How to you stay yourself when everything around you is changing so fast…
Overall, the European growth curve of watch sales is depressingly flat in terms of volume. While the increase in the average price creates an illusion of growth due to higher value, this merely masks a clear transfer in the thrust from the European motor to the Asian-American jet engine.

Born in the mountains of Western Europe, Swiss watches are mostly sold in Far Eastern markets where the new wealth stemming from globalization is concentrated. This is a far cry from the domestic barrier between Swiss German-speaking and French-speaking regions. It raises a fundamental question for those in charge of watch collections; should one stick to the traditional horological fine arts, or adjust to the tastes of new enthusiasts in exotic lands? Everyone knows that the socio-cultural codes of this new clientele are radically different from the basic mind-set that gave Swiss watch its basic identity. More prosaically speaking, should one sacrifice the virtues of Neuchâtel and the principles of Geneva on the altar of Singaporean tastes?

This is no trivial question; you don’t make the same fondue in a wok as in a traditional saucepan. The answer vary according to the brands and to the consistency of their inherent nature.

Iconoclastic in terms of his initial aesthetic vocabulary, yet extremely devoted to Swiss craftsmanship, Richard Mille has been able to find favour among Asian connoisseurs without renouncing his principles: his main collector, based in Singapore and the proud owner of 18 personal Richard Mille watches and a few prototypes, would not have forgiven him such a betrayal. Driven exclusively by the logic inherent to his brand, Richard Mille has now chosen to join the Fondation de la Haute Horlogerie, a move that is clearly a profession of faith. Albeit in widely differing ways, Hautlence, Urwerk, Villemont and Harry Winston all testify to extremely high standards in their exercise of the watchmaking art; they do not appear liable to relinquish the ideals that inspire them and which may sometimes (although not always) be enthusiastically received by Far Eastern gurus – from whom they decline to seek the slightest consent. The same cannot be said of certain brands that make regular and deliberate nods to the current Asian powers that be. Apparently prepared to sell their soul to the latter, they literally beg for charity on these markets. Allegorical references to The Middle Empire spring up as if by magic on dials: red dragons, subliminal ideograms and symbols such as the lucky figure 8 – doubtless forgetting that it was originally just a very ordinary gourde! For the past four or five thousand years, the Chinese have nurtured a passion for baroque expressions of luxury. They have always poured on the rococo style, to the delight of brands that sell opulently gem-set models that find no takers in Europe. In days gone by, the colonial trading posts exchanged glass jewellery against luxurious silk fabrics. Today, the flagship brands barter their “special Middle East” collections against their worth in petrodollars! Ideal for company accounts, but prejudicial to the brands’ identity.

Just how far should one take the famous principle of being “attuned to market needs”? Fuelling the post-Soviet frenetic demand for tourbillons has dinted the credibility of this complication. Nor is over-exploiting the concept watch or the “sandwich” case in Hong Kong a very good idea, since such an approach can even undermine the confidence of the older European clientele in respect to such brands…

Jean-Claude Biver (Hublot) is careful not to confuse opportunism with strategy: while the father of the Big Bang may sometimes decide to go for a one-shot marketing operation, he never loses sight of his brand image, firmly based on a contemporary interpretation of the aesthetics and the mechanics of time. It was thanks to an 18th century Grande Seconde model found at an auction that Manuel Emch has succeeded in rebuilding the identity of Jaquet Droz, without making any attempt to pander to oriental tastes. Jacques Helleu did not worry about displeasing Singapore when he treated Chanel to his legendary J12. The straight furrow being obstinately ploughed by François-Paul testifies to a certain idea of the watchmaking art that is worlds away from any geo-economic considerations.

Followers say: “Love me because I follow you”. The message from the genuine innovators is crystal clear: “Love me for what I am”…

* New website feature: read the weekly report by Grégory Pons in French in the “52 à la 1” section of www.gmtmag.com