Posts Tagged ‘watches’
Wow Watch Wednesday: Claret’s Dual Tow
Yesterday we published Part.1 of an exclusive interview with Mr Christophe Claret, Founder and Owner of Christophe Claret SA, creators of the some of the world’s most complicated timepieces. In Part.1 Claret talked quite openly about his company and how they are fairing through the financial crisis, as well as his vision for the future of his company.
Today, in Part.2 we shift the focus to the DualTow, a superb timepiece created by Claret and released under the company’s brand name in 2009 to celebrate their 20th anniversary.
BaselWorld 2010 saw the return of the DualTow, in the form of an all black, highly attractive version aptly named the Night Eagle. Scheduled to be produced in a limited production of just 68 pieces, the sophisticated design allows for maximum viewing pleasure of the highly complicated movement housed within.
And believe us, you are going to want to see as much as possible!
As one would expect from such an accomplished brand the DualTow features several complications, including one patented innovation. Time is displayed on two rubber belts and the complex movement features a single-pusher planetary-gear chronograph with 12-hour, 60-minute and 60-second chronograph counters complete with striking mechanism that causes a gong to chime each time you press the chronograph pusher. As is standard on most high-end timepieces the DualTow also features a stunning flying tourbillon.
Priced at over half a million dollars, the DualTow truly showcased to the world what Claret is capable of and allowed him to well and truly step into the limelight. Fortunately, he was also willing to share some thoughts on this exceptional piece with us
Read on to find out what he had to say.
The all-black Claret DualTow Night Eagle
TWL: Let’s talk about the Dual Tow. How long did it take to make, from the very first sketch to the first unit?
CC: I can’t tell you that, it’s confidential, but I can tell you that we worked very hard and fast, way faster than the usual 3 to 4 years of development required for a new model, which is a standard in the industry…
TWL: Was there anything you learnt from the work you deliver every day for your clients that you incorporated into the Dual Tow?
CC: No, in fact, nothing we did not really know already… Sometimes our clients have specific requests that might not be, in my opinion, a good idea. On some occasions, I let them know my feeling, even if I’m not supposed to! And I must admit that most of the time, considering the final result, they should have listened to me!
TWL: What challenges did you face in perfecting the use of the belts to display the time?
CC: They are in rubber, on which we all have a good knowledge. The challenge was to guarantee that it would last decades. We tested if for a simulated 60 year period, without any problem.
TWL: What were the greatest technical challenges you faced in making this movement a reality?
CC: Clearly the differential chronograph – 12-hour, 60-minute and 60-second chronograph counters with operating mode indicators of the chronograph.
TWL: Does the final design resemble what you first imagined in your mind or has it changed dramatically from concept to reality?
CC: Yes, completely. We have issued a book on the genesis of the Dual Tow. If you look at the first sketches you will see that they are very similar to the final piece.
Original copy of one the very first sketches of the DualTow – Amazing!
TWL: What is next for Claret?
CC: First, our objective is to sell all the Dual Tow.
TWL: How many have you sold so far amongst the 68 units scheduled?
CC: 17. We plan to produce 22 units per year, which implies a complete production process for this model of around 3 years.
Then our second objective is to produce one novelty per year. Not sure if we’ll begin right from 2011, but we should be able to stick to the plan once the crisis is behind us.
On a day to day basis, I am trying to run the business whilst keeping all my staff of experts. I decided to introduce a reduced working week at the beginning of May so now my staff do not come into work on Fridays. Orders decreased this year, so I had to reduce our production pace and draw cash from our reserves, but so far, we’re safe! I’m reasonably confident we will achieve our goals.
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Un homme, une entreprise : Christophe Claret
TWL : Joyeux anniversaire, M. Claret !
CC : Merci ! 20 ans d’existence, que nous avons fêté avec la Dual Tow. Mais nous n’en sommes pas arrivés ici en un seul jour. Après les 10 premières années où nous étions une petite entreprise, nous avons passé les cinq années suivantes, de 2000 à 2005, à construire la marque et a constituer nos réserves financières. Ensuite, de 2005 jusqu’à présent, ce fut l’ère du développement, avec notamment de gros investissements dans notre outil de production. Nous étions 35 en 2005. Nous sommes à présent 105.
TWL :Comment se porte la manufacture, aujourd’hui ?
CC : Bien ! Nous avons 18 clients permanents pour lesquels nous produisons des mouvements tout au long de l’année. Nous en avons perdu quelques un durant la crise, mais je suis assez confiant sur le fait que de nouveaux clients se présenteront assez rapidement.
Pour nos clients actuels, nous tavaillons simultanément sur 40 mouvements différents. Dans le même temps, nous créons 5 nouveaux mouvements par an – notre record fut une fois de créer 8 nouveaux mouvements dans la même année ! Actuellement notre production est de 400 unités par an, pour un chiffre d’affaires de l’ordre de 20 millions CHF en 2009.
TWL :Combien de mouvements ont vu le jour chez vous jusqu’à présent ?
CC : Environ 64.
TWL : Comment sont-ils nés ?
CC : Nous avons un département Design / R&D qui comporte une dizaine de personnes (lorsque la moyenne du secteur pour une entreprise de cette taille est de 3 à 4 personnes, NDLR). Je suis d’abord horloger avant d’être manager, je suis donc très impliqué dans tout le processus de création.
Jusqu’en 2009, nous produisions des mouvements sur commande de nos clients. Mais depuis cette année, nous créons nos propres mouvements, sans commande particulière. Nous les présentons ensuite à nos clients, qui les découvrent alors une fois au stade de la finition. Nous avons actuellement 5 mouvements en cours d’élaboration, 2 à 3 seront présentés à nos clients, le reste réservé à notre propre production.
Jean Dunand Shabaka by Christophe Claret © Christope Claret SA
TWL : C’est un pari sur l’avenir. Avez-vous la garantie que vos clients achèteront ces nouveaux mouvements sans en avoir vu les plans auparavant ?
CC : Non, aucune garantie. Mais cela fait plus de 20 ans que je fais ce métier, et je travaille simultanément pour plus de 18 clients de la marque Christophe Claret ; j’ai donc une idée assez précise de la direction dans laquelle évolue le marché…!
TWL : A propos du marché, comment analysez-vous la crise, ou la sortie de crise ?
CC : Nous n’en sommes pas encore sortis, mais nous sommes sur la bonne voie. Pour la traverser, certaines entreprises se sont repliées sur leurs modèles phares. D’autres ont réduit leur production. En ce qui me concerne, j’ai mis l’accent sur l’outil de production. Ce sera un élément déterminant lorsque nous serons sortis de crise. Par un jeu d’ajustement du marché, des fournisseurs vont probablement disparaître, et lorsqu’il va falloir de nouveau fournir des mouvements aux clients, seules les entreprises capables de répondre très rapidement pourront tirer leur épingle du jeu – en somme, celles qui ont déjà l’outil de production intégré chez elles.
De surcroît, disposer de notre propre appareil de production nous garantit notre indépendance.
TWL : Vous êtes très impliqué dans la gestion de l’appareil de production.
CC : Totalement. C’est déterminant pour l’entreprise. Nous avons passé des mois, des années à mettre au point nos propres machines, notamment pour la découpe de matériaux comme l’or ou le titane. C’est un long travail de co-développement avec des entreprises comme BC Technologies ou Biwi.
© Christope Claret SA
TWL : Au final, les machines sont donc brevetées Christophe Claret ?
CC : Non, ou seulement sur les quelques innovations clés développées spécifiquement pour nos propres besoins. Mais ce n’est pas dans l’intérêt du marché de breveter l’innovation.
TWL : Mais avec cette ouverture à vos concurrents, vous leur permettez d’acquérir les machines qui les placeront au même niveau d’exécution que vous, non ?
CC : Vous savez, quand nos concurrents les achètent, c’est déjà une bonne chose pour l’entreprise qui les fabrique, et donc pour le marché en général. C’est notre manière de voir les choses.
De plus, vous savez, quand ils achètent ces machines que nous avons co-développées, cela signifie qu’elles sont déjà en production chez nous depuis des mois ou des années ! Je sais que des entreprises comme Rolex, Patek Philippe, ou Greubel Forsey en ont acheté. Rolex en a acquis 30, Greubel Forsey, une. C’est une chose d’acquérir du matériel de si haute précision, c’en est une autre que de savoir le faire fonctionner !
TWL : Votre objectif est-il de parvenir à 100% de maitrise d’ouvrage dans la réalisation du produit ?
CC : Non, 80-85% est un ratio satisfaisant. Il faut laisser les fournisseurs stratégiques vivre. C’est important pour le marché qu’ils perdurent. Ce n’est pas dans notre propre intérêt d’être totalement intégrés. C’est une question d’éthique que de continuer à commander sur le long terme à des fournisseurs fidèles et compétents.
© Christope Claret SA
TWL : Votre entreprise croît très rapidement. Certains observateurs estiment que les universités peuvent former environ 50 horlogers de haut vol par an, alors que le marché en requiert environ 10 fois plus. Comment résolvez-vous cette équation ?
CC : Nous avons établis des passerelles avec les universités du monde entier. Nous sommes très actifs sur ce sujet. Nous envoyons nos propres experts à travers le monde, pour nous présenter, pour recruter des stagiaires. Parfois, ils reviennent même avec un ou deux employés en plus !
TWL : L’indépendance est primordiale, pour vous ?
CC : Oui. Nous réalisons 80% de notre production chez nous. Je suis le seul actionnaire de Christophe Claret SA. Je ne me repose sur aucune banque, je n’ai le soutien d’aucun fonds. Je gère l’entreprise sur ses fonds propres uniquement. L’entreprise traverse la crise avec ses propres réserves.
TWL : Qui sont de quel ordre…?
CC : Nous avons environ deux ans d’autonomie devant nous. Mais j’espère que nous n’aurons pas à les utiliser !
TWL : Quelle est votre analyse à ce sujet ?
CC : J’ai beaucoup appris de la crise de 1998. En ce qui concerne la crise actuelle, j’entrevois une embellie d’ici deux ans. A l’horizon 2015, nous devrions avoir retrouvé le niveau du marché de 2006-2007.
TWL : Ne pensez-vous pas que l’émergence de l’Asie puisse bousculer ces prévisions ?
CC : Il y a deux Asie pour nous. La première est l’Asie cliente. Les millionnaires chinois sont de plus en plus nombreux, c’est un fait – et même si pour nous, petite entreprise, c’est un marché difficile à pénétrer.
La seconde, c’est l’Asie concurrente. Oui, la Chine a présenté récemment ses premiers tourbillons, mais je ne suis pas vraiment inquiet (sourire entendu…). Le tourbillon est leur première complication, et la plus haut-de-gamme. Chez Christophe Claret, c’est la base commune de tous nos modèles…
Indépendamment de cela, n’oublions pas que les Etats-Unis, une fois sortis de la crise, seront de retour sur le marché du luxe, avec le potentiel que cela peut représenter. Et à la fois Christophe Claret SA et la Dual Tow sont déjà présents sur place.
Laurent Picciotto Of Chronopassion Talks Brand Selection
© Stéphane de Bourgies
Ever wondered how some of your favorite, high-end boutiques select which brands they will stock in their exclusive stores? We certainly did and so to find out we sought the insight of one of the most well-known characters in the industry, Laurent Picciotto, Founder and Proprietor of the iconic Parisian boutique, Chronopassion.
Laurent was kind enough to explain to us in his own words the personal process he goes through every time he selects a new brand.
Please note this article is also available in French. Please click here.
Laurent Picciotto – Choosing New Brands For Chronopassion
Above all it’s a question of conviction. You can only really know whether a choice is good or bad either too early, or too late. As far as I’m concerned, my choices are made based upon a mix of the emotions elicited by the watches, and the intimate knowledge I have of our customers, who already have well established tastes.
If we are talking about an institutional (mainstream) brand, then it’s always possible to get information on the circuit of resellers. Nonetheless, this information can sometimes be misleading as a particular watch that has sold very well one place may never achieve any success at Chronopassion, especially because we offer such a highly selective, specialist range. For example, we have twice bowed to the insistent requests from Cartier to enter our selection. And twice, with 15 years in between, we had to stop because our clients were not interested in this brand, even though it is clear that Cartier is well sold all over the world and remains a brand with no equivalent.
It’s all about what I call the client formula. For example, we record incredible performances on some niche brands, such as Urwerk, whereas at the same time, our colleagues, even if they are also highly specialized, are unable to achieve the same results. It’s a complex alchemy.
Urwerk CC1
One thing is clear though; there is no miracle recipe in the art of selecting brands.
Moreover, what is right today may become wrong tomorrow, and sometimes within an incredibly short period of time. That’s the reason why, sometimes, we have had to drop some brands which have performed very well in the past but for whatever reason have now fallen out of favor with our clients.
For me, niche brand or not, I think the choice has to be driven emotionally by the design, the quality, and what really makes the watch different. In a certain way, these pieces have to evoke astonishment from both the amateur and the connoisseur alike, resonating on multiple levels of sophistication and understanding.
The people behind the brand also play a major role. It’s always better if there is empathy, if the brand’s vision is clear and if its organization is efficient. But once again, it’s a long-term process, sometimes we have good surprises…and sometimes we have bad.
For example, take the three latest choices I have made.
Glashütte Original Senator Diary
Glashütte Original
I discovered this brand, and worked on building a steel collection in order to create a reasonable range of technical pieces for amateurs at an affordable price. The constant will of technical innovation is particularly noticeable on the “Diary” watch, which allows the wearer to schedule an alarm up to 30 days in advance; similarly, the seconds reset which can be found on some of their models utilizes a step-by-step minutes positioning movement, in order to have the big seconds indicator perfectly align with the minutes index at the top.
The collections are deeply consistent, sober but efficient, and bring something really new to what we had already seen before.
Zenith El Primero Foudroyante 1/10th Chronograph
Zenith
After a great deal of work to reducing a range of over 600 references, M. Dufour has done a great job of redesigning and innovating, in order to take the brand where it was expected to be. The tenth of a second chronograph complication is testament to this as are the more simple and classic pieces which look like they come straight from Sinatra’s Las Vegas, exhibiting a very efficient and attractive neo-vintage look.
Ulysse Nardin Moonstruck
Ulysse Nardin
It’s not a brand, it’s a legend. Previously we worked with them for 10 years, until 2000 when we stopped for business reasons. Nonetheless, I kept on visiting the team booth in Basel every year, always smart in their way of designing very stylish and technical pieces, such as the perpetual calendar “El Toro”, or the “Moonstruck”, which has no equivalent on the market and now…we work with them again!
The Final Word
We’ll have to talk again in the future to really know if these choices have been good or not. I assume they’re all good in one way or another, in so far as all these pieces are really wonderful watches. Nevertheless, to make this concrete they must translate into successful sales because there are no ingenious or exceptional watches that remain unsold – if there are, than there is a real problem! But that’s the topic of another discussion…
Laurent Picciotto is the Founder and Proprietor of the Chronopassion Boutique in Paris. Visit their official website for more information – www.chronopassion.fr
Nadal Hits The Circuit With His All New RM 027 Tourbillon Timepiece
Last month we told you about a brand new timepiece created by luxury watch-maker Richard Mille for superstar tennis player Rafael Nadal. What makes this piece truly special (besides the $500k+ price tag) is that Nadal will actually wear it for every single match he plays, not just at charity events or for press conferences.
Official Debut
Earlier this week the all new RM 027 Tourbillon made it’s official debut on court at the 2010 Roland Gaross Tournament and judging by the look on Rafa’s face he could not be happier with his new watch even going as far as to say:
“It is an honor for me that someone like Richard has chosen me as one of his ambassadors. I know that he has worked very hard to be able to create this very special watch. I am honored and I am sure it will be a special and successful partnership.”
All indications so far suggest that he’s right, with the announcement of this incredible new partnership creating a huge buzz all over the internet. We were even asked for our thoughts by the New York Times!
Whilst Rafa may be very humble about being selected as an ambassador, this would seem to be a very intelligent move by Richard Mille. The luxury watch industry is highly competitive and so it is a constant battle to attract the attention (and the bank accounts) of your target market, regardless of what you have created in the past.
This piece may not be for everybody but it does showcase the extraordinary talents of Mr. Mille and in doing so gives a stunning endorsement to the other pieces in his collection. In addition, this bold move has created a huge buzz both in the industry itself as well as among the general population, generating invaluable publicity for the brand.
Although some of this can be attributed to the hefty price tag of $525,000 attached to the highly limited edition of just 50 pieces, the real hype relates to the fact that Rafa is actually willing to wear the watch during games. As any tennis enthusiast will tell you any perceptible shift in weight can really throw off a player’s whole technique.
To combat this Mille has created what is quite possibly the most expensive watch ever made without the use of traditional precious metals like gold or platinum. The RM 027 RN is one of the lightest tourbillion watches ever designed and weighs in at a meager 20g (including the strap). To make this possible the movement base-plate is crafted from titanium and LITAL alloy and the case is a special composite, containing large amounts of carbon.
The Final Word
Regardless of your personal opinions on the design or materials used, it has to be acknowledged that the fact that Mille was able to create such a delicate mechanism that is robust enough to be worn on the wrist of one the most active athletes in the world (and function reliably!) is truly remarkable.
Will it sell more watches though? Only time will tell.
My Watch: Michael Wyden, Breitling Navitimer World
Hi, my name is Michael Wyden, I’m 22 years old and I live in the heartland of watch-making, which is Switzerland of course! I have always had a strong interest in mechanical things and so it is no surprise that I LOVE mechanical timepieces!
The most recent addition to my modest collection (so far!) is my Breitling Navitimer World. I have always liked big aviator watches and Breitling had exactly the right size for me at 46mm. Although it’s a bit too big for daily wear I love bringing it out for special occasions as people always compliment it and ask questions.
Sometimes I also bring out my Omega Pocket watch from 1967. It was Grandpa’s favorite watch, and now I wear and appreciate it with pride.
For daily wear though I can’t go past my Omega Seamaster Aqua Terra Chronometer. I love wearing it! She’s not too small and not too big, and is very light (for stainless steel) and comfortable.
In short: she’s the perfect everyday watch!
Would you like to see your favorite piece (or collection) featured on The Watch Lounge? Will then send us an email now!
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Latest Comments
- Nick Orloff: Beautiful piece, regrettably a little (?) out of my price range. I’d love to...
- Olivier Muller: Thanks, BMW
Stay tuned ! - Jack: Looks like a really nice watch for the price!