T H E J E A N D U N A N D P A L A C E
GENEVA, JANUARY 17-21, BY APPOINTMENT ONLY, + 41 22 706 19 60
WWW.JEANDUNAND.COM

22 MANUFACTURING europa star
role is to assemble the first ten pieces of a new
model. It is here that the protocols for assembly,
lubrication and other operations are precisely
defined.
From here, we pass to the ateliers for assembly
and encasing that employ nearly 40 people.
Divided into small islands dedicated to one
client or to a specific complication, each of
these watchmakers is in charge of the complete
realization of a watch.This task, on average,
takes a full month.
Next to these workshops are the ateliers for
decoration and finishing: chamfering, satining,
circular-graining, Côtes de Genève, polishing,
and skeletonizing. There are also units
devoted to after-sales service, to training and
one called the Office of Watch Concepts that,
until quite recently, was directed by Frédéric
Garinaud, the last on our list of having struck
out on his own.
Cardinal value: reliability
When asked what the specificities of Renaud
& Papi are, Giulio Papi responds:“…in no particular
order, being able to propose ideas and
then make them happen; being intransigent
when it comes to the quality of finishing and
decoration; and making reliable watches.” He
insists particularly on this point: “We aim for
zero returns, but let’s face it, to arrive at this
point would be like finding the Grail. That has
never happened to any watchmaker. In reality,
we have about 10 per cent of new pieces
come back and about 3 per cent returned after
the models are stabilized, a number that we
can still be very proud of.We make reliability a
point of honour. It is a cardinal value in watchmaking.
So, we never introduce a product that
is not 100 per cent ready. We never sell anything
based on images.”
What therefore does Renaud & Papi sell? “In
the realm of calibres,” explains Giulio Papi,
“we have three different regulating organs:
thus three escapements—one traditional
Swiss in-line palettes, a Swiss palettes for
tourbillon and one that needs no lubrication,
the famous Robin escapement reserved for
Audemars Piguet, that we currently produce
only in an artisanal manner. It is thus expensive
but we could produce it on an industrial
scale. These escapements are equipped with
three different balances, with two different
speeds, 21,600 vibrations/hour or 43,200
vibrations/hour. Moreover, we have two systems
for energy accumulation, with one or
two barrels, for power reserves of 48 hours, 72
hours, or ten days. We have a common winding
system and time correction in all our
watches, except for Chanel’s Rétrograde
Mystérieuse, but that is another story (for this
watch, see our Cover Story in this issue on
Chanel). In terms of complete movements, we
propose two different minute repeaters—one
small, one large—two different integrated
chronographs, a flyback, a grand sonnerie, and
three perpetual calendars. And, using these
bases, we offer all sorts of variants.”
We might add also that Renaud & Papi has
made a name for itself with Richard Mille in
the particular domain of ultra-light materials.
We think notably of the latest RM 027, the
‘Nadal’, a tourbillon watch realized in a very
special carbon and that weighs only about 20
grammes. “A victory”, in the words of Giulio
Papi, “because the perception of value had
been up to now always tied to weight—the
heavier it is, the more expensive the piece.
We have succeeded in reversing this axiom”.
This experience was acquired with Audemars
Piguet and its famous Royal Oak in forged carbon.
But Giulio Papi, as fascinated as he is
with new materials, remains very cautious,
however, when it comes to silicon. “I am not
criticizing the technology itself but all our escapements
are made in traditional materials.
Why? We know that in time silicon will no
longer be used in micro-processors and that
the equipment designed to work with this
material will disappear. These are the same
machines used in watchmaking. I am afraid
that in 50 to 100 years, we will no longer be
able to repair silicon escapements.”
How has the company weathered the economic
crisis? “Since 2008, which was a record
year, our turnover has varied only very little. For
2010, we expected a decrease of five per cent
but we ended the year even. For 2011, we are
also expecting a five per cent decline, but we
will see what happens… It is not so serious for
us since all our installations are financed and
we have no current leases.”
CHRISTOPHE CLARET’S, (NEARLY)
COMPLETE MANUFACTURE
The great strength of Christophe Claret is to
have succeeded, in 22 years of independent
activity, in constructing a very high-end integrated
production tool, worthy of the very
sophisticated products that the company creates
to the level of 90 per cent in-house. Of
the 115 people who work there, some 40 are
certified watchmakers who produce a very
small number of watches—around 420 to
450 per year.The simplest and least expensive
is CHF 35,000, while the most expensive
reaches around CHF 120,000 (ex-factory
price, so multiply that by four, five, six or even
seven, depending on the brand!). Besides his
undeniable talents as a watch designer, the
power of Christophe Claret is that he excels
as much in the design and production of his
own movements as he does in the cases.
Christophe Claret

A RACING MACHINE ON THE WRIST
www.richardmille.com
RM 022
“AERODYNE”
DUAL TIME ZONE
Baseplate of honeycombed orthorhombic
titanium aluminide / carbon nanofiber
Power reserver : circa 70 hours
dual time zone indicator
Torque indicator
Power reserve indicator
Function selector
Variable inertia, free sprung balance
Fast rotating barrel (6 hours per revolution
instead of 7,5 hours)
Winding barrel teeth and third-wheel pinion
with central involute profile
Barrel pawl with progressive recoil
Modular time setting mechanism
fitted against the case back
Free sprung balance with overcoil
Wheel based time setting system (back of the movement)
Closure of the barrel cover by excentric screws
Ceramic endstone for the tourbillon cage
Central bridge in rigidified ARCAP
Spline screws in grade 5 titanium for the bridges and case
From 368 000

24 MANUFACTURING europa star
In 2000, the Christophe Claret manufacture,
founded in 1989, set up shop in the Soleil d'Or,
a beautiful house built at the beginning of
the 20th century by the watchmaker, Urban
Jurgensen, on the heights of Le Locle, just
below the watch museum in Les Monts. Since
2000, the house has seen the addition of two
ultramodern wings. In this compact setting is
one of the most complete and performable
manufactures, as well as one of the most modern
and innovative. With this tool, Claret has
been able to realize, in hardly a dozen years, 63
original in-house calibres, of which the simplest
is a tourbillon. The day of our visit, the
manufacture was working in parallel on 46 different
calibres.A record, without a doubt.
All this obviously involves very rigorous coordination
when we think of the operational
flow that has to be managed, especially when
all these pieces are produced in only ‘small
SHABAKA
by Jean Dunand
series’—12,000 references on the list, or
12,000 operational ranges to develop, and
more than 2 million pieces in production and
in stock in the ‘Treasure Room’. It is here, in
the computer-managed card file, where the
finished pieces and the unfinished ones are
contained, making up the kits—80 per cent
will be distributed for assembly in-house and
20 per cent will be delivered as they are to the
brands that ordered them.
Symbioses between
movement and the case
One of the originalities of Claret is the way
that the movement and the case are designed,
constructed and produced together, in a close
symbiotic relationship, if we might use these
words. The research department dedicated
to calibres, with its ten constructors, is next to
the department dedicated to cases. Christian
Cartier, head of the design and technical
monitoring of the cases, explains that those
“intended to receive very specific and complex
movements are necessarily as sophisticated as
the mechanism they harbour, protect and
showcase. Like the construction of the calibres,
the production of the cases is an exercise
in innovation: articulated horns, lateral openings,
articulated fold-over clasps…”
The Claret ‘style’ is completely evident. By developing
his own manufacturing capabilities in the
domain of the movement, Christophe Claret
has given wings to his own type of watchmaking.
He has thus been able to develop specific
techniques such as the use of rollers like in the
Shabaka, for example, developed for Jean
Dunand (of which he is a partner with Thierry
Oulevay), a watch that is particularly exemplary
of this integration or this mutual pollination
between the mechanism and the case.
For the love of machines
This development has also been made possible
because Christophe Claret is nearly as fascinated
by the movements he designs as he is
by the machines he develops.A good example
is the ‘monster’ that was recently created for
the manufacture’s case department: a 17-axis
CNC, capable of working in pairs with 2 x 5
axes, which allows not only the operational
time to be divided in half, but also, by minimizing
the manipulations and adjustments, to
offer superlative tooling precision.
An additional example, not far away, in the
ebauche department, another machine is the
pride and joy of its owner: the Flashcut laser,
developed by the manufacture in collaboration

HARRY WINSTON movements
with BC-Technology. This machine cuts out
70 per cent of the component parts. In four
hours, it does the work of five electro-erosion
machines that would have to run for 24 hours.
This gain in time and energy relegates the
other machines to the status of ‘dinosaurs’. In
the same workshop, is a Witech machine tool,
used up to now only in automobile production,
but that Christophe Claret had adapted for
watchmaking. It has a system permitting the
automatic replacement of 96 tools that it controls,
or the auto-control of the pieces being
produced allowing for automatic corrections.
And, there are other top-secret machines, hidden
behind doors that can only be opened with
TOURBILLON ORBITAL by Jean Dunand
a digital recognition system, such as the mysterious
machine capable of automatically polishing
the curves of sapphire crystal. (Remember
that it was Christophe Claret who was one of
the pioneers in the use of sapphire.)
“I am always looking to maintain a very progressive
vision of the modes of production,”
explains Claret, “and to be as innovative in
the domain of equipment as in that of watchmaking.”
But this concern has other reasons.
The mastery of the fabrication process, besides
bringing an always welcome autonomy, allows
for better reactivity by decreasing deadlines,
allows for ‘real time’ research and innovation,
and for these various factors, is economically
determinant.
We cannot go into detail here about all the ateliers
of this manufacture—of which the great
specialty is the tourbillon—but, other than the
assembly of movements that is obviously done
in-house, the finishing, polishing and decora-
europa star MANUFACTURING 25
DUAL TIME by Christophe Claret
tions also occupy a choice position: thermal
treatments, tempering and then polishing after
tempering, electroplating, the impressive chamfering
atelier where no less than 15 people
work to patiently hand-finish the component
parts, and the decoration atelier where finishings
such as Côtes de Genève and circulargraining,
among others, are carried out.
A style apart
In spite of the large diversity of timekeepers
produced in the manufacture, we can say that
the fascination Christophe Claret holds for
the machines, the processes, the savoir-faire
and the innovations is the same for the products
he designs. Connecting rods, rollers, animations,
chimes, mechanical ballets, all play a
part in this. The mechanical is not hidden, on
the contrary, it is showcased; it is discovered
under the sapphire cases; it plays with volumes
and depths.

28 MANUFACTURING europa star
Jean-Marc Wiederrecht
In this regard, the Dual Tow, launched by
Christophe Claret in 2009 to celebrate the
20th anniversary of his company, synthesizes
and condenses, with its 568 components, the
spirit of timekeeping according to Claret.
This single pusher planetary chronograph with
chime is equipped with a tourbillon and beltdriven
hour displays—no less!—and is a veritable
wrist machine.A unique and totally original
particularity, the Dual Tow’s chronograph
functions thanks to three satellites or planets,
linked to a column wheel that drives the operations
via six levers and hammers in the shape of
‘legs’ that give the piece a gracious allure. It
embodies all that is Christophe Claret in a mix
of mechanical fascination, transparency and
depth of movement, as well as original displays.
THE MECHANICAL
POETRY OF AGENHOR
“Twenty-five people, it’s a nice number, isn’t
it?” asks Jean-Marc Wiederrecht, sitting in his
new ateliers, which resemble a very beautiful
and very large ultra-contemporary residence,
constructed in keeping with strict environmental
criteria. This means zero carbon emissions
thanks to a combination of natural cooling,
without air-conditioning, geothermal heating,
and solar panels. This energy autonomy corresponds
well to the idea of independence and
self-sufficiency that Jean-Marc Wiederrecht
has always cherished above all. His totally
independent and self-financed structure allows
him to be “solid, supple, open, flexible” and to
work closely with his team of three construc-
tors, nine bench watchmakers, five administrative
employees, and five managers of supplies
and quality. “I am good like this and I don’t
want to get any larger,” he concludes.
The security of this total independence has a
price: it involves having “a multiplication of
products and clients,” he explains. Indeed,
Agenhor disposes of a considerable list of
clients for a relatively modest enterprise.
There are a dozen or so large clients who are
“serious and committed for the long term,” of
which five or six make up 70 per cent of the
company’s turnover. Among the ones that we
can mention are Harry Winston, Van Cleef &
Arpels, Chaumet, De Witt, Peter Speake-Marin,
MB&F, and Arnold & Sons. The complete list is
much longer and includes a number of real
heavyweights in the haute horlogerie sector.
Beyond the retrograde
Independent since 1978, Jean-MarcWiederrecht
constructed his image notably beginning in 1988
when, along with Roger Dubuis (the man and
not the brand, which did not yet exist), he developed
the first module of a bi-retrograde perpetual
calendar for Harry Winston. This world’s
first was rapidly followed by a flurry of inventions
such as the Double GMT, the Tri-Retrograde, a
Time Equation, and Universal Time, which made
his reputation as the ‘King of the Retrograde’.
The mechanical talents of Jean-Marc Wiederrecht
went way beyond the retrograde with an
entirely other kind of invention in 2002, which
allowed him to ‘liberate’ his watchmaking by
facilitating the work: a patent for specially
split toothed gears realized with Mimotec. By
introducing a form of elasticity in the gearing,
avoiding all blockage or tightening of the
teeth against each other, and allowing continuous
contact of the gears between each other,
Wiederrecht opened new opportunities for the
mechanical expression of his dreams.
Mechanical poems
Since Jean-Marc Wiederrecht is a watchmakerpoet
in the best sense of the term, he wanted to
create dreams with his gears, gearing and cams.
For this reason, he particularly likes feminine
timepieces. He likes to work with them because
they“tell stories”,he says with a smile.The most
striking example of his proclivity for ladies’
watches is the work he does with Van Cleef &
Arpels. The brand turned to Agenhor to create
its small mechanical works of poetic art—the
Quantième de Saisons,the Fairy,the Midnight in
Paris, and the Pont des Amoureux. “Starting
with the drawings, the stories, and making the
dreams come true in beautiful watches” are
evidently what motivates Wiederrecht the most.
One example of a real watchmaking challenge
is exemplified by the two lovers who join each
other every hour on the bridge in the Pont des
Amoureux, but this posed a mechanical problem.
At the moment of their separation (their
‘retrogradation’), it was very difficult to exactly
synchronize their double movement that is
driven by two hands that did not turn at the
same minute. It was necessary, therefore, to
invent a small hook, new to watchmaking, to
lock the two figures together, arm in arm, until
it was time for them to leave each other exactly
at the same time.

30 MANUFACTURING europa star
PONT DES AMOUREUX by Van Cleef & Arpels
Clearly, it is all Wiederrecht, all Agenhor in
this tiniest yet crucial detail, which is purely
poetic because, if the two lovers separated
one before the other, the story told by this
watch would have been quite different. It
would have been a stormy separation rather
than a lover’s ballad.
Only exclusivities
Agenhor makes only exclusivities, specifically
destined to a precise watch and the story that it
wants to tell. Another example demonstrates
this very well—the Opus 9 that Agenhor realized
in conjunction with the designer Eric Giroud
for Harry Winston, and that won the Design cat-
DANDY ARTY by Chaumet
egory at the 2009 Grand Prix d'Horlogerie in
Geneva. Working with Giroud, Wiederrecht
developed an original and delicate way of indicating
the time thanks to two mobile diamond
chains. It was a perfectly suitable way of telling
time, in both the literal and figurative senses,
since the Harry Winston brand has always been
associated with diamonds.
On average,Agenhor presents three new movements
per year. The rhythm will not increase
because, as Jean-Marc Wiederrecht says, “We
do not introduce a movement or a mechanism
until it is totally reliable, totally developed. This
is even more important today than before, during
the preceding crazy period.Today, the client
OPUS 9 by Harry Winston
rightly demands quality. Everything must be
quality, the exterior as well as the interior. The
same applies to finishing.”
From this point of view, Agenhor brings to its
finishing, quite often invisible, a rare poetic
refinement. Examples are the cams hidden
inside the movement of the Pont desAmoureux,
which are engraved with the silhouettes of
the two figures. This decorative poetry also
has a practical side: the parts of each watch
are immediately identifiable, thus facilitating
the work of the watchmakers.
No prototypes
Unlike other ‘master mechanics’, Agenhor does
not possess a lot of equipment. Everything is
made outside,by a network of longstanding and
loyal sub-contractors who have been carefully
selected for the particular task. The main reason
is that, for Jean-Marc Wiederrecht, “all
validations must be made on perfect pieces”.
Therefore, he does not pass by the traditional
step of the prototype but makes the pieces
directly in series based on the plans. When it is
assembled and the movement functions, then it
immediately passes to its production in series.
“Sometimes,” he admits,“it is necessary to redo
one or two components, but everything else is
ready, waiting to be assembled.” Obviousy,
Jean-Marc Wiederrecht is as practical and efficient
as he is poetic. A winning equation.

FOLLOW
YOUR
CONVICTIONS
”FREE ACCESS TO ALL
HUMAN KNOWLEDGE.
SOME CALLED IT
IMPOSSIBLE, I CALLED IT
WIKIPEDIA.”
Jimmy Wales, Founder of Wikipedia
Winner of the Gottlieb Duttweiler Prize 2011
In 2003, Jimmy Wales stayed true to his beliefs by
turning Wikipedia into a non-profi t foundation.
At Maurice Lacroix, we create our unique movements
and award-winning designs by hand – because,
like Jimmy, we too follow our convictions.
For more information visit www.MauriceLacroix.com
Pontos Décentrique GMT

32 MANUFACTURING europa star
Laurent Besse and Manuel Spöde
THE GRAND LEGO OF
LES ARTISANS HORLOGERS
When we enter the ancient 17th century mill
where LesArtisans Horlogers is located, the first
thing we see are three identical wall clocks that
show the same time with a small discrepancy.
Below are not written Paris, New York and
Hong Kong, but rather Neuchâtel, La Chaux-de-
Fonds, and Le Locle. This rather humoristic display
is a reminder of the company’s roots in
Jurassian timekeeping and perhaps also a way
to turn their noses up at globalization.
Laurent Besse, Co-founder and associate of
Manuel Spöde, welcomes us. Together Besse
and Spöde created Les Artisans Horlogers
seven years ago, in 2004. Manuel Spöde is
both experienced in business—having worked
in management and in sales—and in watchmaking
with a diploma from WOSTEP. He has
worked in watch restoration, the creation and
development of products, industrialization,
restructuring of watch companies and commercial
services. His diverse background seems
to correspond perfectly with that of Laurent
Besse, a graduate of the watchmaking school
in Besançon, with experience at Nouvelle
Lémania and Frédéric Piguet. Besse also
worked with Eric Klein, head of the multibrand
research and development department
at Richemont.While there, he met a good part
of the new generation of CEOs in watchmaking
such as Antonio Calce (Corum), Hamdi
Chatti (Louis Vuitton), and Michel Nieto (formerly
at Baume & Mercier). He contributed to
the development of products for Cartier and
Piaget, but the ambiance of a large group with
its decision-making constraints and slowness
did not enchant him. He then moved to the
Conseil Ray office, and developed movements
for Zenith, notably, that he joined some time
later when Thierry Nataf arrived on the scene.
But he didn’t stay there very long. He again
runs into Manuel Spöde, whom he had met
some years earlier. Together, they restructured
STT that would become Dimier when it was
sold to Pascal Raffy from Bovet. At the same
time, they founded Les Artisans Horlogers.
The logic of (luxury) Lego
When they created Les Artisans Horlogers
(LAH), their concept was fully developed and
their approach was clearly defined. They
would take six full years to realize their programme
and make their production totally
reliable. Laurent Besse compares their idea to
the Lego principle: have a repertory of compatible
pieces that, starting with the same
essential components, would let you create
“everything you want”, or nearly. With these
small Lego blocks can be created a chateau, a
speedboat or a pirate ship.With the LAH components
can be built a tourbillon, a regulator,
or an MB&F machine. The central element of
the LAH Lego is a basic calibre that was
totally developed by them, a calibre that is
“well built and simple so that it can be customized
without too much effort,” as explains
Besse in a few words. “We therefore see many
elements from one calibre to another,” he
adds, “but this way of proceeding lets us avoid
having to always reinvent the wheel and
allows us to offer a complete range of products,
totally operational, that can also accept
existing additional modules. For example, I
think of the chronograph modules of Dubois-
Dépraz. Moreover, these calibres are not templates
and have strictly nothing to do with

Mobilizing its energy reserves.
With its unmistakable design and its distinctive power reserve indication, the Patravi
EvoTec PowerReserve is the new icon among those watch models, which are
based on the holistic “Evolution Technology” Manufacture Concept. This is a further
demonstration of how Carl F. Bucherer is going its own way with its development
of movements and mechanisms. The CFB A1002 represents the expression of this
philosophy, challenging the existing and striving for more intelligent solutions,
with creative developments, such as the fi rst reliably functioning, peripherally positioned
rotor and the innovative mechanism for changing the big date.
www.carl-f-bucherer.com
AHEAD OF THE TIMES.

34 MANUFACTURING europa star
clones, but they are compatible.” In passing,
we might add that Laurent Besse casts a
doubtful eye on the famous ETA clones. In his
opinion, “ETA is absolutely unbeatable in the
domain of cutting tools and not one of its rivals
can touch it, at least not for now”.
The thought behind this approach has permitted
LAH to offer a complete range of classic
complications, a totally personalizable range
that will allow the creation of their specialties,
which include the tourbillon in first place. This
approach also lets them plan for the longterm
vision, to think globally about the collection
and the reliability of its production. By
standardizing a large part of the components
and by being able to purchase in large quantities,
they ensure their production according
to industrial criteria, thus offering better reliability
and greater precision.
Since 2008, LAH has proposed five basic calibres,
ranging from 8'''3/4 to 13'''3/4, available
in more than 40 versions, with manual
winding, automatic winding (equipped with a
circular oscillating weight, their great singularity
or a small exocentric weight), and even
manual winding with a tourbillon escapement
(another great specialty).
The importance of dialogue
In a few years, their proposition, coupled with
their ability to personalize products to the
extreme, attracted strongly different brands
that asked for specific movements. Among
these brands are Maurice Lacroix (Mémoire 1
and Pontos Excentrique, for example), MB&F
(with which it has a very close collaboration,
resulting in notably the HM1 and the HM4
Thunderbolt), Harry Winston, Universal Genève,
British Masters, Peter Speake-Marin, Rebellion,
Zeitwinkel, etc. Clearly these brands are quite
different from each other.
“In the approach to design and construction,
it is necessary to have a very detailed dialogue
with the brand that asks you to design a
movement,” explains Laurent Besse, “because
each time you have to find the internal logic of
the brand and succeed in mechanically express-
ing its DNA. So, in order to take this logic to its
full potential, we will go as far as creating the
case in certain cases, and even in designing
the final packaging. We are, of course, watch
engineers, but we are also closely interested in
industrial design”.
Economies of scale
One of the reasons for this success is due to the
economies of scale that are fostered by the
‘Lego method’. Despite the fact that they make
essentially only small series of timepieces, LAH
can still offer an extremely attractive price/quality
ratio thanks to the economies realized as
much in the realm of construction as in production,
stock management, assembly and the
ability to meet deadlines.
“Today, we make 1,000 movements per year,
but our goal is to increase this number and to
lower our costs even more, while remaining a
small player, working exclusively in specialty
watchmaking. We hope to increase these
numbers to 5,000 to 10,000 movements per
year within five years.” Is the moment right?
“It is correct to say that movement makers
are currently suffering more than during the
height of the crisis. Brands are apprehensive,
fearful. They want to offer exclusivities, amazing
products, but they don’t dare move for-
ward. Pressure on pricing has also increased.
Investors are holding back. We recently studied
a demand that would have resulted in
50,000 movements, with the creation of a
factory, but the green light never came…”
Another savings factor is the modesty and
flexibility of LAH’s own structure. Today 15
people are divided between R&D, construction,
prototyping, logistics, controls, the preparation
of kits and the assembly of small series
(assembly of more than 200 pieces is done in
partnership.)
“We don’t want to grow too big and, notably,
we do not envision producing the pieces ourselves.
On the contrary, as indicated by the
three wall clocks at the entrance, we operate
between Le Locle, where we are based, La
Chaux-de-Fonds, and Neuchâtel, where we
have developed a dense network of favoured

HAUTLENCE HL Q 03
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Manufacture’s own patented calibre
Hand-winding MecHanical MoveMent
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running second, JuMping date
liMited and nuMbered edition of 88 pieces
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power reserve of 40 Hours
water resistant up to 3 atM
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36 MANUFACTURING europa star
sub-contractors. With them, we have woven a
tightly knit fabric of suppliers, whether in the
realm of small or large series, for cutting, for
gears, for various steps in assembly, for encasing,
decoration or finishing. We have calculated
that our small structure actually provides
work for around 300 people.”
THE MAGMA CONCEPT ‘VIRUS’
“We are a virus, a free electron,” delightfully
declares Philippe Thivolet, General Manager,
and Cédric Grandperret, Executive Director of
Magma Concept, located in Plan-les-Ouates
near Geneva. In 2001, along with prototype
expert, Manuel Garcia, and digital imaging
specialist, Cédric Vaucher, they founded this
rather particular hybrid organization. It is active
in both imaging synthesis and in the construction
of movements.
In the beginning, Magma Concept began to
work with 3D modelling as a marketing support.
Then, quite naturally, the company turned
towards the offer of products. Everything
seemed to start in 2003 with the demand for
tourbillons by Jörg Hysek, based on a Jaquet
calibre.This was followed by collaboration with
Chanel for its first J12 Tourbillon equipped
with a sapphire upper cage.
In 2006, Cédric Granperret, the mechanical
soul of the group and former member of the
technical department at Chopard, was lured
away by Jean-Claude Biver who wanted him
to create the new technical base for Hublot, to
create pilot lines, and to set up the assembly
and production unit for Mag Bang.The experience
lasted two years and, in 2008, Cédric
Grandperret returned to Magma.
In the meantime, the Magma team had totally
designed and developed its own tourbillon calibre
as well as a series of functions and displays
using the 7750 base, but in specific materials
such as titanium, aluminium and gold, all “in
perfect accord with ETA”. These developments
allow Magma Concept today to propose four
different 13 ¼''' 28,800 vibrations/hour calibres:
the MAG-007 with three hands including
centre seconds, large date, in automatic or
manual versions, with stop seconds; the MAG-
005 GMT3, automatic with complication, three
hands in the centre, two different GMT indications
at 6 o’clock and 12 o’clock, both with
their own day/night display, as well as a retrograde
date with a 120° hand at 9 o’clock; the
MAG-004, flyback chronograph with column
wheel integrated into a 7750, featuring hours,
minutes, and small seconds at 9 o’clock,
60-second chronograph counter at the centre,
30-minute counter at 3 o’clock, and 12-hour
counter at 6 o’clock, as well as a date window
at 5 o’clock; and the MAG-003, an automatic
chronograph with cams integrated into the
movement, configured like the MAG-004.
As for the MAG-002, it is a tourbillon featur-
ing 3Hz (21,600 vibrations/hour), hours and
minutes at the centre, power reserve hand
indicator at 12 o’clock, and, optionally, a
small seconds on the cage at 6 o’clock.
“It is an intentionally simple tourbillon in its
design and its architecture,” explains Cédric
Grandperret, “held between two bar bridges,
equipped with 60 hours of power reserve and
excellent torque that allows for additional
new complications to be added without making
major changes.This is why it was designed
this way.”
This tourbillon equips all the new models for
Cécil Purnell, which only offers tourbillons in
its collections, and which is currently Magma’s
largest client.Among the other customers that
we can mention are Artya, Aquanautic and
new mandates coming up for deLaCour.
To break old habits
As the management at Magma likes to say,
“We are constructors of both engines and bodywork.
In this sense, Magma operates as a micromanufacture
that masters the design and construction
as well as the production of a large
part of its component parts, whether used for
movements or cases. Also providing a design
service directed by an industrial designer trained
in the automobile industry (PSA), Magma
Concept is able to offer advanced personalization
of its products, including the form of
the movements gears, the lines of the case
and details in the casing. Magma’s second site,
located in Gland, regroups the production unit
and creates plates, bridges, all the steel and
brass components, dials, crowns and pushpieces

RUE ROYALE
Collection
CALIBRE ROYAL featuring multiple integrated complications. Fully designed
and built in Pequignet’s Haute Horlogerie laboratory. This unique 13 ¾ Calibre, with a maximum thickness of just
5.88 mm, houses all complications on its original main plate: Double Large Day and Date Windows, 88-hour Power
Reserve Indicator, Large Moon Phase and dual direction automatic winding system. 21,600 oscillations/hour (3 Hz).
Initial force distribution by a central large barrel axis. High-inertia large balance with compensating screws. These
features create an exceptionally accurate and reliable timepiece. This masterpiece of watchmaking innovation and
technology represents Plato’s “Beauty is the splendour of the truth”, when the multiple complications of Haute
Horlogerie combine in perfect symmetry and elegance.
Tel. +33 (0)3 81 67 30 66 - Contact : patleibundgut@pequignet.com
www.pequignet.com

38 MANUFACTURING europa star
CALIBRE CP3888
as well as all small series, while also carrying
out traditional tooling and laser engraving.
All of the cutting operations, screws and gears
are done outside. As to the assortment—in
other words, the balance spring, escapement
wheel, palettes and balance—it is made by
MHVJ (Manufacture Horlogère de la Vallée de
Joux, today part of the Festina group). The finishing,
polishing of cases and the decoration
of the various pieces is also sub-contracted
out to a closely knit network of suppliers.
One of Cédric Grandperret’s favourite domains
is that of materials. “I love all that is material,”
he likes to say, “and I am particularly fascinated
by the realms of steel, because this is a
veritable world of super alloys, and of aluminium,
which offers very interesting perspectives.”
Although he happily considers himself
more a micro-mechanic specializing in watchmaking
than a watch constructor, Grandperret
has been strongly criticized for having promoted
machining using water instead of oil,
including the case of grade 5 titanium and
magnesium, which are especially hard metals.
“I like to break old habits and to look elsewhere
on condition that new materials, like
new techniques, bring a real plus”.
Like some others, Grandperret is not a big fan
of silicon or its future. “It certainly has great
precision in the fabrication, but it is easily
broken and, from the point of view of the spring,
it wears out over time. No, on a functional level,
I prefer the steels.”
Still modest, Magma Concept, with its ten or
so employees, is nonetheless totally representative
of the new breed of companies specializing
in the creation and production of complicated
movements that are well adapted to the
brands that desire them. Often these types of
companies are made up of a mixture of various
competencies coming from both watchmaking
and micro-mechanics, using tools such as digital
imaging. This modernity does not however
preclude a traditional vision of timekeeping. In
this vein, Magma has announced that in the
future, it wants to have its movements certified
with the Poinçon de Genève.
And the rest? See it during the
whole year at Europa Star
In three long articles, we have tried to paint
the most complete picture possible of the
Swiss offer in the realm of mechanical movements.
There are, however, many ateliers, watch
CLASSIQUE 43 by Cécil Purnell
companies, and research and development
units that we were not able to cover. Starting
in 2011, we will have a regular new column,
issue after issue, which will take into account
the latest developments in this eminently
strategic sector. Join us, then in our next issue,
Europa Star 1/11. O

One Week Earth
We design and manufacture each of our own watch movements.
Every plate, every screw, every wheel is individually lathed, milled
and polished by hand and ultimately finished to perfection.
The result is the first Armin Strom manual winding calibre with a
power-reserve of 7 days. Meticulous attention to detail was devoted
to all of its 146 individual parts.
BY
arminstrom.com
Manufactory calibre ARM09
The exclusive ONE WEEK collection is available in four variations /
elements: Air (titanium), Water (stainless steel), Earth (stainless
steel and black PVD coating) and Fire (rose gold). Each variation is
limited to 100 pieces.

40 MECHANICAL GALLERY europa star
RUE ROYALE by Pequignet
Automatic timepiece equipped with an in-house
manufactured Calibre Royal with 72-hour power
reserve guaranteed. Hours, minutes, small seconds
at 4 o’clock, large day and date, large accurate
moon phase at 6 o’clock, oscillating weight with
sunray finish with rhodium plating, bridges and
main plate circular-grained with snail design and
Côtes de Genève.
OCEAN CHRONOGRAPH by Harry Winston
White gold 44 mm timepiece equipped with an
automatic movement with 40-hour power reserve.
Off-centered hours and minutes, small second
(Shuriken), triple retrograde chronograph, Côtes de
Genève decorative motif on the dial and rutheniumcoloured
strip, sapphire crystals, black alligator
strap and water resistant to 100 metres.

42 MECHANICAL GALLERY europa star
IMPERIAL by Chopard
Rose gold 40 mm chronograph equipped with a self-winding
movement. Hours and minutes, mother-of-pearl and silvered
dial, rose gold bracelet or shiny purple alligator strap, rose
gold pin buckle and water resistant to 50 metres. Also
available in steel and in a 36 mm version.
BENU by Moritz Grossmann
Rose gold timepiece equipped with a 100.0 manually wound
movement adjusted in five positions. Hours, minutes and
seconds, 42-hour power reserve, solid silver dial, Arabic
numerals, sapphire crystal with anti reflective coating, handcrafted
steel hands with brown/violet hue, hand-stitched alligator
strap and limited to 100 watches worldwide.

masterpieces
Treasure the past, embrace the future | www.titoni.ch
Impetus VI

44 MECHANICAL GALLERY europa star
CHRISTOPHE COLOMB by Zenith
Yellow gold 45 mm timepiece fitted with an Academy 8804 manual
movement. Hours and minutes off-centered at 12 o’clock, selfregulating
gyroscopic module at 6 o’clock, small second display at
9 o’clock, power reserve display at 3 o’clock, sapphire crystals
and dome, silver rounded barleycorn guilloché dial with Clou de
Paris on the small second counter and water resistant to 30 metres.
MISS GOLDEN BRIDGE by Corum
Tonneau shaped, 18-carat red gold timepiece equipped with a mechanical
baguette movement. Hours, minutes, 40-hour power reserve, no dial,
hand-wound by a stem at 6 o’clock, black skeleton hour hand,minute baton
hand, sapphire crystals, black crocodile strap, red gold tongue buckle and
water-resistant to 30 metres.

HERITAGE COLLECTION
INSTRUMENT BR 03 42 mm
VINTAGE BR 126 41 mm
Natural Leather strap
Information: Bell & Ross Switzerland +41 32 331 26 35 . Europe +33 (0)1 55 35 36 00 . information@bellross.com . www.bellross.com

46 SIHH europa star
Panerai looks beyond the sea
One of the highlights of last year’s SIHH was the unveiling of Panerai’s Jupiterium, a planetarium clock created
as a homage to Galileo Galilei.This year the tribute to Galileo continues with an exhibition and two new
collections. Europa Star’s Sophie Furley was in the Italian city of Florence to find out more.
RSophie Furley
From the sea to the solar system
Following the astronomical and horological
achievement of the Jupiterium, Panerai is
continuing its tribute to Galileo Galilei with a
special exhibition in Florence entitled ‘Time
and Space: A tribute to Galileo Galilei’. The
exhibition showcases an enormous selection of
timekeepers and instruments from the brand’s
historical and contemporary collections, and
is unveiling two new collections that will be
presented during the SIHH this year.
L’ASTRONOMO
Galileo Galilei
Angelo Bonati
L’Astronomo
The first collection is Panerai’s Luminor 1950
Equation of Time Tourbillon Titanio – 50mm
L’Astronomo, which was created to celebrate
the 400th anniversary of Galileo’s first celestial
i P.2005, P.2005/G and P.2005/P movements
observations and is the most technically complicated
watch that the brand has ever produced.
The timepiece includes a tourbillon with equation
of time, indication of sunrise and sunset
times for the owner’s city, as well as a map of
the night sky of the same region on the caseback
(the map can rotate both ways depending
on which hemisphere the owner lives in). The
Astronomo is equipped with Panerai’s P.2005
in-house calibre which has been modified to
include the new functions (P.2005/G) and is
also available in white or rose gold. As soon as
the collection was announced, Panerai fans
started fighting to get their hands on a piece.
“We are only making 300 pieces, but have
already received 2,600 requests,” shares
Angelo Bonati, Panerai’s Managing Director.
Lo Scienziato
The Radiomir Tourbillon GMT Ceramica –
48mm Lo Scienziato, the second collection to
be previewed before the SIHH, was also conceived
as a tribute to the famous scientist,
mathematician and philosopher. The Scienziato
timepiece comes in a zirconium oxide ceramic
case and its striking skeleton structure is made
out of a fine mesh that supports the indexes
and the sub dials. The P.2005/P movement

powers the tourbillon (which rotates perpendicularly
to the axis of the balance and completes
two rotations per minute instead of one),
small seconds, am/pm indicator and second
time zone.The collection is limited to 30 pieces.
Museo Galileo
In addition to the Jupiterium, exhibition and
two limited editions, Panerai is also sponsoring
the Institute and Museum of the History of
Science which was recently reopened under
the name of Museo Galileo, after two years of
extensive refurbishment. The company has
generously donated its Jupiterium clock to the
museum so it can continue to be admired by
everyone. “We were offered two million Euros
for the Jupiterium,” explains Bonati “but it
wasn’t manufactured to sell, it was created to
convey our watchmaking skills”.
The new Galileo Museum is an incredible collection
of five centuries of scientific instruments
JUPITERIUM
LO SCIENZIATO
that were put together by Florence’s Medici and
Lorraine families. The star of the exhibit is
Galileo’s original, 400 year-old telescope that
he used to discover Jupiter’s moons in 1610.
Preview of a new
movement – 3000P
News from the brand doesn’t stop there, however,
a new family of in-house calibres joins the
ranks at the base of the Panerai movement
pyramid.This 3000P hand-wound movement is
5.3mm thick and has a diameter of 16 1/2 lines.
Other features include a three day power
reserve, 21 jewels, 21,600 alternations per
hour, Incabloc® anti shock devices and two
spring barrels connected in series.The construction
is solid with a large bridge next to a smaller
bridge that covers the majority of the mechanical
parts and which is fixed to the bottom plate
by a series of thick screws. This robust structure
doesn’t sacrifice the aesthetic side though, with
brush-finished bridges and chamfered angles.
The 3000P sits next to Panerai’s smaller P.999
calibre, which was a response to the Asian market
for a smaller movement.
Brand boutiques in abundance
Thanks to the increasing number of in-house
movements that the brand is mastering, and
the fact that the company’s case manufacture
is now owned by the group, there should be a
constant flow of timepieces in the future. This
will be important for the brand as it initiates
its strategy of opening 40-50 brand boutiques,
europa star SIHH 47
and the same number of additional franchises,
over the next two years.As a reminder, Panerai
already has 18 flagship stores worldwide.
“Boutiques are extremely important in emerging
markets,” notes Bonati. “Rapid evolution
in China and the Far East is very different from
the rest of the world with its malls instead of
traditional stores. If you don’t have a flagship
store, you are just not visible.”
Star gazing
Panerai has always strongly promoted its link to
the sea and its collaborations with the specialist
forces of the Italian navy, so this year of
Galileo tributes and star gazing may seem
strange to some. But the connections between
the Tuscan scientist and Panerai are many,
with both scientist and brand coming from
the city of Florence, historically recognised for
its connection to both art and science. In
addition to Galileo’s many inventions and
astronomical discoveries, he is also credited
with discovering that the oscillations of a
pendulum are isochronous. “To pay tribute to
3000P movement
Galileo conveys our technical image through
science,” notes Bonati. “Today’s companies
must support museums, especially in Italy
where many risk closing down.” Whatever
the reason for such a partnership, the fruits of
this year of tributes certainly haven’t disappointed
Panerai’s fans who are as fervent for
the brand’s timepieces as ever. O
For more information about Panerai click on
Brand Index at www.europastar.com

48 SIHH europa star
Vacheron Constantin
takes its Quai de l’Ile to a new level
RSophie Furley
T
The Quai de l’Ile was launched in 2008 to much
acclaim thanks to the collection’s numerous
possibilities for customization, its state of
the art security printing with passport, client
service, fine workmanship and avant-garde
design. Now the brand has unveiled an alternative
Quai de l’Ile Retrograde Annual Calendar
with a new in-house movement and even more
options to choose from.
This latest Quai de l’Ile is equipped with a
brand new 2460 QRA automatic retrograde
annual calendar that has been entirely developed
and produced in house and is stamped
with the prestigious Geneva Seal. The annual
calendar is one of the most useful complications
available as its date only needs to be
modified once a year in February, unlike simple
calendars that require regulating at the end of
each month. Coupled with a retrograde date,
these two features take the Quai de l’Ile to an
exciting new level .
The main functions of this new model include:
Hours, minutes, small seconds at 9 o’clock,
retrograde date, months, phases of the moon
(that only need correcting every 122 years),
40-hours power reserve and a stop second for
precise setting.
The cushioned case has increased by 2 mm to
43 mm and its middle section comes in seven
different parts that can be chosen in rose or
white gold, or a combination of both. There is
also a vast selection of dials to chose from,
including the version photographed here, which
has a vertically satin finished inner dial and
opaline outer ring. There are many other customization
possibilities available that raise the
amount of variations to a staggering 700.
The security of each piece remains an integral
part of the Quai de l’Ile concept, with an ink
printing of a sun between four and five
o’clock (inspired from the clock on the Tour de
l’Ile in Geneva’s Place Bel-Air) that can only
been detected under ultraviolet light – definitely
something that will put the counterfeiters
off, especially when they discover that
each timepiece comes with its own passport
that uses the same security technology as the
Swiss passport too.
This new Quai de l’Ile Retrograde Annual Calendar
is being presented for the first time at
the SIHH this January – so make a note to stop
by and take a closer look. O
For more information aboutVacheron Constantin
click on Brand Index at www.europastar.com

atelier-zuppinger.ch
An elected official
or a part in a
striking watch?
Discover the world of Fine Watchmaking
at www.hautehorlogerie.org
The Foundation’s Partners: A. Lange & Söhne | Antoine Preziuso | Audemars Piguet | Baume & Mercier | Cartier | Chanel | Chopard | Corum | Fédération
de l’industrie horlogère suisse | Girard-Perregaux | Greubel Forsey | 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

50 SIHH europa star
Parmigiani takes on the classics
Parmigiani’s new Tonda 1950 is by far the most classic model to be released by the brand to date,
with an extra-flat self-winding movement and timeless design.
RSophie Furley
T
The return of the classical watch has been one
of the most prominent watch trends that has
appeared in the watch industry over the last
12 months. While some brands have strived
for the ultimate slenderness in both their
watches and movements, others have moved
away from trendy designs in favour of more
subdued shapes and styles – all with a view
to capture wider audiences. “A collection will
not be complete unless a classic timepiece is
part of it,” explains Michel Parmigiani. “The
Tonda 1950 has been introduced in order to
achieve this and to offer a complete range to
our customers.”
Parmigiani’s newTonda 1950 leaves behind the
tonneau case of the brand’s Kalpa Collection
and the sporty lines of its Pershing models for a
totally new, subdued classic shape. The design
couldn’t be cleaner with a plain graphite or
white grained dial and elegant diamond-polished
appliques. “The challenge in design that
was achieved with the Tonda 1950 is that we
were able to develop a complete new product,
without distancing ourselves from our brand’s
identity and soul,” shares Michel Parmigiani.
Despite the simple lines, the brand’s DNA certainly
shines through with the company’s signature
Delta-shaped hands with luminescent
coating and four of Parmigiani’s round and
ergonomic, iconic lugs.
The Tonda 1950 is equipped with Parmigiani’s
new PF700 automatic movement with a 42-
hour power reserve and a diameter of 30mm
(13 1/4 lines) and a thickness of 2.6mm. The
movement has an off-centred micro-oscillating
weight in platinum and is finished to the highest
standards of the brand. The nickel silver
main plate is sand blasted, circular-grained
and then rhodium plated, while the bridges
are sand-blasted or decorated with the Côtes
de Genève motif, before being bevelled by
hand and rhodium plated. Each wheel is also
bevelled, sunk, circular-grained on both sides
and then gilded before cutting.
The entire exterior and the movement of each
Tonda 1950 timepiece is created exclusively inhouse
thanks to the different centres of expertise
that make up the Parmigiani Manufacture.
“Retailers will discover the new Tonda 1950
during the upcoming SIHH 2011.We are confident
that the response will be very enthusiastic
but time will tell…” muses Michel Parmigiani.
At Europa Star, we don’t think he has anything
to worry about! O
For more information about Parmigiani click on
Brand Index at www.europastar.com

W
When Ralph Lauren Watches first debuted, the
brand introduced three collections: Sporting,
Slim Classique and Stirrup.Where other brands
might expand on this at every exhibition, Ralph
Lauren Watches has eschewed this approach.
Instead, the company is intent on broadening
the offers within those collections, focusing on
quality and products that make sense for the
Ralph Lauren customer.
“We are going to further expand the three
existing lines, emphasizing the craftsmanship, so
you will see product enhancing the workmanship,
including the guilloché,” says Châtillon.
“We will continue to focus on timeless watches.
We are also going to investigate new materials
in the near future.
“When you are a newcomer, you need to build
credibility,” adds Châtillon. “In the past, every
brand created a bubble with new product. Now,
you will see less newness and more consistency,
building up more long term products. Our
objective was to come strong with three collections.This
doesn’t mean that we aren’t going to
be working on new products, but for the time
being it’s line extensions, not new collections.
This year, we are entering Asia Pacific, so we
need smaller sizes, diamonds, and this was very
well received by the industry. We are trying to
be consistent, We say what we do and we do
what we say. We are using the best manufacture
movements and prestigious materials.”
The watches
A new version of the Sporting: For 2011, Ralph
Lauren presents the first timepiece inspired by
his personal car collection, with the introduction
of a Ralph Lauren Sporting watch featuring an
elm burl wood dial inspired by the interior of his
model 1938 Bugatti Type 57SC Atlantic Coupe.
europa star SIHH 51
Ralph Lauren gallops ahead
Ralph Lauren is an icon in the fashion world, an abiding force that creates trends but doesn’t chase them. Ralph Lauren
Watches and Jewellery, headed up by Guy Châtillon, President, is using the same approach in the watch industry.
RKeith W. Strandberg
i RALPH LAUREN SPORTING WATCH
A black galvanic centre and black calf leather
strap contrasts with the warmth of the wood,
echoing the wooden dashboard and black
leather seating in this prized vintage automobile.
For enhanced readability and to recall
the dials on the dash of the car, this watch uses
Arabic numerals.The bezel and dial are accented
by functional screws, while the crown is emblazoned
with the iconic RL initials logo.
Powering this watch is a manual winding
mechanical movement, calibre RL98295, made
by IWC for Ralph Lauren, featuring a power
reserve of 45 hours. As with all Sporting
Collection models, this timepiece features a
sapphire crystal case back, revealing the movement’s
Côtes de Genève and Perlage finish
work on the plate.

52 SIHH europa star
Another introduction, this one tied to the
opening of the women’s Ralph Lauren boutique
in New York City, and the introduction
of the Ralph Lauren jewellery collection, is the
Stirrup all diamond chain watch.
888 Madison Ave
In November of 2010, Ralph Lauren opened
its first watch and jewellery salon in the
United States. Located within the new flagship
store devoted to the brand’s Women’s
and Home luxury offering at 888 Madison
Avenue in New York, the Watch & Jewellery
Salon features the collections of Ralph Lauren
Timepieces complemented by the introduction
of Ralph Lauren Fine Jewellery.
Located across from the Ralph Lauren Men’s
boutique (867 Madison, in the Rhinelander
STIRRUP ALL DIAMOND CHAIN WATCH
mansion), the new flagship is 22,000 square
feet (2,044 square metres) of the Ralph Lauren
world, dedicated to women and the home.
The new store will offer the Ralph Lauren
Collection, Women’s Black Label, Blue Label,
Double RL, RLX Ralph Lauren and Home merchandise,
along with fine jewellery, made-tomeasure
women’s suits and sleepwear.
The jewellery
This year, Ralph Lauren is introducing his jewellery
collection, which will take pride of place
right next to the watches.
“We worked on the jewellery together,” says
Châtillon. “There are similarities of authenticity,
legitimacy, design and quality with the
watches. We started designing a year ago.
Ralph came with an idea. He said here are the
directions and we came with the proposals. In
a record time we developed prototypes we
were able to show him.When you understand
how he works, it makes the process much
simpler. “It’s going to be several families, all
inspired by the environment of Ralph Lauren
(equestrian, new romantic, diamonds, etc.),”
he continues. “We had to reduce the number
of initial offerings, but it’s amazing what we
have been able to do. Then, after the introduction
we will add more pieces to the collection
during the roll out.We are in the world of
fine jewellery, with incredible craftsmanship,
precious metals, quality diamonds and more.
It is definitely in line with what the Ralph
Lauren customer expects. We have ideas for
men’s jewellery, but for this introduction, we
are focusing on the feminine. There are definitely
many different directions we can go.”O
For more information about Ralph Lauren click
on Brand Index at www.europastar.com

2
2010 was a good year for Audemars Piguet.
Fresh off heavily investing in new facilities,
equipment and personnel. “The market demand
is very strong again,” says Philippe Merk,
President, Audemars Piguet. “We are seeing
that the Chinese customer is one of the major
drivers today,and there is also strong demand in
LatinAmerica,which has been in consistent evolution
for over three years now. The most worrisome
situation is that of the Swiss franc, which
is appreciating against all major currencies.”
Merk is particularly excited about the brand’s
new product development, always a strength
for Audemars Piguet.
“We have some very good plans - we are making
collections that have classical values, without
neglecting where we are strong, with elegant
sports watches as well as the avant-garde
timepieces,” he details.“On a smaller scale, I’m
excited about the relaunch of the Millenary
gents watches in the core collection. We have
some exciting things to show in the Offshore,
and in the Classical field with the new Jules
Audemars.We are certainly seeing a trend back
to classical and traditional, and I hope that this
is a lasting trend. The Chinese customer has
introduced this but it is everywhere right now.”
The Millenary Minute Repeater
The one watch Audemars Piguet released prior
to the opening of the SIHH is a new Minute
Repeater in the Millenary collection. “It’s a
Grande Complication in titanium, because of
the acoustic properties for the sonnerie, with
a very cool design,” Merk says. “It’s going to
be very restricted because of our production
capacity.”
Looking forward, Merk knows that 2012 is
going to be a big year, as it is the 40th anniversary
of the Royal Oak,Audemars Piguet’s most
iconic watch.
Growing distribution
Audemars Piguet is looking at expanding its
boutique network, currently at 12 wholly owned
stores, along with more than 20 that are in
partnership with retailers. “In certain areas,
we need to work with a local retailer to share
the projects,” Merk explains.“In terms of high
level retail concepts, we want to approach a
europa star SIHH 53
Audemars Piguet’s plans in the pipeline
RKeith W. Strandberg
total of 30 – 40 stores in the world, and at
the same time we are improving in general
our retail distribution.” O
For more information about Audemars Piguet
click on Brand Index at www.europastar.com
TECHNICAL CHARACTERISTICS
REFERENCE 26371TI.OO.D002CR.01
Manufacture Audemars Piguet Calibre 2910
Offset hours/minutes at 3 o’clock, offset minutes at 7
o’clock; three-position winding crown; repeater slide
serving to activate the minute repeater at 7 o’clock
Movement dimensions (width and thickness):
37.90 x 32.90 mm
Casing diameter (width and thickness): 37 x 32 mm
Total movement thickness: 10.05 mm
Direct-impulse AP escapement
Variable-inertia balance fitted with inertia-blocks
Diameter of the balance: 11.90 mm
Flat double balance-spring
Power reserve: 165 hours
Frequency: 21,600 vph (3Hz)
Number of parts: 443
Number of jewels: 40
Finishing: all parts finished by hand, with handpolished
bevelling, interior angles, snailing, handdraw
file strokes, horizontal Côtes de Genève motif and
circular-graining on the mainplate.
Case: Titanium oval case; width: 47 mm / thickness:
42 mm; sapphire crystal caseback; non water-resistant
Dial: Anthracite grey dial, applied pink gold Roman
numerals, silvered small seconds sub-dial
Strap: Hand-sewn black crocodile leather “with large
square scales”, fastened by a titanium AP folding clasp
Functions: Hours, minutes, small seconds, minute repeater

54 SIHH GALLERY europa star
ASTROTOURBILLON by Cartier
Titanium, 47 mm, astrotourbillon equipped with the brand’s in-house
manual 9451 MC calibre with 48-hour power reserve. Sapphire crystals
front and back, titanium crown set with a facetted blue sapphire, black
alligator strap, Roman numerals, 18-carat white gold double deployment
buckle, water resistant to 30 metres and limited edition of 192 pieces.
TOURBILLON AND CROCCODILE GENEVA SEAL CALIBRE 9458 MC by Cartier
Rhodium-plated,18-carat white gold, 44 mm timepiece equipped with Cartier’s manual manufacture calibre
9458 MC with 50-hour power reserve. 585 gems (totalling 8.2 carats), sapphire crystal, rhodium-plated 18carat
white gold buckle set with gems and water resistant to 30 metres. Limited edition of 50 pieces.
DOUBLE TOURBILLON 30º - EDITION
HISTORIQUE by Greubel Forsey
Platinum 950, 44.50 mm timepiece equipped
with an inner tourbillon inclined at a
30º angle and an outer tourbillon that
rotates in 4 minutes. Hours, minutes and
small seconds; 72-hour power reserve;
18-carat, anthracite coloured dial, sapphire
crystals front and back, black alligator
strap and water resistant to 30 metres.

LUMINOR MARINA 1950 3 DAYS AUTOMATIC
COMPOSITE – 44MM by Panerai
Brown Panerai composite timepiece equipped with the
brand’s P.9000 in-house calibre with three-day power
reserve. Hours and minutes; small seconds at 9 o’clock;
date at 3 o’clock; brown dial; luminous Arabic numerals
and hour markers; sapphire crystal with anti-reflective
coating; personalised leather strap; large-size Panerai
buckle; water resistant to 300 metres.
CLASSIMA AUTOMATIC JUMPING HOUR by Baume & Mercier
Steel, 42 mm timepiece fitted with an automatic Dubois Dépraz 14400 movement adorned with a Côtes
de Genève motif. Jumping hours, silvered ‘barleycorn’ guilloché dial, black Arabic numerals, riveted dots
and indexes, sapphire crystals front and back, black alligator strap, adjustable triple folding buckle and
water resistant to 30 metres. Limited and numbered edition of 500 pieces. Also available in black.
europa star SIHH GALLERY 55
CLASSIMA RED GOLD DUAL TIME ZONE AND
POWER RESERVE by Baume & Mercier
Red gold, 39 mm automatic timepiece equipped
with a Soprod 9035 movement adorned with a
Côtes de Genève décor. Dual time; power reserve;
date at 3 o’clock; black, guilloché dial; appliqué
indexes; Roman numerals; sapphire crystals front
and back; black alligator strap and water resistant
to 30 metres.

56 SIHH europa star
Montblanc honours the chronograph
RKeith W. Strandberg
F
For this year’s SIHH, Montblanc is celebrating
the invention of the chronograph, 190 years ago
this year. Montblanc considers itself a chronograph
specialist, so this year at SIHH, the brand
is introducing three special chronographs, as
well as an affordably-priced GMT timepiece.
“The biggest challenge we face is to communicate
our deep know-how in two areas: state of
the art high horology with Montblanc and artisanal
watchmaking in Villeret,” says Alexander
Schmiedt of Montblanc. “People don’t necessarily
think of watches when they hear Montblanc
and we are out to change that.”
Nicolas Rieussec Chronograph
To commemorate the invention of the chronograph
by Nicolas Rieussec in 1821, Montblanc
Villeret is bringing out a new sober interpretation
of the brand’s iconic Nicolas Rieussec
monopusher, column-wheel chronograph. This
timepiece comes in two versions, an automatic
in a regular series, while the manual winding
watch is available in a limited series (25 in platinum,
90 in white gold and 190 in red gold).
Collection Villeret 1858
Vintage Pulsograph
Based on the famous Pulsograph chronograph,
a monopusher with a scale for determined
pulse rates, Montblanc Villeret is introducing a
new smaller size (39.5mm) chronograph,
with 58 watches in white gold and 58 in rose
gold. Finished by hand, this piece is something
truly special.
TimeWalker Twin Fly Chronograph
Next is the TimeWalker Twin Fly Chronograph,
a new calibre that Montblanc developed in
collaboration with movement manufacturer
NICOLAS RIEUSSEC CHRONOGRAPH COLLECTION VILLERET 1858 VINTAGE PULSOGRAPH
TIMEWALKER TWIN FLY CHRONOGRAPH STAR WORLDTIMER AND RETROGRADE
Val Fleurier - a monopusher flyback chronograph
with the seconds and the minutes on
the central axis. This watch is available in a
300 piece limited edition in Titanium DLC and
a non-limited steel version.
Star WorldTimer and Retrograde
To introduce real watchmaking at an affordable
price, Montblanc has developed the Star
WorldTimer. Using an ETA movement with a
Montblanc patent on the world timer system,
the WorldTimer is a GMT with world time,
with all functions controlled by the crown.
Also in this range is the new Star Retrograde,
which has an annual calendar, a retrograde
date, a day of the week subdial and a power
reserve indication.
“We want to play with small complications in
our classic Star range,” says Schmidt.
Montblanc’s slate of new chronographs is
designed to cement its status as the chronograph
specialists across the board, from volume
manufacturing in Montblanc to the artisanal,
handmade timepieces from Villeret. O
For more information about Montblanc click
on Brand Index at www.europastar.com

Richard Mille – the man, the brand
The image
Richard Mille the man and Richard Mille the
brand are nigh on indistinguishable, because,
unlike many other brands, all the ideas and creations
start in the mind of Richard Mille, then
make their way into the brand’s production.
For 2011, Richard Mille’s mind is set on North
and South America.
Richard Mille, in partnership with John Simonian,
President of Ildico, the United States distributor
of Richard Mille, opened the first boutique in
Beverly Hills in November of 2010.
“My objective is to have a presence in terms of
image - I am not obsessed with opening up
boutiques, I think of it as more of a showroom
for the brand,” Mille explains. “My ladies
watches are less successful, because most of
the retailers are watch technical people, they
are sharp and very macho, and 90 per cent of
their clientele are men. The boutique is to
enhance and promote the ladies versions, to
spread the word. My boutiques are not macho
temples. I have seen that the sales of the ladies
models are really booming in the boutiques,
and I like that. My objective was to launch a
ladies model without losing my soul and without
losing the technical image I have. I wanted
to combine both worlds in harmony.The watch
is feminine, but it still very mechanical.”
The Richard Mille boutique in Beverly Hills will
share the same DNA as other Mille boutiques
around the world, but with a distinctive
American feeling.
The current situation
Business is coming back after the downturn of
the worldwide economic crisis.“So far we have
nothing to complain about, despite the problems
one hears discussed daily,” says Mille.
“Sales this year have been higher than last
year, and even last year’s turnover was much
higher than the year before...so we are really
pleased. Nonetheless, we will not sit back and
relax because of that, we will work even harder
to keep this upward trend going strong.”
Mille sees the watch industry breaking up into
niches, with each niche existing on its own
and not necessarily impacting the others.
“The market is ‘splitting up’ into segments,
separate areas,” he details. “It used to be that
a general trend, like hemlines, caught on and
went worldwide. Now, you have to have
smaller, flatter watches, large watches, simple
watches, complicated watches … there are
no really general, broad trends anymore and
everyone follows their own taste, and as a
watch brand you have to offer everything to
the public.
“We are watching a few trends,” he continues.
“It is interesting to see that since I introduced
my RM 020 tourbillon pocket watch a few
years ago, pocket watches are getting more
attention from several brands than was previously
the case.Also, we are seeing more ultra
flat models being introduced, after we had
launched the RM 016, a few years ago.”
europa star SIHH 57
The Richard Mille brand has gone through some interesting transitions since its introduction in 2001. Then,
it was a boutique brand with severely limited production. As the years went on, Mille upped the production
numbers slightly and expanded his offering, while still focusing on his unique style and real watchmaking
values. Last year, Richard Mille debuted at the SIHH and took its place in the watchmaking pantheon, having
accomplished a great deal in the short nine years since its inception.
RKeith W. Strandberg
Richard Mille
The strongest markets for Richard Mille timepieces
are Asia, followed by the European
Union and then the United States, and Mille is
optimistic about the coming year.“We are feeling
totally confident about 2011,” he says.“We
believe it could even become better than
expected with the general market mood becoming
even more positive.”
SIHH
For SIHH, the Richard Mille booth has been
expanded to make more space available, and
the method of presentation has been tweaked
and improved.
“It’s hard to choose just one new product to
talk about for 2011, but for me, the most exciting
product would have to be the new RM 017
Tourbillon with its titanium base plate,” Mille
says. “I really love rectangular forms, and I
have always wanted to produce a tourbillon in
a similar case to the RM 016, keeping the look
of depth of the movement design despite the
fact that this watch is very thin. It was hard to
achieve, but now I’ve achieved the look I want
and it will be fantastic.”
“I am having fun because what I love is to
work on new developments,” Mille continues.
“It’s fun all the time, and for me it’s only pleasure.
I develop new models, I have fun, though
sometimes there are headaches with problems
and issues to figure out, but in the end, it
all works out. My only problem is to define the
proper planning for each model. You always
know when you start, but you never know
when it will end.”
A key case in point is the Richard Mille numbering
system which, believe it or not, was
supposed to be logical and in order. However,
once some watches were delayed, things got
out of hand. “It’s a mess,” Mille admits. “I put

58 SIHH europa star
the numbers in the order of their creation, so
RM 018 was introduced way before RM 025,
but RM 025 is already on the market, while
RM 018 has not yet been delivered.”
The reason for the delays? “When you think
you have solved a problem, then you have ten
more problems,” Mille explains. “I love the
challenge and the problems. Taking seven
years to bring 30 watches to market sounds
like nonsense, but this is the way I love my
watches to be. In Formula One, it’s just like this
– a huge amount of work and research to
release only a few models, like the Richard
Mille brand. I don’t want to change this way of
working. Two years ago I made about 2,000
units, last year I did less than 2500, this year
maybe 2,800, my target for the long run is to
do 5,000 pieces and no more. This is exactly
the bracket where I want to stay.”
Mille wants to spend his time on research and
development and design, not in marketing,
which is what he would have to do if he
moved into higher volumes. “When you go
over those limits, you enter another world
where you spend more time in the commercial
realm, more time with artificial things and
less time to take care of technical and design
details,” he says. “My strategy doesn’t prevent
me from making money. The objective is
to have good economical results, but I invest
a lot in research and development.“
Richard Mille is seen as a provocateur in the
watch industry and he relishes this role. “My
friends in the art world tell me that the successful
artists were all provocateurs,” he says.
“What I do is very provocative, it is a rupture,
but at the same time, there is a lot of legitimacy
to the products. I compensate for my lack of
history with a pure, genuine product. Nowadays
when marketing talks very loudly, it is more
important than ever to be genuine and very
honest. I fight against marketing devices
because it doesn’t correspond to extreme luxury.
Today, we have final clients who are very
aware of what is happening in the watch
industry, they know the truth about all the
brands, and sometimes the clients know more
about the watches than the sales people in the
RM 017 TOURBILLON
retailers. They are passionate and they know a
lot about the brand, so it’s more important to
be genuine.You cannot lie.When you reach the
level of prices that I am at, it’s very important
that people understand why it’s so expensive.
They know that my watches are unbelievable
in terms of technique, every watch starts from a
blank sheet, and at the end of the day, they are
very complex and in only very limited series.”
The future for Richard Mille holds more of the
same. “We will continue to combine the best
of extreme technique and innovation with the
best of artistic and architectural dimension,”
Mille details. “Contrary to the people who are
obsessed by volume, trying to increase production
every year, I am more interested in
hearing people say that they were surprised by
our new watch, our new developments. My
only objective is to carry on surprising people.
We will still have limited production, limited
distribution, and we will work with friends and
we will enjoy developing crazy objects.” O
For more information about Richard Mille click
on Brand Index at www.europastar.com

60 SIHH europa star
JeanRichard goes deep
with the Diverscope
RKeith W. Strandberg
J
JeanRichard this year at SIHH is going deep
with a 300 metre water resistance in its popular
Diverscope. The New Diverscope Titanium
features a JeanRichard manufacture movement,
the JR1000, in a sand blasted, speciallytreated
mat grey titanium case.
According to JeanRichard, each component of
the new Diverscope was adapted for underwater
use - the sapphire crystal, for example,
is two-and-a half times thicker than that of a
standard watch. The luminescent hands and
indicators on the dial are designed for optimal
readability in murky conditions.
Harder than steel yet 40 per cent lighter, titanium
is used in the Diverscope because it is
extremely resistant to corrosion, including sea
water.The case’s rough and ready appearance
is accomplished by sand-blasting, which also
produces the dark grey colour, complementing
the dial and fabric strap.
The Diverscope Titanium has two screw-down
crowns: the crown at three o’clock is used to
set the time and date, while the one at nine
o’clock is used to adjust the internal bidirectional
rotating bezel, which helps track the dive
TECHNICAL CHARACTERISTICS
Case: Sand-blasted titanium case; 43 x 43 mm;
anti-reflective sapphire crystal; internal bidirectional
rotating bezel; water-resistant to 300 metres; two
screw-in crowns
Movement: JeanRichard movement JR1000
Mechanical and self-winding; calibre 11 1/2 ’’’
Frequency 28,800 vibrations/hour (4 Hz); 27 jewels
Power reserve: 48 hours minimum
Functions: Hours, minutes, seconds and date
Dial: Opaline dial, titanium colour; luminescent
Arabic numerals and indexes; black and white hands
with luminescent material.
Strap: Anthracite fabric and black rubber straps with
folding buckle in sand-blasted stainless steel.
time. To prevent accidental movement caused
by impacts, JeanRichard has incorporated a
safety system: the settings can only be made
once the crowns have been unscrewed.
The new DiverscopeTitanium from JeanRichard
is an extremely attractive watch designed to
perform in extreme situations. O
For more information about JeanRichard click
on Brand Index at www.europastar.com

I
In keeping with the theme of classical and traditional
running through the watch industry,
Girard-Perregaux is introducing two new
watches –a new 1966 and a new version of
the Cat’s Eye.
Girard-Perregaux
1966 Small Second
Continuing the legacy of Girard-Perregaux’s
clean, refined style, the latest creation in the
Girard-Perregaux 1966 collection is the 1966
Small Second,with a pure,simple,elegant design.
The new Girard-Perregaux 1966 Small Second
features a 40 mm round case and is inspired
by Girard-Perregaux’s 19th century pocket
watches, right down to the grand feu enamel
dial. The dial has painted Arabic numerals and
blued steel leaf-shaped hour and minute hands,
with a small second counter at six o’clock.
Powering the 1966 Small Second is the Girard-
Perregaux calibre 3300-50, and this timepiece
is available in white or pink gold.
Cat’s Eye Small Second
Since its introduction in 2004, the Cat’s Eye
collection has combined feminine curves with
precious mechanisms. For SIHH 2011, Girard-
Perregaux introduces a new version featuring a
small second on a mother-of-pearl dial. The
gold oval case, available in pink or white gold
and set with 62 diamonds, houses the GP3300-
0044 automatic movement, which is covered
by a dial in white or black mother-of-pearl. The
date is displayed in a window at three o’clock,
while the small second is situated at nine
o’clock and is enhanced by a radiating ray motif
delicately traced on the dial. Each of the hour
indexes is a precious, set stone, with numerals
sculpted in gold cut wire and hand-polished
before being riveted to the dial.
Girard-Perregaux’s new creations help customers
value each “small second”. O
For more information about Girard-Perregaux
click on Brand Index at www.europastar.com
europa star SIHH 61
Girard-Perregaux stays classy
with small seconds
CAT’S EYE
1966 SMALL SECOND
RKeith W. Strandberg

62 CASE STUDY europa star
CASE STUDY is a regular new column in Europa Star that will appear in each of our issues. Its objective:
a quick analysis of the singular strategies put into operation either globally by a brand or exceptionally for a
particular launch. Our first CASE STUDY takes a look at the MB&F brand.
RPierre Maillard
I
In the landscape of independent brands,
MB&F—for Max Büsser & Friends—has
occupied a very particular niche for the last
five years. More than any other watchmaking
start-up (a term that Max Büsser will immediately
refute), MB&F is setting out on an original
path that seeks to give mechanical watchmaking
a radically new stylistic dimension.
How could we define it more precisely? From
one model to another, each is different and yet
each is immediately recognizable from the touch
of a certain creative hand. Between the first
Horological Machine (the HM1 in the shape of
a large eight) and more recently the HM4
Thunderbolt (that takes the form of a stealth
bomber), while passing by the HM2 (a large
sapphire table) and the HM3 (with its two protuberances
that are transformed into the eyes of
a frog in the HM3 Frog version) or the jewellery
delight of the recent Jwlrymachine created with
Boucheron, the forms, functions, appearance
and the feeling that emanate from each of these
timepieces are each quite particular.
The great strength of these Horological
Machines (developed by Max Büsser who, as
we recall is the creator of the concept for the
Opus series for the Harry Winston Rare
Timepieces,which he directed for seven years) is
that they totally escape from the contingencies
of the dominant trends by proposing ‘bachelor
machines’ that are stylistically autonomous,
freed from the confines of current aesthetics—
a little like something made by a single artist.
The art practiced by Max Büsser, however, is
more like that of an orchestra leader.
The other remarkable particularity of Büsser’s
HM4 THUNDERBOLT
MB&F, the strategy of bachelor machines
global concept is to have excluded, from the
beginning, all vague desires for verticalization
or for becoming a manufacture. Rather, he
chose to work in total transparency with only
a large circle of ‘Friends’. These Friends are
external creative collaborators and include,
among others, the designer Eric Giroud (the
loyal first violin) as well as high-level suppliers
such as Agenhor and Les Artisans Horlogers,
which are the subjects of portraits in the
article, Master Mechanics, in this issue. This is
another way of demonstrating that he is the
‘son’ of no man but the friend of many—a
form of declaration of independence and of
difference that is inscribed even in the name
of the brand itself.
A huge buzz and organized rarity
The third particularity of this veritable concept
company is the detailed promotional organization
that began with the founding of MB&F

Max Büsser
five years ago, and also the meticulously organized
rarity of its pieces: 145 pieces in 2010
sold through 20 points of sale worldwide, with
a 100 per cent sell-out in 2009 (the figures for
2010 were not known at the time of going to
press), giving a turnover of around CHF 7 million
(for an average sell-in price of CHF 48,000
per watch).
To arrive at this stage, the orchestra leader had
to transform himself into a globetrotter. Literally
everywhere all the time, he incessantly promoted
and advocated for his proper cause. But
we must emphasize that he had at his disposal
a solid advantage, one that many young brands
would correctly envy him for: an address book
from his Opus days at Harry Winston that
immediately opened many doors that would
otherwise have remained tightly shut.
Büsser knew how to skilfully organize a veritable
planetary buzz around the introduction
of his pieces, a sort of organized suspense for
each of the new horological machines. Perfectly
mastering the large palette of communication
tools at his disposition today—having understood
before all the others that, in the competitive
world of the watch media that had
sprouted up all over in electronic or paper
form, journalists are ready to sell their soul to
get an exclusive or a preview—he was able to
create a media coverage that even the very
large brands could envy. He thus deliberately
targeted a new generation of young and rich
HM2
Asian aficionados avid for exclusive mechanical
‘follies’ and a new class of collectors desiring
avant-garde timekeeping.
Promise only what you can deliver
All of this would have been in vain, however,
if the product had not been up to the expected
standard and if the deliveries had not kept up
with the promises. Avoiding pure marketing
announcements like the plague, Max Büsser
was able to deliver what he said he would. In
2010, he announced, launched and delivered
four lines: the HM2 Saphir, the HM3 Frog, the
furtive HM4, and the Jwlrymachine made in
concert with Boucheron.
But he himself recognizes that in spite of the
power of persuasion and the well-organized
media ‘machine’, each new launch is a gamble.
He is thus confronted with a sensitive challenge
since 80 per cent of his turnover this year comes
europa star CASE STUDY 63
HM3 FROG
from new pieces. If only one does not meet the
approval of the public, his entire structure will
be weakened since it is the success of one
model that finances the following. And, 2009
has not been a simple year as Büsser himself
admits, having had to ‘battle hard’ to produce
all of his 145 pieces. In the end, he did succeed
and he will certainly succeed this year, while
hoping to gradually increase production to 200
pieces per year.
To better distribute his particular approach to
timekeeping and qualify it even more, Max
Büsser will probably open an art gallery. In his
opinion, “showing how we work, how we
design and how we create a watch is as
important as the piece itself.”
But he also has two or three small secrets.
While he sometimes demands the impossible
for his watches, such as the HM4’s block of
sapphire crystal that takes 150 hours per
piece to make and costs CHF 15,000, do you
know why none of his watches has a seconds
indication? Or why none will ever be delivered
with a rubber strap? We cannot tell you
because then they would no longer be his
little secrets. O
For more information about MB&F click on
Brand Index at www.europastar.com

64 GENEVA SHOWS GALLERY europa star
REFERENCE LCF001-J by Laurent Ferrier
18-carat 41 mm rose gold timepiece equipped with a
manual winding tourbillon double balance spring
movement with 80-hour power reserve. Hours and
minutes in the centre, seconds in a sub-dial at 6
o’clock on the tourbillon frame pivot; white grand-feu
enamel dial, black Roman numerals, sapphire crystals
front and back; view of the rotating tourbillon cage
from the case back; rose gold crown in the shape of
a ball; highly shined brown alligator strap; water
resistant to 30 metres.
1931 by Louis Erard
18-carat 44 mm rose gold chronograph equipped
with an automatic ETA 7750 Valjoux movement.
Hours, minutes, seconds and chronograph; date at
6 o’clock; tachymeter; sapphire crystal with doublesided
anti-reflective treatment; transparent case
back, black or white dial; SuperLuminova hands;
counters for the hours, minutes and seconds at 6,
12 and 9 o’clock respectively; black alligator strap
and water resistant to 50 metres.
TOURBILLON ORBITAL by Jean Dunand
Platinum 950 (45 mm) one-of-a-kind timepiece equipped with an Io 200
manually wound rotating movement with off-centre flying tourbillon, exclusive
watchmaking ball-bearing system with triple rotation within one block, moon
phase display, vertical winding and setting through the centre of the movement
from the case back, centre dial in blackened gold with fir-tree pattern and outer
ring in Burma Jade. 130 hour power reserve indicator in the case band, four
domed sapphire crystals and water-resistant to 30 metres.
ZEITWINKEL 273° by Zeitwinkel
316L stainless steel timepiece equipped with an in-house automatic
movement with 72-hour power reserve. 387 components; plates and
bridges in German silver; hours and minutes in the centre. Small seconds
at 6 o’clock, big date at 11 o’clock and power reserve indication between
1 and 2 o’clock; black dial; black Louisiana alligator strap.

CARROUSEL by Peter Tanisman
White gold rectangular timepiece equipped with an ETA 2004-1 automatic
movement. Hours, minutes and seconds in the centre; date at 6 o’clock; 40-hour
power reserve; rotating carrousel; 50 mm x 35 mm x 11 mm; 552 diamonds
graded G VVSI (12.75 carats) on the case and cylinder; alligator strap; diamondset
buckle; water resistant to 50 metres.
FLEURIER 39 LADIES TOUCH by Bovet
18-carat 39 mm white or red gold convertible timepiece
(wristwatch and pocket watch) equipped with
an automatic 11BA13 movement with a 72-hour
power reserve. Hours and minutes; black or white
mother-of-pearl dial with 12 diamond indexes;
miniature painting of a butterfly (choice of painting or
initials on request); alligator strap; choice of chains in
different materials and lengths.
europa star GENEVA SHOWS GALLERY 65
ZANDIDOUST by Ali Zandidoust
18-carat red gold 44 mm timepiece equipped with an
ETA 2892A2 automatic movement. Hours and minutes
in the centre. 1,990 diamonds totalling 21.48 carats –
1.252 black diamonds (diameter between 1.9 and 0.9
mm) and 735 Top Wesselton white diamonds (diameter
between 2.15 and 0.9 mm); two-year guarantee.
ATAME by DeLaneau
18-carat white gold timepiece equipped with an automatic
movement. Diamond set bezel; miniature painting of white
Clematis flowers that takes several hours to complete (choice
of high-fire enamel and mother-of-pearl dials too); 33 mm by
23 mm; suede and leather strap; hexagon crown; also available
with baguette diamonds or other precious stones.

66 GENEVA SHOWS GALLERY europa star
LOEB SPECIAL EDITIONS by Marvin
44 mm Steel chronograph fitted with a
Valjoux 7750 automatic movement. Hours,
minutes and seconds in the centre; day and
date at 3 o’clock; screw-in case back; screwdown
crown; black PVD treated pushers;
sand-blasted and fine-brush finish; antireflective
sapphire crystal; black or silver
dial; SuperLuminova C1 on hour markers;
black rubber strap; water resistant to 100
metres; two-year guarantee.
SEA SHEPHERD by Tempvs Compvtare
Steel DLC 47 mm timepiece fitted with an ETA 7750 automatic
chronograph with 42-hour power reserve. Hours and
minutes in the centre; small seconds; day and date; calculation
of immersion time; anti-reflective sapphire crystal; animal
skin free strap; water resistant to 200 metres.
CL by BRM
Titanium and black PVD 44 mm chronograph fitted with an
automatic ETA Valjoux 7753 movement with a 46-hour
power reserve. Hours, minutes and seconds; date at 4 o’clock,
honeycomb dial, super light white hands, extra hard black
PVD bezel, sapphire crystals front and back, double stitched
racing material strap with three holes; water resistant to 100
metres; three-year guarantee.
AMERIGO COLLECTION (63C103) by Bulova
Stainless steel timepiece fitted with Bulova’s Accutron
quartz movement. Hours, minutes and seconds, retrograde
day hand in an arc between 8 o’clock and 12 o’clock with
yellow days and hand; black sunray patterned dial; big date
at 1 o’clock; curved anti-reflective sapphire crystal; screwcaseback;
locking deployment buckle; also available with
silver-white dial and black leather strap or two-tone
bracelet; water resistant to 50 metres.

THE OBSERVATOIRE 1872 MINUTE REPEATER by Badollet
18-carat white gold 44 mm minute repeater equipped with a
hand-wound movement with 80-hour power reserve. Tourbillon
visible on the dial side at 6 o’clock; minute repeater with striking
mechanism at 9 o’clock; 18-carat gold opaline silver-coloured
dial set with 72 diamonds and 12 sapphires; glare-proofed
sapphire crystals front and back, Mississippi alligator strap and
water resistant to 30 metres.
europa star GENEVA SHOWS GALLERY 67
GRAND CLIFF MILADY by Pierre DeRoche
Polished and satin-finished 42.5 mm steel timepiece fitted with a Dubois
Dépraz automatic movement decorated with an engraved rotor. Hours,
minutes and seconds; large date; chronograph with 60-minute counter;
silvered, sunray dial; diamond-set bezel with 64 diamonds (1.28 carats);
screw-down crown, double-sealed push pieces; anti-reflective sapphire
crystals front and back; crocodile strap; water resistant to 100 metres.
NEW LONDON UNISEX COLLECTION by Catorex
316L Stainless steel 42 mm timepiece equipped with two
hand-winding mechanical movements (calibre 8 3/4 Unitas
6565 from the 1960s). Reconditioned, skeletonized and
engraved movement with circular-grain pattern on the top,
Côtes de Genève motif on the back and rhodium treatment;
two time zones, bezel set with 80 VVSI diamonds; curved
sapphire crystal on the front; flat sapphire crystal on the
back, genuine Louisiana alligator strap and water resistant
to 30 metres. Limited to 399 pieces.
LADIES PERSEPOLIS
by Ritmo Mundo
Stainless steel 42 mm ladies
timepiece equipped with a
Swiss Ronda 1032 quartz
movement. Hours and minutes;
orbital case which rotates 360
degrees; Arabic numerals and
indexes; window chamber with
floating stones; two recessed
push/pull crowns; mother-ofpearl
dial; assorted diamonds
and sapphires totalling 304
gem stones; leather strap;
water resistant to 50 metres.

68 GENEVA SHOWS GALLERY europa star
“COUP DE FOUDRE” 500,000 V by Artya
Stainless steel timepiece equipped with a selfwinding
movement entirely manufactured in
Switzerland. Hours, minutes and seconds; 42hour
power reserve: engraved, mutilated, tortured
and ‘lightening struck’ cases (100,000
volts, 200,000 volts, 500,000 volts or 1,000,000
volts); unique, hand decorated dial using 17
exclusive artistic processes; choice of Alzavel
waterproof treated leather strap, hand-sewn
high-tech rubber strap or tanned cane toad;
water resistant to 50 metres; unique pieces.
PREDATOR by Rebellion
48 mm steel timepiece equipped with a RE-1
automatic movement with 50-hour power
reserve. Modular case construction; hours
and minutes in the centre; date at 3 o’clock;
sectorial seconds at 9 o’clock; black DLC
honeycomb dial; black rubber strap; patented
deployment buckle; water resistant to 50
metres; special limited edition – Chronograph
24 Hours - of 24 pieces available that was
worn by the pilots during the Le Mans 24
Hours in 2010.
V.01 by Valbray
47 mm achromatic grey chronograph equipped
with a V.CA1 automatic movement on a Valjoux
base. Dual display with a manual concentric
circular system to reveal the second time zone;
hand finished and assembled multi-layer dial;
sapphire crystal with double-sided anti-reflective
treatment; sapphire crystal case back; alligator
strap; deployment buckle; water resistant
to 50 metres.
HLC02 by Hautlence
Black PVD titanium and 18-carat pink gold timepiece
equipped with a hand-wound mechanical movement.
Jumping hours; retrograde minutes; jumping date; 40hour
power reserve; honeycomb stitched watch dial with
hand applied ‘Moebius’ sign; intermediate dials and
tracks with laser-cut minute figures; 18-carat pink gold
lugs, bezel and crown; water resistant to 30 metres.

72 BEHIND THE SCENES europa star
Exotic straps could turn
around and bite you
Visit any high-end watch brand’s facilities and you will discover how the Swiss love to be environmentally
friendly: Their buildings use renewable energy resources, they are constantly reducing the impact their
production has on the environment, they support all kinds of ‘green’ charities, and they are even putting
their press kits on bio-degradable USB keys to avoid wasting paper… but ask them about the origin of the
alligator that ended up as one of their straps, and not only do they not always know, but their heads are
often buried in the sand.
RSophie Furley
Controversial report
On October 7th the Swiss German television
programme Rundschau released an extremely
controversial report denouncing an exotic skin
outlet in Indonesia. Decontextualized images
of lizards in bags with their legs tied and
snakes seemingly being skinned alive were
almost unbearable to watch. The Swiss watch
industry was targeted. The Swatch Group
released a statement, as did the Federation of
the Swiss Watch Industry (FH) and the Geneva
Time Exhibition (GTE). Everyone else made a
call to their local strap supplier to check that
they were covered, and that was that! End of
scandal. Well maybe not…
An orchestrated campaign
So far this television report has been contained
to Switzerland, but what if the international
media decide to broadcast the subject? And
what if consumers worldwide start to get upset
and boycott products? It won’t be enough to
just say that straps come from a reputable
source. Brands will need to be able to prove
where their straps come from and prove that
the animals have been killed humanely. This is
where things get complex; skins pass through
many hands before they are bought by the
leatherworker to be crafted into watch straps.
A skin may originate in Indonesia, for example,
go to Singapore for a first tanning process,
then a second tanning in Italy, before being finished
in France and delivered to a leatherworker
in Switzerland, making traceability an
urgent priority.
Many animal activists are fighting for a total
ban on the use of animal products, but controlled
use of animals is not only beneficial to
sustaining the survival of some of the world’s
most threatened species, but also helps conserve
ecosystems, protects other wildlife and
provides an essential form of revenue for many
of the world’s regions.
What is CITES?
One treaty which is committed to the controlled
use of the world’s endangered
species is the Convention on International
Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna
and Flora (CITES) with its secretariat based
in Geneva, Switzerland. CITES is a agreement
that was adopted in 1973 and whose
Secretariat is provided by the United Nations
Environment Programme (UNEP). It works
with nations worldwide to ensure that international
trade in wild animals and plants
does not threaten their survival. A name well
known in the watch industry, every exotic
watch strap that leaves Switzerland must be
accompanied by an import and export permit.
The veterinary office of Switzerland has
put in place an express service to deliver permits
in 24 hours for watch manufacturers
who ship watches worldwide every day.
Around 100,000 permits are delivered every
year. If a strap arrives at its destination with-

out a permit, a very nice customs officer in a
brown uniform will politely cut off the strap
with a pair of heavy duty scissors. For most
watch brands, knowledge of CITES ends with
these images, which is unfortunate as CITES
is probably the only international programme
working to ensure that there will be
enough exotic straps for the watch industry
in the future.
“We are here to make sure that the trade in wild
animals and plants is sustainable for the longterm
and is conducted in accordance with our
requirements, ” explains CITES Communication
and Outreach Officer Juan Carlos Vasquez.
“CITES documents and permits are the visible
part of the system, like visas in your passport,
but it is everything behind this, the years of
scientific research, thousands of jobs and most
importantly thousands of years of nature evolution
that need sustaining.
“There is an incredible opportunity for the big
brands to step up and take the lead by engaging
and incorporating sustainability into their
business strategies,” says Vasquez
The CITES Secretariat is open to discussion
with watch industry leaders to help them find
solutions to protect themselves and their consumers
from illegal players and ensure that
the skins they are using are not depleting the
world’s biodiversity. It is also ready to offer
courses to the industry’s buyers on how to
buy intelligently and it is always open to discussion
about easing the red tape connected
to international trade.
The animal welfare debate
One common misconception about CITES is
that the convention deals with issues of animal
welfare.This is not the case. CITES focuses
primarily on conservation and the overall
effect of the volumes of trade on the species
that it protects.
No animal should suffer unnecessarily and
companies that tolerate, or turn a blind eye, to
such practices are taking great risks. This doesn’t
mean that we need to eliminate the trade
of such products to ensure welfare treatment.
“Eliminating trade is not a solution for species
whose populations are in good shape thanks
to good conservation programmes.The minute
a ban is put in place for an abundant species,
illegal players spring up and the remedy
becomes more perverse than the problem we
are trying to solve,” notes CITES’s Vasquez. It
may sound counterintuitive but sustainable
use of animal products is good for species conservation
and good for business. However,
over-exploitation and cruelty to animals has no
place in business. The watch industry could
wait for more regulations to be enforced,
maybe from national veterinary services, but
these things take time. The best and fastest
solution would be for the watch industry to
acknowledge the problem, verify that the
exotic skins used for their straps come from
reliable sources that meet the industry’s criteria,
insist that all animals are killed using
humane methods, and look into systems of
traceability for their supplies.
europa star BEHIND THE SCENES 73
Alligator skins
One of the most famous alligator farming/
ranching industries is to be found in Louisiana
in the United States and is one of the world’s
most recognizable conservation success stories.
The management programme harvests eggs
from the wild to provide stock for the farms,
and then releases 12 per cent of alligators
back into the wild. This system protects large
numbers of alligators from various mortality
factors such as flooding, storm surges,
drought, predation and cannibalism. Every
skin is identified with a serially numbered and
bar coded CITES tag that remains attached to
the skin throughout the tanning and finishing
processes (travelling with each skin across
continents until the manufacture of the product)
indicating exactly when and where the
alligator was farmed.
Since the inception of the programme in
1972, over 6.7 million alligator eggs have
been collected from the wild, over 800,000
farm-raised alligators have been sold (estimated
at US$509,000,000) with part of the
money being reinvested into research, conservation,
education, marketing, industry development
and CITES activities.
The American alligator is not an endangered
species; it is listed on Appendix II of CITES’s
endangered species because it is similar in
appearance to other more endangered crocodilians,
such as the Nile crocodile which has
greatly benefited from management under
CITES.The populations of Nile crocodiles were
Photo credit: US Fish and Wildlife Service.

74 BEHIND THE SCENES europa star
previously in real trouble, however the ranching
of the Nile crocodile is of great importance,
especially in places like Zimbabwe and
is the origin of many skins or products coming
into Switzerland. The skin is also considered
extremely valuable.
The GTE and the FH take a stand
Following the broadcast of the Rundschau film,
the Geneva Time Exhibition (GTE - show of 60
watch brands held from January 16th to 21st in
Geneva) and the Federation of the Swiss Watch
Industry (FH) have been encouraging their
respective members to acknowledge the situation
and check the sources of their straps.“We
sent a press release to all our partners and
received positive echoes from the brands in
return,” shares Florence Noël, Director of the
GTE show. “Brands such as Pierre DeRoche
only use Mississippi alligator, but shared with
me that they would consider not using exotic
animal skins if they couldn’t verify their source,”
she continues. Some brands, such as Tempvs
Compvtare, also exhibiting at the GTE show,
have made a point from their inception never to
use any animal products in their collections.
Food for thought
For those who saw the Swiss German television
report (available on the Europa Star
website), it is difficult not to be shocked by
the sensational images that were broadcast.
However, we must remain attentive to certain
elements of the report.
Firstly, the film switched back and forth from
the Indonesian rural outlet to the shop windows
of luxury watch brands without any
proof that they were linked in any way.
Secondly, the film shows the CITES permits for
the skins as if to accuse the treaty of not controlling
the animals’ wellbeing, without any apparent
understanding that the CITES treaty is
designed to ensure the sustainability of the
species, being exported, and has no control over
what happens within the borders of any country.
Thirdly, each country, each nation, each culture,
has a different relationship to animals.
The rural relationship to animals is very different
from that of many urban people – why
else would Indonesians have been happy to
let a film crew in if they were ashamed of
what they were doing? Certain images showed
animals moving after they had supposedly
been killed. Many animals continue to move
minutes after they are clinically dead (think of
the chicken that continues running after it has
had its head chopped off).
And lastly, images showed snakes being hit
over the head, which obviously appears barbaric
on screen, but is actually one of the
most humane ways to kill a snake rapidly.
These are all facts that watch brands and their
retailers should know, facts that they need to
communicate to their customers correctly, facts
that should make them proud of contributing
to biodiversity conservation, but encourage
them to be more attentive to a part of their
business that could change the way we protect
nature. “‘Business as usual’ won’t work
anymore; the planet cannot support it and the
people won’t allow it. I hope that good things
will come out of this report and businesses will
stand up and take action,” concludes Vasquez.
What the watch industry
can do to help
The watch industry needs to inform itself
about the provenance of its straps and the
ways in which the animals were killed. If the
watch brands take action and become more
demanding, this will put pressure on those
working in the skin trade, farms, ranches and
governments to take initiatives to better protect
animal wellbeing and the environment,
like the great programmes that have been set
up in Louisiana and Zimbabwe. There is no
need for watch brands to stop using exotic
animal skins, on the contrary, but if they do
not start to pay attention to this important
part of their business, there is a risk that it
could turn around and bite them.
For more information including the Swiss television
report (in German and French) press
releases from The Swatch Group, The FH, The
GTE and The State of Louisiana (the world’s
largest alligator farming/ranching industry)
click on www.europastar.com. O

CONTACTS
PROMOTE SUCCESS.
MUNICH, 25 – 28 FEBRUARY 2011
Messe München GmbH
Tel: (+49 89) 9 49 -1 13 98
info@inhorgenta.de
www.inhorgenta.com
For trade visitors only
38th International trade fair
for jewellery, watches, design,
gemstones and technology

76 RETAILER PROFILE europa star
Panama’s La Hora-Alta Relojeria
Panama is a burgeoning tourist area and the economy has now started to come back from the crisis and the H1N1
outbreak. Europa Star’s International Editor Keith W. Strandberg talked with Hamudi Waked, Luxury Director of
Grupo WISA, about the newest La Hora-Alta Relojeria retail store in Panama, which opened in October of 2010.
RKeith W. Strandberg
Europa Star: How's business?
Hamudi Waked: 2008 was great and it was
our best year since we opened the La Hora
store. In 2009, all retailers went down because
of the crisis and H1N1. This year we are up 40
per cent vs. 2009, but our goal is to achieve at
least the sales figures from 2008 and hopefully
more. We have opened a new store which is
bigger and carries only high-end brands. It is
phase two of our mission, which is to upgrade
and separate our medium and fashion brands
from our high-end ones.
We opened the first La Hora store in Panama
five years ago. It was very hard at the beginning
since all brands were already working
with retailers and we had no brands and no
know-how. We started knocking on doors
and attending conventions; and we started
taking big and prestige brands that were very
strong in Asia, the Middle East and Europe
but were not well known in our region. So
with passion, motivation and great help and
support from our suppliers, we started the
marketing campaigns for each brand.The first
brands we took were: Hublot, Blancpain,
Glashütte, Breitling and Corum. Today we
have an independent watch department that
takes care of the purchasing, another department
that is strictly marketing and PR and
now we have more experienced people in
the stores.
One thing that we have learned over the
years is that in order to succeed in this busi-
ness you need a great staff before getting the
great brands, as buying and placing the products
in the store is easy.We are a sell-out oriented
company and we only want to work with
brands that have a watch philosophy and that
want to really support their retailers.
ES: How has business changed in recent years?
HW: Now you have more retailers, good but
also bad. The problem is that the bad ones go
to conventions and exhibitions and promise
things they cannot deliver. In addition, brands
are now demanding a great deal in every way.
When you start with complex and high-end
brands, you are truly entering another level.
ES: What is the secret of your success?
HW: Humbleness, dedication, determination.

ES: What is your relationship like with other
retailers?
HW: Well it’s a complex matter as all retailers
compete with each other for the brands but
we have respect for one another.
ES: What do you like about your job?
HW: I , m able to meet lots of great people and
I like to learn a lot from them. I hate being
stuck in long meetings and I like to make very
good use of my time.
ES: What is the biggest challenge facing your
store right now?
HW: Our biggest challenge is to perform and
to be able to show brands who trusted in us
that they made the right decision.
ES: What is the biggest challenge facing the
watch industry right now?
HW: There are too many brands and the final
consumer is, ultimately, the same. It’s a real
fight out there.
ES: Who is your customer?
HW: Panamanians, Colombians, Mexicans,
Venezuelans, and now we are receiving lots of
tourists and business people from the south.
Also, we have had sales from Europeans.
ES: How important is customer service?
HW: It’s vital to our success.
ES: Do you do repairs at your store?
HW: In almost all cases we send repairs back
to the factory. Our objective is to have an
after sales service centre with a watchmaker
within the next six months.
ES: How do you do training?
HW: We send our sales team and managers
to the factories and in some cases, the brands
come and train us in Panama.
ES: How important is security?
HW: Very. In our store we have 16 cameras
and security guards at the door. For us it is
europa star RETAILER PROFILE 77
FACTS AND FIGURES
Name: La Hora-Alta Relojeria
Location: Panama, Multiplaza Mall
How long: 10 months
Employees: Six
Size of store: 160 square metres
Average sale: US$10,000
Price range: US$5,000- US$100,000
Brands: Breguet, Blancpain, Tiffany & Co.,
Glashütte Original, Hublot, Richard Mille, Breitling,
Graham, Romain Jerome, Ulysse Nardin, Bvlgari,
Jaquet Droz, Bell & Ross, Corum.
important that the client feels secure. Our
store has been robbed and it was a very
upsetting day. Since that day we have more
cameras, more controls, more guards, more
procedures and more protocols.
ES: Are you optimistic about the future?
HW: Yes, absolutely, very optimistic. I think
2010 will finish very positively and 2011 will
be a strong year. Demand today is high and
supply low so both brands and retailers can
make more profit.
ES: What does time mean to you?
HW: For me, it is the way you organize your
life. It’s key that you give 200 per cent at work
but also give 300 per cent to your family.
Many thanks to the people at La Hora and
Grupo WISA for their time and candour. O

78 POST CARD europa star
Roger W. Smith
British watchmaking is alive and well
As Keith W. Strandberg rode his rented Triumph Bonneville, a proper British motorcycle, around the Isle of
Man, on his way to visit independent watchmaker Roger W. Smith, he had the chance to reflect on the
challenges facing independent watch brands today.
RKeith W. Strandberg
C
Certainly, independent brands face an uphill
battle against the bigger brands. Major brands
have big marketing budgets that make it possible
for them to be in front of customers every
issue of every magazine, while the small brands
don’t have the funds to do this. They have to
rely on the great work they are doing to get
them noticed, by journalists, bloggers, collectors,
retailers and, finally, end customers. The
reality is that smaller brands, in order to be successful,
have to be better marketers because
they can’t just spend money. They have to be
innovative and creative and find new ways to
start people talking.
At the same time, however, Smith and his fellow
independents are living in the right time
to do that marketing, with the communication
possibilities made available by the Internet,
watch forums, Facebook, Twitter and other
social media. These small brands can reach
people all around the world.
Smith has been very active in all these areas
and he has also decided to make things happen
himself and invite journalists to his workshop
on the Isle of Man, to see how his brand
of watchmaking differs from that of mainstream
Swiss brands.
And, it is different, and not just because of
the relative isolation of the Isle of Man. Smith
doesn’t travel in the same circles as the Swiss
watchmakers, who see each other all the time
and know what each other are doing. Smith
was blissfully unaware of recent developments
in the industry and new product introductions.
In addition, there is no supplier network
on the Isle of Man, so Smith is forced to
do it all himself.
“My way of working is different from everyone
else because I didn’t go through the
Swiss watch industry, and I don‘t have the
influences of the Swiss industry in my work,”
explains Smith. “I think it’s done me good to
not be in the Swiss industry. I had to learn
everything from scratch. I have been able to
keep the English way and my workshop is

eally English. No one else is doing what we
are doing - we are doing very individualized
pieces. We don’t use the CNC machine for
volume, but for precision, then we finish
everything by hand.
“We have gilded and frosted pieces, so the
aesthetic is very English,” he continues. “We
have raised barrel bridges, where we hide the
winding mechanism, which is a very English
feature. We have black polishing throughout
the pieces, and the watches are very three
dimensional, with lots of different layers and
levels. This is to me what an English approach
should be. We are not bothered by the fashions,
it’s about the quality of the piece. For me,
even an insignificant component under the
dial, is as important as the case and the dial. I
pay the same attention to every piece. We are
concentrated on putting some of the making
back into English watchmaking.”
Smith, 40, first came to the Isle of Man to work
with the famous George Daniels, the brilliant
English creator of the co-axial escapement.
When his time working with Daniels came to
an end, Smith stayed on, using this beautiful
island as a place to create his watchmaking
masterpieces. Smith is still working with Daniels
(they only live about 20 minutes apart) on
special projects, and Smith has built his own
brand into an independent standard bearer for
English watchmaking - made in the UK.
Smith has orders for his hand finished and
hand built watches for at least the next three
europa star POST CARD 79
George Daniels and Roger W. Smith
years, and his goal is to get that order backlog
down to two years.To date, Smith has delivered
40 watches, ranging in price from £72,500 to
£114,000, with bespoke watches going up to
£250,000.
Many thanks to Roger W. Smith and his lovely
wife, Caroline, for their hospitality while I was
on the Isle of Man. And cheers also to Jason
Griffiths Motorcycles for the Triumph I rode
around the famous TT course. O
CONTEMPORARY ENGLISH WATCHMAKERS:
England has a long history of watchmaking, and carrying
on that tradition today are the following English
watchmakers:
1 George Daniels (Isle of Man, UK)
1 Roger W. Smith (Isle of Man, UK)
1 Peter Speake-Marin (Rolle, Switzerland)
1 Stephen Forsey (La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland)
BRANDS WITH BRITISH HERITAGE:
Arnold & Son (part of the British Masters group in
Switzerland) 1 Graham (part of the British Masters
group in Switzerland) 1 Bremont (Swiss timepieces,
designed by the brothers Nick & Giles English) 1 Dent
1 Dunhill 1 Backes & Strauss 1 IWI Watches
(Lancashire, England) 1 York Watches (Schaumburg
Land, Germany)

80 LETTER FROM FRANCE europa star
888888France
The suburbanites love their watches
At the Rosny 2 shopping centre, in the department of Seine-Saint-Denis, near Paris,
the watch market seems to be doing quite well. A first-hand report.
Like all shopping centres as we approach the holiday season, that of
Rosny 2 in Seine-Saint-Denis, on the outskirts of Paris, has its own
Santa Claus. Wearing a red cape and hat trimmed with faux fur, with a
fluffy white beard, he promises gifts to the children who are delighted
to pose for a quick picture with him. The young Muslims are especially
lucky. In one month, they enjoy not only the celebrations of Eid but
also the Nativity.This festive syncretism delights merchants, even if the
parents are not so thrilled.
Rosny 2 is twelve minutes from Paris by the RER, the express regional
train that serves the suburbs around the capital. Upon descending
from the train, the visitor sees, next to the rail lines, the neighbourhood
of Bois-Perrier, with its medium-sized buildings on one side and the
spacious, well-lit, and attractive shopping mall on the other. Making
this centre even more attractive is the cinema multiplex, UGC Ciné Cité
Rosny, with fifteen theatres, a preferred destination for adolescents.
The latest Harry Potter film is currently a big draw.
Let’s take a look around at some of the stores. One of the shoppers,
Karima, is at the mall this day, to find something for her daughter—
who will soon celebrate her fourth birthday—for Eid and Christmas.
The young mother is looking in the watch and jewellery boutique, ‘L’Or
du Temps’, on the ground floor next to the large H&M store. “It is
nearly a year now that my daughter talks about getting her first
watch,” she tells me. “I am looking for a Flik Flak.” At this store, there
are Guess, Armani, Dolce & Gabbana, Calvin Klein, Festina and Lotus,
as well as other timepieces, but no Flik Flaks. The store does not carry
children’s watches.
Saturday shoppers
Karima wears a Guess. “It is my first Guess, and my third watch in all.
It does not last more than a year and a half. My next one will also be a
Guess, but I am waiting for the square model to come out. My brother
has a Festina.” Karima leaves the boutique without a gift for Elyes, but
she still has a few days to find a Flik Flak.
It is Saturday, and the many shoppers, alone or in small groups, stroll
through the corridors of the mall. A young woman wearing a foulard
over her hair stops in front of one of the windows of L’Or du Temps. “I
have a watch in mind, a square one, silver and gold, like my wedding
ring,” she explains. “This will be my first watch. I don’t plan on something
that is more than 120 euros, but it is not me who will buy it,” she
adds, happy at the idea of getting her first timepiece.
A young man arrives, her husband, the future buyer of the watch. Her
name is Touria, his is Youssef. When asked about the price of the
watch, he answers that he has a budget of 160 euros maximum. His
wife smiles as she reveals the amount that she was planning. He is
wearing a Festina, the same for the last four years, in shiny steel. “It
still works and I don’t have any plans to change it in the immediate
future,” he says.Youssef and Touria just moved to Pierrefitte-sur-Seine,
in the department of Seine-Saint-Denis, the phantasmagorical 93.
Earlier, they lived in Alsace. He works at the atomic energy commission
and she is training at the hospital.
Yvonnick, 25 years old, a salesperson at L’Or du Temps, seems quite selfconfident
in her business suit as she gives an overview of the store’s customers.
“Young girls purchase for their boyfriend. In the high-end range,
it is the man who comes in to choose his watch,” she explains.“Here, we
sell primarily brands, rather modern watches, not intended for the long
term.The clients come back often to change them. Our clients are mostly
young and those above 40 years, whose choices generally centre on the
brands Certus and Go. The retired clients like Go. What is really popular
with the boys is the ado-sport styles such as Festina and Lotus. Some
people pick out a watch as a function of their clothing or musical tastes.
Guess, for example, with its bling-bling and hip-hop sides, fairly loaded,
fairly thick, is appreciated by girls as well as boys.”

82 LETTER FROM FRANCE europa star
888888
Upstairs to upmarket
To see more upmarket watches, we take the escalator up to the Didier
Guérin shop, which is affiliated with L’Or du Temps, but is decorated in
soft pastel tan shades and has seemingly thicker display cases.The most
expensive watch—if we understood correctly—is a Dior, selling for
7,600 euros, much higher than the prices at its counterpart downstairs.
Myriam and Caroline, mother and daughter from Neuilly-sur-Marne, a
town in Seine-Saint-Denis, have come to Rosny 2 to look for a present
for Caroline’s boyfriend, Luis. Of Spanish origin, Luis will be 23 in a few
days. Together the two women will chose the gift, obviously a watch.
Luis, however, does not know about it, so it will be a surprise. “He likes
brands,” says Myriam, who seems to have a good opinion of the young
man. “I am looking for something classy, simple, not bling-bling,” adds
Caroline in a neutral tone. “He likes to dress well. He has a Diesel,
which I bought him for 139 euros.” Luis offered his girlfriend a diamond
pendant. “She likes jewellery. She likes everything,” remarks her
mother. Both women decide on an Armani, which is rectangular, reasonably
thick, and has a light grey dial with Roman numerals. It costs
179 euros. “I am the one who is paying,” smiles Caroline.
With the next customer, Olivier, the search turns more technical. A 32year
old commercial engineer, he came to the Didier Guérin boutique
with his wife. A native of department 93, he works for Solidworks, a
subsidiary of Dassault Systèmes. “We have developed software that
measures the resistance of materials in 3D constructions,” explains this
aficionado of higher-end watches. He is wearing a Baume & Mercier
that he says cost him 1,900 euros.“Among our clients,” explains Olivier
cheerfully, “is the Swiss watch brand, Frédérique Constant, as well as
Zenith, which was doing badly but should do better after its acquisition
by LVMH. Zenith even brought out a 30th Anniversary model for 7,900
euros…” He goes on to say, reassuringly,“Watches are moving again.”
Moving north
We leave the warm cocoon of Rosny 2 for the dry cold of the Porte de
Clignancourt, at the northern edge of Paris.The divide between the capital
and the suburbs is as clear as the guardrail that separates the road
from the shoulder. On one side are the Haussmann style buildings, however
faded, while on the other side is urban claptrap, where the ring road
looms over cheap buildings, small hotels and surviving homes of the
working-class inner suburbs.Welcome to Clignancourt, realm of the flea
market and the counterfeit everything. Here, the prices of watches fall
sharply, adapting to a more modest clientele. Small shops run by Indians
and Pakistanis offer a little of everything—gloves, scarves, handbags,
jewellery, and of course watches. Real, fake? Very few people even ask
the question. The brands have names that have never graced the pages
of a glossy magazine— Firmax, Ernest, FLR, Celsior… Most are sold for
less than 20 euros, some even as low as 5. Only some strange Citizen
models break the 50-euro barrier, displaying the single price of 69.90
euros in a small shop the size of a food stall, located in the lower level at
the entrance to the metro.
It would be a mistake to think that outside the ring road lives a lumpenproletariat
that buys only ugly watches. First of all, everything is not
lumpen in the suburbs.A middle class lives there quite comfortably.And,
as our little visit to the Rosny 2 shopping centre shows, the choices of
watches are varied, with something for all prices and all tastes.
All tastes? Well maybe not all. Mehdi, 18 years old, living in Saint-
Ouen, in Seine-Saint-Denis, in his first year of university in Paris, would
probably not have found the Lego watch designed by Jean-Charles de
Castelbajac that he is wearing. “I bought it for 100 euros in Paris in a
Castelbajac boutique,” he says. It is colourful—yellow, green, and red,
with a black dial. “I don’t use it for telling time,” he adds. “I have my
mobile phone for that, but I like its colours. I find it attractive.” And,
yes, in the suburbs, we also find boys who like pop art.O
Antoine Menusier

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84 WORLDWATCHWEB europa star.com
Understanding China’s
clientele of luxury watches online
RIn collaboration with Florent Bondoux, IC-Agency, Luxury Digital Marketing
PPredestined to be fuelling the industry’s major
growth for years to come, China, along with the
other BRIC markets, represents a strategic opportunity
for luxury watch brands. If significant signs
of recovery in sales have been announced by most of the industry’s
leaders, it is largely due to the demand increase for Swiss watchmaking
in these regions. They have become true ‘Eldorados’, not
only for Swiss watchmakers, but for the luxury industry in general.
China represents the pillar of the current growth of the industry,
with performance numbers that easily surpass those of the other
emerging markets. This market is currently the third largest consumer
of luxury goods, and will rank first by 2015.
Deciphering local preferences
Due to the vast expanse of the country and the multicultural
diversity in the fast-growing affluent regions, it is difficult to draw
up a standard profile of the typical Chinese consumer with
regard to luxury goods demand, even though, “they need these
goods to represent their own purchasing power and to taste psychological
satisfaction” according to David Chang , Founder of
the Research Office for Haute Horlogerie and China.
According to the online findings revealed in the past two years in
the WorldWatchReport, the Chinese consumer is for the most part
brand-name focused. He/she is influenced by the high-profile
ambassadors who promote the brands, preferring those who personify
excellence in competition in the world of sports. In addition,
they are drawn to strength of character, as demonstrated even
through fictional characters, such as James Bond. International
cinema and television stars are emulated by the Chinese consumer,
whether they are current or classic, male or female.
Online brand building in China
China’s strategic importance has pushed Internet growth at the
expense of print media. If brands would traditionally invest in
magazines, they cannot replicate this recipe in China where the
magazine market is constantly evolving and erodes any coherent
or lasting image. While the Internet is considered the primary factor
influencing purchasing, boutiques are considered to be in
second position and magazines only in seventh (BCG Asia).
Nevertheless, David Chang stresses that “the print Media’s advertisement
is still a very important method to target Chinese Luxury
goods consumers. But, with the development of the Chinese market,
the online share will be more important. More people, including
younger consumers, want to access watch knowledge rapidly,
and the Internet is the most convenient way” .

In regards to the search for information, Baidu is the uncontested
search engine leader with nearly two thirds of the search
market share in China, far ahead of Google which seems unsuccessful
in imposing its leadership in the Middle Kingdom. When
deciphering the local clientele search behaviour, it remains
mostly brand-oriented due to the challenge for brands to translate
and adapt their product ranges and campaign messages to
the local languages and preferences. “China’s market is not very
mature, many brands entered this market late and they have not
yet been recognized. People mainly want to know about the different
brands, their history and positioning. Moreover, many
model names are not translated into Chinese, so it is not convenient
for online searching. Though people
know some names through watch advertisements,
a limited amount of people recognize model
names,” points out David Chang.
When looking at watch aficionados’ online conversations,
the Chinese clientele has no reason to
be jealous of western watch platforms. Hundreds
of thousands of watch enthusiasts participate
actively in online forums dedicated to the art
of fine watchmaking, such as Iwatch365.net,
Watchbus.com or Watchstore.com.cn where page
view statistics can range from one to three million
per month. Besides discussions about world
famous brands, style and technology of watches, a
significant portion of some forums are dedicated
to watch sales transaction, where people set up
their shop page and sell watches online.
One of the key challenge for Swiss watch brands
wanting to succeed in China will be to define
the right online positioning which emotionally
connects to China’s affluent clientele. While
mapping its online media consumption would
be the first step, mastering language specificities,
clientele preferences as well as defining
the appropriate engagement drivers are crucial
success factors for luxury watch brands in
China. O
europa star.com WORLDWATCHWEB 85

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A, B
A. Lange & Söhne 16
Agenhor 14, 28, 30
Ali Zandidoust 65
Aquanautic 36
Armani 80
Armin by Armin Strom 39
Arnold & Sons 28, 79
Artya 36, 68
Audemars Piguet 6-7, 14,
16, 20, 53
Backes & Strauss 79
Badollet 67
Baume & Mercier 32, 82
Bell & Ross 45, 77, 88
Blancpain 76, 77
Bovet 32, 65
Breguet 77
Breitling 76, 88
Bremont 79
British Masters 34
BRM 66
Bulgari 77
Bulova 66
C, D
Calvin Klein 80
Carl F. Bucherer 33
Cartier 16, 32
Catorex 67
Cécil Purnell 38
Celsior 82
Certus 80
Chanel COVER I, 10-13, 22,
36
Chaumet 28
Chopard 36, 42
Christophe Claret 14, 16,
22, 23, 24, 28, 29
Citizen 59
Corum 32, 44, 76, 77
Cousins Global 87
deLaCour 36
DeLaneau 65
Dent 79
DeWitt 28
Diesel 82
Dior 82
Dolce & Gabbana 80
Dunhill 79
E, F
Ernest 82
ETA 34, 36
Fédération of the Swiss
Watch Industry 72, 74
Festina 38, 80
Firmax 82
Flik Flak 80
FLR 82
Fondation de la Haute
Horlogerie 49
G, H
George Daniels 79
Girard-Perregaux 61
Glashütte Original 76, 77
Go 80
Graham 77, 79
Greubel & Forsey 16, 79
GTE 72, 74
Guess Watches 80
Harry Winston 16, 25, 28,
30, 34, 40
Editorial & Advertisers’index
Hautlence 35, 68
Hermès 4
Hublot 36, 76, 77, 88
I, J
Ice Watch 69
Inhorgenta 75
IWI Watches 79
Jaquet Droz 77
Jean-Charles de Castelbajac
82
Jean Dunand 21, 23, 24, 64
JeanRichard 60
Jörg Hysek 36
L, M
Laurent Ferrier 64
Les Artisans Horlogers 14,
16, 32, 34
Longines 88
Lotus 80
Louis Erard 64
Louis Vuitton 32
LVMH 4, 82
Magma Concept 14, 36, 38
Marvin 66
Maurice Lacroix 16, 31, 34
MB&F 28, 32, 34, 62, 63
www.europastar.com
Milus 18-19
Mimotec 28
Montblanc 56
Moritz Grossmann 42
O, P
Omega 88
Orient Watch Company 70-71
Panerai 15, 46-47, 64, 88
Parmigiani 50
Patek Philippe 2-3
Pequignet 37, 40
Peter Speake-Marin 16, 28,
34, 79
Peter Tanisman 65
Piaget 32
Pierre deRoche 67, 74
R, S
Ralph Lauren 9, 51, 52
Rebellion 34, 68
Renaud & Papi 14, 16, 20, 22
Richard Mille 20, 22, 23, 57,
58, 77
Richemont Group 32
Ritmo Mvndo 67
Roger Dubuis 28
Roger W. Smith 78-79
Rolex COVER II-1, 88
Romain Jérôme 77
Savstar 83
Seiko 88, COVER III
Swatch Group 72
T, U
TAG Heuer 16, 88
Tempvs Compvtare 66
The Watch Avenue 81
Tiffany & Co. 77
Titoni 43
Tudor 26-27
Ulysse Nardin 77
Universal Genève 34
V, Y
Vacheron Constantin 48,
COVER IV
Valbray 68
Van Cleef & Arpels 5, 28, 30
Victorinox Swiss Army 41
Yema
York Watches 79
Z
Zeitwinkel 34, 64
Zenith 17, 44, 82

88 LAKIN@LARGE europa star
Bling’s craptastic, but patience pays!
I was strolling around the vast refurbished watch
section in Selfridges, London, when a large hand
grabbed my shoulder and spun me round. “Hey
man, you ‘member me?”
Standing more than a head and shoulders taller than
me with his dazzling smile that flashed more ivory
than a Steinway piano, was Leroy Hornblower, a
black American I met some years ago in Rome. His
hip look back then at the height of the bling era was
jeans, shirt open to the navel to reveal gold chains
accompanied by a blinding diamond-set gold watch
on the wrist. Now, before me stood a man with the
sartorial elegance of a successful businessman:
striped blue suit, light blue button down shirt with a
royal blue tie, double cuffs held together with what appeared to be white
gold cuff links set with a single blue sapphire, completed by a stainless
steel Royal Oak wristwatch with a blue dial.
The transformation was surprising and I sought the reason.
“Bling’s out man, it’s craptastic.” he explained, “Elegance is cool.
Would ya believe I’m in sales now?”
“Selling what and where Leroy?”
“Watches in the Big Apple man, where else?”
Over a beverage in one of Selfridges’ coffee shops, Leroy told me about
how a friend of his managed one of the biggest watch stores in New
York and asked him to come and work for him on the condition that he
changed his look from the outmoded bling to the cool man-abouttown.
Weeks later, having donned a suit and tie, quickly learned what
makes a watch tick and read the sales manual, he soon became the
emporium’s leading salesman.
“So what are you doing in London Leroy?”
“I’m buyin’ a coupla yo’ beeespoke English suits man,” he says with a
nod and a smile.
“You must be earning a bundle then Leroy,” I suggested.
“You betta believe it baby!” he mumbled, giving another of his piano
key grins.
I asked if it was his imposing size and blinding smile that influenced
the punters. “Hey no, man. I’m as cool as I ever was, but I gotta gimmick:
I listen, I suggest and I show a whole lotta patience.”
As an explanation, Leroy told me about a customer he had just before
he came over to London who came into the store and gazed around
open-mouthed at the vast collections of watches in the showcases.
“So I coolly mosey over to him and quietly ask if I can help and he toll
me he was lookin’ for a sporty watch. So I ask him what for and he
toll me his grandpa gave him some money and … so I say sorry sir, I
mean what do you want to use the watch for? He
looks at me weird like I’m a crazy and says, ‘to tell
the time.’
“So this is where my patience shtick clicks in man.
I explain about all the different things I learned,
like watches with moon phases and power reserve
and chronographs and tourbillons and he looks
like he’s in the middle of the desert without a
camel. So I show him the Omega moon watch and
he shakes his head tellin’ me ain’t into heights
‘cos he gets vertigo.
“So I show him a TAG Heuer Monaco and tell him
that Steve McQueen wore one driving a Porsche in
the movies and he toll me that’d be no good since he
don’t drive.Well, here I can feel my ol’ patience being pushed a bit so I say
hey, what about a Panerai Luminor Submersible, give the spiel about all
the functions and how it’s water-resistant to 300 metres and he gives me
a real pale look and says he gets seasick in boats. So I say how‘bout a diving
watch then and he say nope, can’t swim.
“So then with my patience really strained, I go through our range: golf
watch – he’s gotta bad back; a Breitling – he scared a flyin’; Hublot Big
Bang – man, wouldya’ believe he’s got Loud Noise Phobia; a Seiko –
he wanna Swiss piece; an all black Bell & Ross Phantom – black ain’t
his colour; a Rolex – he’s scared a being’ mugged. So then I put it to
him that maybe he should forget about sports watches and he says, no
way, he gotta impress his new lady friend and he makes for the door.
“Suddenly he stops in front of the Longines’ display, smiles and points
to a photo of Andre Agassi wearin’ a watch from the Master Collection
and says ‘That one. That’s the one for me!’ So after a coupla hours,
cool as ya like, I make the sale. He pays and I say, hey man, what made
you choose this particular watch? So he goes, ‘Well, it’s Andre Agassi.’
So I nod like yea what else, give him my thank you smile and he goes,
‘He’s bald, just like me!’”
A quick bone-crunching handshake, another Steinway beamer and Leroy
was off to Saville Row for a fitting. It seems patience really does pay!
D. Malcolm Lakin
Roving Editor

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