You have just got back from Japan; how many days do you travel per year?

Let’s look it things the other way round; I spend about one week per month in Geneva.

It seems you are very much involved in sales personally?

That was indeed the case until 2005. I think I accounted for around 85% of sales around four or five years ago and I knew all the clients’ names by heart; but I also handled all the rest! The company has now acquired a more substantial structure and I can rely on the marketing department, as well as various teams in charge of finance, communication, as well as watch and jewellery production. My work now consists in coordinating all these units and in implementing a strategy for which we maintain a two to threeyear timeline. I am also very involved in boutique openings and major exhibitions, and I regularly visit our distributors. We currently have a network of 140 points of sale, and as this is not my profession by training, I expend a lot of energy on being sure to avoid making any wrong moves. Above all else, I try to set aside sufficient time to devote myself to creative design, which is my real passion.

You attract an incredible amount of media coverage; won’t the increase in de Grisogono sales place a limit on this overexposure?

I have actually already slowed things down considerably, since I could simply no longer manage to be everywhere as the same time. For example, I no longer take part in the three major de Grisogono exhibitions in Cannes in springtime, in Sardinia in summer and in Gstaad in winter.

What is the current proportion of sales between jewellery and watches?

It’s a terrible thing to say for a jeweller at heart such as myself, but watches have now reached 50% of our turnover. We sell only 3,000 watches per year, but they fetch a total of 50 million Swiss francs, which implies a relatively high average price per watch. Last year our results achieved an average 30% increase, whereas the activity in our nine own-name boutiques rose by 52%, which is a huge figure. When we launched our first watch, I had no idea how far this would go. This watchmaking success is a nightmare! Although I’m only really joking, it does indeed bring its own problems in terms of logistics, personnel, cash flow, and above all suppliers.

Which success surprised you most?

My greatest surprise was definitely the success of de Grisogono watches, that I never thought would take off the way they did. – especially the very first one, the Instrumento Uno which we launched seven years ago and which is still our best-seller. Moreover, I had also been really amazed by the incredible enthusiasm shown for my creations featuring black diamonds.

What is your current dream for the brand you have created?

Today, the only real “black spot” that I am finding hard to solve is linked to the economic and structural issues governing watch production. The industry is doing well, but the offer available from suppliers cannot keep pace and delivery times have gone from 5-6 months to 15-18 months. I haven’t yet found a solution to this phenomenon and would really love to fix it…

Have you made chosen the location and the concept for your future premises?

It is not yet 100% defined, since we haven’t yet made the final choice between the plots of land available in Plan-les-Ouates and in Meyrin *, but the relocation should take place early in 2009. The jewellery atelier already moved a few hundred metres from her last year, and the watch workshop will also be accommodated elsewhere soon, which gives us two years’ breathing space. This will enable us to build 5,000 square metres of premises that will enable us to bring all teams together under one roof, along with the option of doubling the surface area in a subsequent phase.

What are the risks currently facing haute horlogerie brands in general?

In light of current trends, and barring a major disaster, I cannot see any serious problems arising within the next four to six years. These days, consumers change watches as easily as they do shirts – each within their own price range. Watches are now part of daily life and express a art of living, so I think people don’t tire of them. While it’s true that there are many newcomers on the scene, the same thing happens regularly in the fashion world: some make a lot of noise for a few years and then disappear as enthusiasts move on to something else. In this industry, it takes at least fifteen years before one can claim to envisage the future with a certain degree of serenity and self-assurance.

* when the interview was conducted in February