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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.
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