The long-heralded radical transformation of the watch market is upon us. By creating their own brands, clients and suppliers are becoming competitors, brands are handling retail sales and retailers are launching their own collections. Caught between the rock of armed robbery and the hard place of the watch industry giants, small independent players are seeing profound changes in their profession and are being forced to adapt. Antoine Preziuso and Denis Asch provide illustrations of this critical situation.

A watchmaker by training, Denis Asch opened his Geneva boutique ten years ago, specialising in independent watch brands with strong technical substance. L’Heure Asch enjoyed a period of prosperity that has been challenged by the economic crisis in 2009 and by two armed robberies. Passionately dedicated to his profession and a watch collector since the age of six, it was time to take stock and reflect on his options. Who am I, where am I going, and how can I get there ? At 13 years’ old, Denis had already built a collection of 60 watches estimated at over CHF 2000,000 at the time (including models by Audemars PIguet, Breguet and Vacheron Constantin). His address book is brimming with collectors and his rigorous approach has earned brands’ trust. He is already in demand for lectures and certain clients have entrusted him with developing their watch collections. So why not capitalise on this expertise ? While keeping his boutique but doing without any stock, Denis Asch now offers a range of services based on his watchmaking know-how : lectures, training, pre-emption for private clients.