It’s hard to believe that it’s already been over six months since we launched The Watch Lounge back in September 2009. The team and I are continually blown away by the site’s rapid growth in popularity and as such we remain as committed as ever to not only bringing you fresh, original content you won’t find anywhere else but also to bringing you the content you want to read!

That’s why until the end of May we will be running a poll on The Watch Lounge to give you a chance to let us know what you would like to see more of. You will notice the poll to the right of this page, just below the MB&F banner, and it will appear in the same place on all our posts. Voting is easy, all you need to do is click on the option that appeals most to you.

Feel free to vote multiple times if there is more than one option that appeals to you or if you really want to get your point across! It doesn’t take more than a second and it will help us to ensure we bring you the content you want to read!

If you have any other suggestions or would like to provide any other feedback I encourage you to email us directly or write your thoughts in the comment section below so that we can get some interactive discussion going.

Thanks for voting!

The Watch Lounge Team

In Part.2 of our exclusive special on innovation in the watch industry we talked about the truly baffling achievements of Montblanc, made all the more amazing by the incredibly short time frame within which they were realized. Remarkable as they were, however, we should acknowledge that Montblanc did not go it alone. Rather they had the luxury of being able to count on the generous funding and support of an immensely successful and experienced global organization.

With this is mind we have to ask how then can young brands with little to no backing even contemplate, let alone succeed at, creating highly-innovative, credible pieces?

To find out we went to ask Romain Jérôme.

The Opposite End Of The Scale
Romain Jérôme couldn’t have less in common with the Richemont empire Montblanc belongs to: only around fifteen employees, and barely out of diapers and yet this young company continues to box well above its weight. In this year alone the company took 50’000’000 CHF in orders just during the SIHH!

So how then has such a little company, which was no more than a start-up just a few short years ago, risen so quickly? The answer is not strategic like Montblanc, nor marketing like Hublot; it’s product-based.

Around its “DNA of Famous Legends” tagline, Romain Jérôme based its business model almost purely on a highly unique concept. Although timepieces have often been used before to commemorate historic events, this idea was taken one (or several) steps further when the brand introduced watches that would actually incorporate physical aspects of the events within the piece’s design, for example dust from the moon, or parts of the Titanic (and more recently, ash from Iceland’s Eyjafjallajökull volcano).

That the young brand actually had the audacity to try something so different in what is a very traditional industry speaks volumes about their approach to be business. Especially when you consider that typically R&D dollars are generally invested in exploring and discovering the new materials of the future, not the past!

Being bold and different is all well and good but what about tomorrow? How will the brand continue to evolve itself, when its name is so tightly linked to one unique concept?

Building A Brand, Or Building A Concept?
We thought this was a pretty relevant question for the young brand and so we asked Romain Jérôme CEO, Manuel Emch. At age 38, Emch is the combined product of a background in marketing studies and a career within the Swatch Group. An intelligent entrepreneur he is able to rely on the support of an investments fund to help in the continued development of Romain Jérôme.

Still, is this enough?

Critics of the brand often draw attention to the fact that Romain Jérôme has little credibility as a traditional watch-maker and instead relies on gimmicks and publicity to sell their products. This could be an issue but for the fact that Romain Jérôme is not looking for acceptance into the traditional watch-making world. A for those who continue to doubt they are able to demonstrate commercial viability. In other words, they are creating a product people want, and they are selling. Just ask their customers.

It is this success then that Emch intends to build on.

“The backbone of our brand is the 3 collections of legends, Air, Sea and Earth. Two of them are already available: the Moon-Dust for the Air collection, and the Titanic for the Sea. We are currently looking for the third legend to illustrate the Earth collection. We don’t have a specific time-frame, it could be 2011 or 2012.”

And so it seems that Romain Jérôme will stay faithful to its “DNA of Famous Legends” strategy. But will this be enough for the brand to remain visible and relevant, especially if we take a more long-term view, say after 10 or 20 years of production?

“We don’t see so far. There are still a lot of things to do on our 3 DNA collections. The Moon-Dust worked very well because we launched it when the 40th anniversary of the man on the moon was celebrated. The Titanic also has bright days coming as 2012 will be the 100th anniversary of the liner. And we will of course follow the same principles with our forthcoming Earth collection” explains Emch.

Perhaps this is the right strategy to adopt? It certainly seems to be working well for Hublot, a company famous for producing almost exclusively just one style of watch, the Big-Bang. And in all honesty, when Hublot CEO Jean-Claude Biver explains his strategy, it all makes a lot of sense;

“We’ll stay mono-product as long as the market will let us! We do 70% of our business with only 10 references or so, and 30% with limited editions that allow our clients to buy a second or a third watch from our collection.”

The Final Word
Romain Jérôme is just one example, albeit an extreme one, of a young brand that is approaching watch-making in a completely new and innovative way. It’s important to note though that when we talk about innovation we don’t just mean the use of new materials or different designs, we’re also talking about taking a completely new approach to the business model, which includes marketing, distribution and so forth.

Naysayers may criticize Romain Jérôme for using what they regard as gimmicks but at the end of day the company is selling watches, and with the exception of only a handful of watch-makers in the industry, that is what everyone else is here to do too.

Like it or not this is a business, it just so happens that companies are better at it than others.

The enterprising genuises over at Hublot are at it again, this time presenting for the first time ever a live event featuring Mr Biver and FIFA President Joseph S. Blatter who will hold a press conference from FIFA HQ. You can follow the press conference live on www.Hublot.com, just make sure you’re there at 2pm (Swiss Time) for the kick off!

Don’t despair if you can’t get to a computer, you can also follow the press conference live on on your I-Phone, simply transfer this link (http://gaia.world-television.com/hublot/iphone/) directly to your I-Phone browser and connect to the live stream of the press conference!

Who knows what they will be announcing!?

Maximilian Büsser and his veritable litany of “friends” are at it again, announcing the introduction of an exciting new model known simply as The Frog. Precious few details are available other than the above picture and that this piece will be introduced to the market on the 3rd of May 2010.

It’s definitely got us stumped but knowing MB&F it is bound to be something amazing!

The question is; what do you think it will be?

Over the last few days you may have noticed that The Watch Lounge was a bit quieter than usual and I apologize for this. However, once you hear the reason I think you’ll agree it was quite understandable. You see I spent 3 1/2 very hectic days touring all over Switzerland with industry veteran Ian Skellern visiting some the best known watch makers in the world so that I could bring you guys all the latest information and insights from the world of high-end luxury watches. In the coming weeks I will be publishing a series of more in-depth articles on the people I visited and the sights I saw.

So, who did I visit you ask? Good question.

To get a real snapshot of the industry I thought it was important to visit a mix of independent watch makers as well as larger manufacturers. Although I couldn’t hope to visit absolutely everyone in the short amount of time I had, we still managed to fit in a pretty good cross section, including:

• Thomas Prescher
• Peter Speake-Marin (Speake-Marin)
• Daniel Roth
• Maximilian Busser (MB&F)
• Felix Baumgartner (Urwerk)
• Hublot
• Ludovic Ballouard
• Roland Iten
• Girard-Perreguax
• Jean Richard
• Greubel Forsey
• Christophe Claret SA

I have already started uploading some of the photos from the trip on our Facebook page with the rest to follow soon, so make sure you get over there to check them out.

A special thanks again to Ian Skellern for not only helping me organize the trip but also for his excellent photography. We also have a couple of extra special prizes to giveaway, the details of which will be announced in the coming week, so make sure you stay tuned for that!

Thank you again for your understanding, I really hope you enjoy the photos and please feel free to leave your comments below.

The 38th Baselworld Show has wound up with smiles all round: firstly from the Swiss exhibitors, with confirmation of the signs of recovery recorded in January and February of this year; then from the visitors in their response to the superb pieces created by Switzerland’s watch and jewellery makers; and, finally, with attendance up on last year, from the organisers.

Recovery confirmed for Swiss watchmakers
2010 started out on a positive note, with Swiss watch exports on the rise for the first time in fifteen months (+ 2.7% in value terms in January and + 14.2% in February), and these signs of recovery were confirmed at Baselworld, the sector’s most important barometer. While performance varied from one brand to another, there was one constant, irrespective of markets or positioning: the large stocks that have weighed on retailers’ budgets since the end of 2008 are being absorbed. There is now an urge to buy, made possible by a renewed availability of liquidity.

Another significant feature of the show was the return of American buyers, who had practically deserted it in 2009. Beyond the obvious business perspectives, their very presence symbolises a general upturn, considering that it was in the United States that the financial crisis began before spreading around the world. Backed by these signs of a lasting recovery, Swiss watchmakers are banking on second-half
growth this year comparable to the figures achieved in 2007 and 2008, depending on the region.

Watchmakers opt for a blend of tradition and innovation
This year’s timepieces display considerable mechanical originality, as though Switzerland’s watchmakers wished to pay tribute to the impressive patrimony they all share. While the crisis put an end to any kind of ostentation, 2010’s creations focus on the métiers d’art. Rarely has finishing achieved such heights of
sophistication in watches of unpretentious refinement. Discretion, moreover, seems to be a must where elegance is concerned, as testified by the ladies’ watches, with brands opting for small, even ultra-small, models to highlight their precious character. The men’s 2010 models, like those for women, display a refined
aesthetics, the guarantee of good taste capable of defying the dictates of fashion.

Switzerland’s jewellers
Results for Switzerland’s jewellers have been more mixed. While brands benefiting from a strong name have skilfully overcome these difficult times, designers with small advertising budgets have had trouble making any impact. Getting people to buy has proved more difficult, especially as stocks remained relatively high, which is not the case in the watch sector. Despite a certain overcautiousness amongst buyers – Europeans mainly – exhibiting at Baselworld has proved to be an imperative for Switzerland’s jewellers. Getting oneself known, communicating and making contacts today appear to be the determining factors for success tomorrow.

True to their values, our jewellers have confidence in the future and are committed to putting quality and reliability above everything else. This year’s Swiss jewellery pieces at Baselworld embody the most striking expression of this philosophy: aesthetic research, new alloys offering original nuances in gold, palladium or platinum and, above all, extraordinarily fine hand-finishing work.

Related branches confident in the recovery
Once again, Europe has confirmed its position as the manufacturing centre for the watch and jewellery sector, while South America continues to grow in importance, confirming the trend started last year. There were, however, fewer visitors from the Gulf and Asia at the related branches’ stands. In general, the crisis has prompted a certain wait-and-see policy, shown by a hesitation to invest in production tools.

Nevertheless, the recovery in the watch sector should have a knock-on effect in the related branches over the next few months. While this is bound to take some time, there have already been encouraging signs among suppliers on the job front.

A “good show”
Baselworld 2010 will go down as a “good show” for the Swiss exhibitors, even though there was no repeat of the records attained in 2007 and 2008. The size, quality and reputation of the show, the attendance figures and holding it during the first three months of the year have all laid the groundwork for a robust and lengthy upturn for the whole watch, jewellery and related branches sector. See you next year at Baselworld 2011, from 24 to 31 March !

BASELWORLD 2010 in figures
> Date 18 to 25 March 2010
> Visitors 100,700 | + 7%
> Media representatives 2,900
> Exhibitors 1’915
> Swiss brands 456
> Exhibition space 160,000 m2
> Dates 2011: 24 to 31 March
> Dates 2012: 8 to 15 March
> Dates 2013: 25 April to 2 May

There is always a great deal of excitement in the air during Basel World and with good reason. Some of the world’s most well-respected luxury watch Marques formally unveil their latest creations dazzling show goers with a delicious array of stunning new pieces. In celebration of this we’ve put together our own little list with some of the pieces that have truly taken our breaths away during this first week of Basel World 2010.

Hublot King Power Tourbillon Manufacture (pictured above)
Highly limited to just 30 superb pieces, the new King Power Tourbillon from Swiss watch-maker Hublot is powered by Calibre Hublot HUB6002 tourbillon movement manufactured completely in-house by the recently acquired Confrérie Horlogère Hublot. Presented in a 48mm black ceramic case complete with hand polished black nickel hour and minute hands coated in black SuperLuminova, the movement is hand wound and features off-centre hour and minute indicators at 12 o’clock and seconds via the tourbillon cage at 6 o’clock. Rounding all this is out is a very impressive Power Reserve of 120 hours.

Glashütte Original Senator Diary
For the Classicists among you we have this exceptional new piece from German watch-maker Glashütte Original. Simple and elegant in its design, the new Senator Diary has all the makings of the perfect dress watch. But don’t let its good looks fool you though as this piece is far more than just a pretty face. In a world first this new timepiece features a mechanical alarm function that can be set up to 30 days in advance, staggering when you consider that this is a mechanical movement! Available in your choice of a rose gold case with matching rose gold hands and applied rose gold hour markers on a galvanized silver dial or in a stainless steel with a black dial.

Perrelet Diamond Flower Ceramic
For the ladies we have this highly sophisticated and attractive new piece from luxury watch-maker Perrelet, which features the company’s unique “double rotor” system. In this specific creation the top-side rotor is in the shape of diamond-lined flower petals, as shown in the video below. Finishing off this superb piece is a black mother-of-pearl dial surrounded by diamond-set bezel and housed within a silky smooth black and white ceramic case and bracelet. Gentlemen take note, this is a watch that is sure to please even the fussiest of ladies.

Urwerk Mexican Fireleg (UR-103T)
It wouldn’t be The Watch Lounge if we didn’t include an independent watch-maker in our highlight reel. Although not officially unveiled at Basel World, this visually stunning limited edition of the UR-103T from Urwerk, more commonly known as the Mexican Fireleg, simply is too bold to ignore. Created to mark the end of the UR-103T era later this year, the Mexican Fireleg  will be available in a limited edition of just 60 (very aggressive looking) pieces. Presented in either a stainless steel or 18k gold case treated with AlTiN (Aluminium, Titanium, Nitride) the orbital cross, hours and minutes have been re-imagined with a very distinctive orange Super-Luminova, making this one mean looking timepiece.

TAG Heuer Pendulum Watch
Rounding out our list is this highly impressive new concept watch from Tag Heuer, which is seeking to claim the title of being the first ever mechanical movement without a hairspring. And judging by the video it looks like they might have just done it! Essentially the issue at hand is that the hairspring will always be susceptible to the negative influences of temperature and gravity. Whilst some advancement in designs and the use of new materials have had some success in overcoming these limitations, they still exist which according to the guys at Tag simply wasn’t good enough. The solution? Replace the hairspring of course! And that’s exactly what they did, replacing it with a highly original pendulum “spring” that is regulated by magnets and beats at the very high frequency of 43,200/hour (6 Hertz). It doesn’t look half bad either!

Stay tuned for more great coverage of Basel World 2010 on The Watch Lounge this week!

If you read our exclusive interview with Vincent Perriard, Global CEO of TechnoMarine, late last year you would know that the company is planning to use Basel World this year as the platform for the unveiling of their new identity. The brand is promising to introduce not only a whole new look but also a whole new approach to doing business, refocusing on their core strengths and reinvigorating the TechnoMarine name.

Don’t just take our word for it though, the brand themselves have made a cool video to convey their point.:

As part of this new identity the company has made a significant commitment to connecting and communicating with its customers, both present and future, in a meaningful way. The intention is not only to give them the opportunity to get all the latest updates on developments at the brand but also the ability to interact and ask questions.

It is thinking therefore that has led TechnoMarine to give its fans unparalleled access to Basel World 2010. Starting from the 18^th of March the company will be tweeting live updates on Twitter for the entire length of the show. Even more exciting is the fact that Vincent himself will be tweeting live and will also be answering questions whenever possible.

Certainly there have been several brands of recent times who have promised this level of interaction and failed to really deliver, however, Vincent has already proven his commitment to this aspect of the business right here on The Watch Lounge, answering a number of readers’ questions in the comments section below his interview.

As such we’re pretty confident in saying that this is the real deal and you will be well rewarded for following.

So, to get all the latest updates from the brand as it unveils its new identity at Basel World be sure to follow @TechnoMarine and @TechnoMarineCEO.

And why not ask a question or two, you might just be pleasantly surprised with the answers you get.

If you have visited this site even just once over the last couple of months you would probably have a fair idea that Basel World 2010 is about to get underway. Heck, we’ve even got a special category dedicated to it! However, chances are if you’re new to the world of luxury watches or you’re just a curious visitor you probably don’t really know what all the fuss is about.

As the name suggests, Baselworld is the annual World Watch and Jewellery Show which runs from the 18th to the 25th of March. It is based in picturesque Basel, Switzerland, and attracts some 2,000 of the most well known companies from the watch, jewellery and precious-stone industries as well as other related sectors.

Unlike Salon International Haute Horologerie (SIHH) which is an industry only event, Baselworld is open to the public. As a result about 100,000 visitors descend on the Fair every year to discover the new trends and view the latest creations from the watch and jewellery sectors.

And they are not disappointed!

The “New Spiral” from DUBEY & SCHALDENBRAND is just one of the pieces that will make its debut this year.

The world’s most renowned brands, such as Jaeger-LeCoultre, Breguet, Patek Philippe, Vacheron Constantin and Hublot just to name a few, all come together to display their products exclusively at Baselworld. In fact, chances are if you think of any luxury watch brand you’ve heard of before, even just in passing, they will be there exhibiting their latest designs and innovations.

Just as exciting though is the opportunity to discover breathtaking, new pieces from the thriving independent industry. Highly innovative and exciting watch makers such as Christope Claret, Thomas Prescher, Peter Speake-Marin and Maximilian Büsser as well as many more you’ve probably never heard of will also be there to blow your mind with their awe-inspiring works of arts.

As you can see this highly regarded annual show really does bring together the best of the best in the luxury watch industry and this year will be no exception. Undoubtedly there will be a myriad of alluring surprises unveiled, a selection of which we will feature right here on The Watch Lounge.

As is the Instrumento Grande Chrono from DeGrisogno

So stay tuned as all the excitement unfolds this week, we guarantee it will be well worth your while!

It’s here! Well sort of. Today, MB&F have released the first images of their brand new movement, aptly named the “Thunderbolt”, which will form the engine of the highly anticipated HM No.4. Unfortunately no images are available of the HM No.4 as yet, but these pictures of the movement alone are enough to make us go weak at the knees!

According to Maximilian Büsser, Founder and Creative Director of MB&F, the whole ethos of the brand is about “creating ‘kinetic art which gives time’, this HM4 engine symbolizes pretty well our creative philosophy.”

Just looking at the images its not hard to understand why MB&F have chosen to release details of only the movement first. It is an absolute work of art in itself, a complex piece of machinery comprised of hundreds of carefully constructed, intricate parts. This is like no other calibre you have ever seen before and represents a complete departure from any watch movement known today.

Whilst the “Thunderbolt” movement itself will be exhibited at Basel World next week, HM No.4, said to be MB&F’s most radical machine to date, sadly will not be unveiled until July 2010.

Fingers-crossed we can wait that long!

If you would like to find out more about MB&F check out their official website. And for all the latest updates make sure you become a fan on Facebook.