When Oscar-winning actress Kate Winslet was appointed Ambassador of Elegance for Longines in 2010, I was skeptical of the partnership. After all, rare is the brand-celebrity union that transcends the rather cynical (my cynicism mostly) enterprise of marketed engagement which actually produces something worthy in terms of a real association and celebration of the brand. As it turns out, actress-philanthropist was also one of the key founders of the Golden Hat Foundation, a non-profit organisation, dedicated to changing public perception of people on the autism spectrum.
Longines Ambassador of Elegance Kate Winslet fell in love with a vintage Flagship model while visiting the St. Imier factory. Today, 3 editions of the Flagship Heritage by Kate Winslet inspired by that model is up for a Golden Hat Foundation Charity Auction.
Equally important, was that Winslet was one of the rare celebrities who actually possessed a refined taste for elegance beyond her Hollywood stylist. It would serve her well during her visit to Longines headquarters in Saint-Imier where she became besotted with a refined yellow gold watch going back to the beginnings of the Flagship collection. For those of you familiar with the Longines Flagship Heritage 60th Anniversary 1957-2017, the modern re-issue of that very timepiece, who would have guessed that Winslet would have chosen a no-date (really rare in non-collector circles) and no-diamonds (uncommon for female connoisseurs) edition of a Longines watch with impeccable heritage to boot?
Longines Flagship Heritage 60th Anniversary 1957-2017, re-issue of the vintage model picked by Kate Winslet
The Longines Flagship Heritage 60th Anniversary 1957-2017, a re-issue from Baselworld 2017, based on a heritage design eventually picked by Kate Winslet for her Golden Hat Foundation charity auction.
Thee Baselworld Longines Flagship Heritage 60th Anniversary was available in steel, yellow gold and rose gold; all driven by the exclusive calibre L609 (an extensively modified ETA 2892), a movement which powers the Longines Flagship Heritage watches by Kate Winslet as well. The key difference (other than slightly different case proportions) being that the caseback for the Longines Flagship Heritage by Kate Winslet doesn’t just come with engraving for a 16th century caravel flagship but also with her signature.
Sans date window and sporting a courteous 35 mm case diameter, the Longines Flagship Heritage by Kate Winslet is simply sublime. There’s no better opportunity to give till it hurts because you get that gorgeous timepiece personally handed to you by Ms. Winslet herself.The caseback for the Longines Flagship Heritage by Kate Winslet doesn’t just come with engraving for a 16th century caravel flagship but also with her signature.
Flagship Heritage by Kate Winslet for Golden Hat Foundation Charity Auction
Sans date window and sporting a courteous 35 mm case diameter, Longines partnered with its Ambassador of Elegance Kate Winslet to produce 5 limited and numbered pieces named Flagship Heritage by Kate Winslet. Though there were 5 pieces produced, 1 belongs to the Longines Museum while the other was presented to Winslet at a private ceremony, leaving 3 pieces to be auction from 10 – 30 June. Models 2/5, 3/5 and 4/5 will be auctioned with proceeds going towards the Golden Hat Foundation.
The round 18k gold case of the Flagship Heritage by Kate Winslet comes with a silvered dial from reminiscent of the original models from that era and the same stamped caravel flagship with the cursive of “by Kate Winslet” on the back. The winners of the auction will receive their watch from the hands of Kate Winslet during the next event supported by Longines and attended by the brand’s ambassador. [Bid for Flagship Heritage by Kate Winslet here; prices start US$25,000]
Sneaker heads, this one’s for you! Men’s Fashion Week in London has shown us a number of collaborations between designers and brands, with this one being one of the most anticipated. Combining the ultimate street style cult favourite — the sneaker — with the sleek curves of a luxury car, the ‘Aston Martin x Hogan’ limited edition sneaker is stepping out this fall for Autumn Winter 2017/18.
Luxury sports car manufacturer Aston Martin is lauded for their contemporary and sophisticated aesthetic. Melding with Hogan’s quality craftsmanship, this pair of sneakers is one you’d need on your feet. Modelled after the iconic ‘Olympia’ sneaker by Hogan, these sneakers are made of full leather accompanied with nylon mesh to give it a sportier look. Details on the shoes are from Aston Martin’s artisan leather craft, reflecting the elegance of an Aston Martin sports car.
The tongue is decorated in Aston Martin’s classic kestrel tan leather with a pinched seam detailing, featuring a print of the iconic Aston Martin wings. Offered in four seasonal colours, the versatility of these sneakers gives you the free reign to dress them up, or down.
“Collaborating with brands that share our views on quality, style and elegance is important to us,” said Marek Reichman, EVP & Chief Creative Officer at Aston Martin. “Working with creative teams outside of the automotive industry helps to broaden our designers’ minds, and this is always a positive experience for both myself and my team at Gaydon. We take inspiration from all walks of life and our work with Hogan will help to shape and inspire many aspects of our future creations”.
“Hogan’s attention to detail and passion for beautiful products, and Aston Martin’s beautiful craftsmanship made this project a natural fit,” said Sergio Azzolari, General Manager from Hogan. “It was a pleasure for us to collaborate on a shoe that reflects the attention to detailing in Aston Martin sports cars.”
Each of these sneakers are crafted with the same exquisite craftsmanship seen in the British marque’s sports cars and the Italian master’s casual luxury shoes. Only 3,000 pairs of these lux kicks will be produced, so get them while they’re hot! The ‘Aston Martin x Hogan’ exclusive collection will be available at Hogan flagship stores worldwide, at Hogan and at the Aston Martin Dover Street brand centre from the end of June.
Field Marshal Montgomery’s Rolls-Royce Phantom 3 Photo: James Lipman / jameslipman.com
Although he was nicknamed “the Spartan General” due to his strict military bearing and ascetic lifestyle, Field Marshal Bernard Law Montgomery greatly appreciated mechanically efficient and powerful vehicles for his own personal transportation, for that, he demanded the best car. Inevitably, the selection criteria for engine power, stately countenance and endurance fell to the makers of the best car of known to man – Rolls Royce.
A veteran of both World Wars, the British Field Marshal had the use of three Rolls-Royce Phantom IIIs. As a consequence of a deeply historic car combined with a fabled owner, Bernard Montgomery’s three Rolls-Royce Phantom IIIs will be appearing in a gathering of the greatest Phantoms from the last 92 years in Mayfair, London.
The Rolls-Royce ‘Butler’ Phantom 3, one of Monty’s Triple joins the lead up to the opening of the fair as Rolls-Royce Phantoms from all over the world journey to London to share their legendary histories Photo: James Lipman / jameslipman.com
Dubbed “The Great Eight Phantoms”, a Rolls-Royce Exhibition slated for the end of July, Monty’s Triple joins the lead up to the opening of the fair as Rolls-Royce Phantoms from all over the world journey to London to share their legendary histories and stand witness to the arrival of the next generation of the world’s most recognisable and celebrated luxury car, the eighth generation of the Phantom.
Among Monty’s Triple, Field Marshall Montgomery’s Rolls Royce ‘Butler’ Phantom III
Field-marshal Viscount Montgomery Of Alamein, one Of England’s greatest soldiers Since Wellington was known as “The Spartan General”. He loved his Rolls-Royce Phantoms, especially his ‘Butler’ Phantom III. He ended his military career as Deputy Supreme Commander of NATO with a uniform with ten rows Of ribbons. He is considered the longest service Officer in the British Army. Photo: ANL/REX/Shutterstock (1357743a)
A gifted military tactician, Montgomery was notorious for his lack of tact and diplomacy. So much so that mentors and friends would make remarks on his “lack of tact and egotistical outlook which prevented him from appreciating other people’s feelings”. Thus, it is historical irony that this keen believer in the power of image would cultivate such a prickly demeanour and yet choose to use a symbol of elegance and stateliness like the Rolls-Royce Phantom to convey his preferred attributes of permanence, solidity and reliability. To Monty, the Rolls-Royce Phantom III was a bulwark of strength and visual representation of endurance.
“In defeat, unbeatable; in victory, unbearable.” – Winston Churchill on Montgomery
The first of Monty’s Triple Phantoms, a 1936 model coachbuilt by Freestone & Webb, was owned by the head of English Talbot Motor Company, Frederick Wilcock. Then, as declarations of war were being made against Nazi aggression, the Ministry of War Transport Section requisitioned the Rolls-Royce Phantom for use as Montgomery’s personal transport where he ferried Winston Churchill, General Eisenhower and King George VI to D-Day planning sessions at his base in Southwick House, Hampshire. Where luxury car meets legendary leaders and great historical events, the provenance which accrues is simply awe-inspiring. Yet, of the trio of Monty’s Triple, it is his ‘Butler’ Phantom III which is Montgomery’s most beloved.
the ‘Butler’ Phantom III featured a signature front-sloping windscreen that made the car 15 per cent more aerodynamically efficient than the standard configuration Photo: James Lipman / jameslipman.com
Present at the July “The Great Eight Phantoms” Rolls-Royce Exhibition, Montgomery’s Rolls Royce ‘Butler’ Phantom III was originally commissioned for Alan Samuel Butler, Chairman of the De Havilland Aircraft Company, with bodywork by HJ Mulliner of Chiswick, the ‘Butler’ Phantom III featured a signature front-sloping windscreen that made the car 15 per cent more aerodynamically efficient than the standard configuration, further enhanced by the enclosed spare tyre and swept tail design in the rear.
The Rolls-Royce ‘Butler’ Phantom III served Montgomery, plying the streets of London to eminent addresses as 10 Downing Street, the War Office on Whitehall, the British Prime Minister’s country residence Chequers, and military operations centres such as Northwood in Hertfordshire and eventually, as World War II came to a close, the NATO Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers-Europe in Rocquencourt, near Versailles, France.
Elmwood dashboard of the Montgomery Rolls-Royce Phantom 3, worth taking a wristshot with during “The Great Eight Phantoms”, a Rolls-Royce Exhibition slated for the end of July Photo: James Lipman / jameslipman.comHeck, I’d take a ride in Montgomery’s Rolls-Royce Phantom 3 during “The Great Eight Phantoms”, a Rolls-Royce Exhibition just so I could say I shared a seat with history’s legends. Photo: James Lipman / jameslipman.com
It is not clear how the ‘Butler’ Phantom became personally owned by Monty but the Field Marshal retained use of it after the war, carrying other luminaries of the era like the Prime Ministers of Canada, Australia and New Zealand till his retirement from the position of Deputy Supreme Commander of NATO in Europe in 1958, thereafter, he used the Rolls-Royce ‘Butler’ Phantom III till 1962 as a civilian.
In preparation for ‘The Great Eight Phantoms’ Exhibition, the ‘Butler’ Phantom III underwent extensive refurbishment at Rolls-Royce specialist P&A Wood in Essex, England.
‘The Great Eight Phantoms’ Rolls-Royce Exhibition, will take place in Mayfair, London, at the end of July 2017 and it would the first and only opportunity for members of the public to see this legend before it attends the “invite only” Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance in the United States in August, after which it will return to its current owner’s private collection.
From June 30 to November 9, 2017, the Guggenheim Museum’s Spanish outpost in Bilbao will be showing a retrospective of the work by the American artist Bill Viola. The exhibition spans the career of this pioneer of video art, from his early videotape projects to high-definition creations from the new millennium.
Bill Viola was introduced to video at Syracuse University in New York in the early 1970s. During his time at the faculty, he met David Ross (curator of video art) and assisted iconic figures in media art like Peter Campus and Nam June Paik at the Everson Museum of Art. Inspired by philosophy, poetry and mysticism, the American artist used video to explore the human condition and its processes of change, rebirth and transformation, which became recurring themes in his work.
The Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao will explore the artist’s whole career with a thematic and chronological exhibition. The show starts with the artist’s early single-channel videotapes, including “Four Songs” from 1976, described by the artist as “a collection of four musical stories in allegorical form. Images and sound are composed into audio-visual rhythms based on the psychological/emotional dynamics of the individual interaction with the environment.” Other early pieces, “Junkyard Levitation” and “Songs of Innocence,” already evoke characteristics of Viola’s work with the use of repetition, slow motion and long dissolves.
The arrival of the new millennium and the advent of high-definition and flatscreen technology influenced the artist’s work and the format of his creations. Bill Viola began producing small- and medium-format works in a series entitled “Passions.” He also used high-definition technology to create “Catherine’s Room,” “Four Hands” and “Surrender,” all from 2001.
Alongside the exhibition, visitors will have access to an additional “Didactic Space,” where they can discover the artist’s recent work, including partnerships outside of the museum context, such as in churches, historic sites and theaters. His notebooks will also be on display.
Bill Viola’s first feature-length film “I Do Not Know What It Is I Am Like,” dating from 1989, will be screened July 6. The documentary “The Passing Times,” which sees Viola recount the creative process of “The Passing” (1991), will screen September 29.
“Bill Viola: A Retrospective” runs June 30 to November 9, 2017, at the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, Spain.
Putting a contemporary spin on art discovery, ARTO takes a Tinder-like approach to matching art lovers with artworks.
Users scroll down through a mobile gallery of high-resolution images through a personalised art stream. With an extensive database of over 20,000 artworks, users can also narrow their searches by indicating their preferred size and price range.
Image courtesy ARTO
The user interface is incredibly simple: swipe right if you like an artwork, and swipe left if you don’t. Not only are users able to refer back to the photos that they ‘liked’, ARTO also uses this information to analyse individual tastes and preferences and consequently influence what appears on users’ art streams.
In a collaboration with ART REPUBLIK, ARTO now features art-related stories from around Southeast Asia. One can access a wide variety of up-to-date information from AR’s digital platform on luxuo.com, ranging from the latest news in the art world to interviews with prominent figures.
Image courtesy ARTO
And if you prefer a more online-shopping kind of experience, there’s also the option to browse by category. Search by event, artist, gallery, museum, or style.
Jean-Claude Biver, President of the LVMH Group’s Watches Division.
Jean Claude Biver, Head of LVMH Watch & Jewellery was in Singapore yesterday 13 June for a private dinner with collectors and we thought that we might take the opportunity to chat with “the Fixer” (an internal for Biver’s unbelievable ability to take struggling brands and return them to glory) on the new direction of Zenith and the future of tradition when he surprised us with announcement of a new type of regulator in Zenith’s future.
Jean Claude Biver on Zenith, New Regulator and the Future of Tradition
On July 1, 2014, Aldo Magada was appointed CEO of Zenith replacing Jean-Frédéric Dufour who joined Rolex. Unfortunately, Zenith never quite found firm footing as Biver cemented Hublot’s foundations and then embarked on a regeneration and renewal project with TAG Heuer, re-orienting the brand and bringing the heritage brand back to its roots as “your first luxury swiss timepiece” at all new aggressive price points. Today, Tornare has joined Zenith from Vacheron Constantin and Biver is on his last LVMH battlefront – shaping Zenith into the future of tradition.
The Baselworld 2017 Zenith Defy El Primero 21 with skeletonised, reminiscent of many other LVMH watches. We just had to ask…
We have noticed that skeletonising appears to be a common theme across all LVMH watch brands now…
Yes, it’s because of me. I think it’s a catastrophe to put a dial on a watch. A Renault wheel is beautiful because they put something on top of it. Take that away and you see the nuts and bolts. But on a Ferrari, it’s made in such a way that even the wheel is beautiful, you can have it in your living room like a sculpture. You can’t do the same with a wheel from Toyota. Likewise, it’s a shame to have a dial hide the beauty of a movement. True beauty of the watch for me lies in the movement but if you feel that beauty lies in the dial, I respect that. Some enamel dials are truly remarkable. In general, 60% of the time, I prefer a movement instead of a dial. Thus, the movement has to be built in a manner that is attractive. This is why I introduce this artfrom to all my brands including Zenith.
Increasingly, chronographs from Zenith measure 10th of a second increments, some even 100th of a second, is accuracy still relevant in the context of modern watchmaking? Or are these PR value accomplishments?
Nobody cares about accuracy. We only care because it is part of Zenith’s philosophy and the reason we exist. Zenith has specialised in extremely high accuracy since 1865, winning 2322 grand prix awards for accuracy. Zenith’s raison d’etre was to produce the most accurate watches ever. It is part of our history and we should continue with it. Zenith is the future of tradition and if tradition was a chronograph which could display 1/10th of a second, then the future of tradition is a chronograph which can display 1/100th of a second. This is to maintain our heritage and not to repeat heritage. Zenith’s direction today is accuracy and chronographs because that was the message of the brand. Is accuracy important to me? No. But neither do you need a Ferrari with 1000 horsepower.
Industrial finishing on the Zenith Defy El Primero 21 calibre aside, the architecture really is quite interesting.
Would you say the emotional appeal on what you have on the wrist is more important than accuracy and what indication of time?
What is important is the emotion, the quality and the soul. Every watch made by hand has a certain soul, it is a signature of handcrafted objects. A machine made object only has perfection but no soul. A robot does a better job than a human, I would prefer a robot to operate on me with high accuracy. For luxury products, perfection might not be 100% but I would prefer it handmade because it is transmitted by fingers and they leave traces. These traces like the soul, like emotions, like love, are not visible. The invisible is more important than what is invisible. When I was at Blancpain, I used to refer to the “invisible visibility” – what you don’t see can be felt and thus you “see”. In the Little Prince, it was said that the essential things cannot be seen with the eyes. I still believe in this.
What was the last revolutionary innovation from Zenith? El Primero 1969. And then? 1969. And then? 1969. Come on guys, this is 2017. – Biver, on the last time Zenith made something truly innovative
There’s a lot of love for Zenith and a lot of collectors will tell you that they love Zenith but ask if they own one, the usual answer is “no”…
They don’t because Zenith hasn’t been very active in the last 20 years. If you are not active today, people will forget that you exist because there’s so much information and a constant stream of marketing communication which take your attention. So yes, people love Zenith but when if why they don’t know one, they don’t really know. But I know why, it’s usually because they didn’t have the occasion to buy, never saw a Zenith pop-up store before, never saw a big Zenith advertisement, never been invited to a Zenith exhibition. Inactive, the brand will not get a bad reputation but it will stagnate. Not moving means nobody buys. But this is not bad in the sense that brand reputation has not been destroyed. It’s good to have a clean name, bringing Zenith back is then not handicapped by reputation.
So then your solution is to have more communication for the brand?
Yes and innovation. What was the last revolutionary innovation from Zenith? El Primero 1969. And then? 1969. And then? 1969. Come on guys, this is 2017. If Porsche would try to sell the same car that they made in 1969, they would not be successful. Sure, a few would like the 1969 Porsche because it’s a classic car now, the construction may be similar, the engine is still in the back but it’s totally different from a modern Porsche. Zenith has remained in 69 and in life, you cannot survive by staying in 1969, you will end up in a museum!
Taking into context the brand’s performance as far as sales are concerned, is this something you worry that collectors and consumers take that into account?
No. The collector doesn’t really care about what is happening with the brand in terms of sales, they care about the beauty, exclusivity and the history of the brand. Collectors at the auction buy yesterday, not tomorrow. The consumer on the other hand, wants to buy the future, they don’t want to buy yesterday. He wants to have the most up to date. Zenith is the future of tradition and I want to deliver Zenith innovations to my consumers today. When more consumers want to buy today, more collectors want to buy tomorrow because they want to be more exclusive.
Zenith: The Future of Tradition – the Defy 21, new regulator and beyond
The two balance wheels of the new Zenith Defy 21, both with Carbon-Matrix Carbon Nanotube hairsprings, one operating at 36,000 vph for regular time indication, the other for chronograph operations at 360,000 vph.
Speaking of “now”, there is the Defy 21 with carbon-nano tubes, is it a challenge to communicate to people how these materials are a vital improvement to the pieces?
First, all the mechanical watches are nonsense from the rationality. But is art nonsense? No, art is necessary, I wish there would be more museums and art galleries because we need art. Rationally, we can live without a painting on the wall. For me, I see watches as art. Second, in this art, you still have constraints, it must still be a watch and if you want to make it watchmaking art, it must be fit within certain rules, namely accuracy and power reserve.
All materials which help in accuracy and power reserve and supporting essential elements of a watch because those are the primary concerns of a watch. Carbon-Matrix Carbon Nanotube gives extraordinary accuracy and provides better power reserve because the material is 100% anti-magnetic and 100% anti-thermic. It goes from -50 degrees to 100 degrees with no variation. When it gets very cold, power reserve is consumed quicker and thus, the new material helps with power reserve and accuracy.
Living in the 21st century and if these new materials are available, why should we not use it? If you wake Mr. Breguet from the grave, you told him that in this 21st century, these new materials exist today, he would be very excited and say, “I want to use them!” because he was avant garde. Breguet alive today would not want to use the materials from 1801, he would want to use the materials now. This is why we use Carbon-Matrix Carbon Nanotube.
The new Zenith Defy 21 in black ceramic. Details in our upcoming issue of World of Watches.
An Explainer: Zenith Defy El Primero 21 with Carbon-Matrix Carbon Nanotube
The last time a Zenith El Primero started a conversation in the world of horology, it was 1969. In 2016, a new Defy El Primero 21, housed in a 44mm case reminiscent of the original El Primero, in titanium and in ceramised aluminum got the industry talking again. Finally, a new El Primero 21 calibre (named for the 21st century) with COSC certification.
Featuring two separate escapements, one for regular time indication, the other for ultra high frequency chronograph timing, each used a balance spring made of a new material, Carbon-Matrix Carbon Nanotube. Anti-magnetic and anti-thermic, Zenith’s new patented material provided the beating heart for a 36,000 vph balance for normal time indication while the chronograph utilised its own 360,000 vph balance for timing 1/100th of a second intervals. Essentially, the gentle sweep of the big chronograph completing a rotation in 60 seconds as per regular chronographs completes one rotation on a Defy El Primero 21 in a single second. However, the immense power requirements of powering a 360,000 vph chronograph meant that you could only run the chronograph function for a maximum of 50 minutes. But the future of tradition isn’t a balance with carbon-matrix carbon nanotube hairspring either, it’s something else, it’s a heretofore unseen regulator.
Zenith’s revolutionary new regulator to be officially unveiled in September 2017
Official information is still scant but from what we learned is that the new silicon-based regulator will operate at a potentially super high frequency of 15 Hz (comparatively, a traditional El Primero is 5 Hz and quartz operates at 32,768 Hz). More importantly, the Zenith’s new regulator would no longer resemble traditional hairspring with balance wheel constructs. Instead, it would require no oil, create no friction and provide chronometric accuracy of 1 variation a day, making it the most accurate mechanical watch today.
Representative image, NOT the actual new regulator. This is actually the escapement assortment of the Zenith Synopsis.
While it is true that a higher frequency movement tends to keep more accurate time, the truth is, like the spinning top example, speed is but one factor – stability is the another contributing factor – the more stable the regulating, the more accurate as well. Today, a watchmaker has to find solutions which compensate for temperature, power, friction, gravity and shock. Theoretically, if one could keep power constant, prevent variations in temperature, operate without gravity, shocks and magnetism, a frictionless mechanical calibre could give a quartz movement a run for accuracy.
That said, Biver claims that Zenith’s new silicon-based regulator solves the issue of “constant force” by having 100% amplitude at full power and 100% amplitude near entropy (close to zero power reserve). Slated for an exclusive September 2017 launch in Germany, 10 unique pieces dubbed “Defy Laboratory” (since they are experimental) with Zenith’s new regulator will go to market before the official launch of the series production model at Baselworld 2018. Expect to pay around CHF30,000 (inclusive first class airfare and personal delivery by Biver) for the privilege. The series production model is expected to cost similar to the current Zenith Defy 21 range.
If a customer would not buy a Patek Philippe tourbillon at US$120,000 because there’s a TAG Heuer tourbillon at US$20,000, then he should go to hell. How can you hesitate? If a customer would not buy an advanced Hublot carbon tourbillon at $80,000 because there’s a TAG Heuer for $20,000. He should also go to hell. – Biver on understanding a brand’s message and its customer
Taking the Heuer 02T tourbillon in context of other LVMH brands which produce tourbillons – are there any cross-brand impacts as a result of TAG Heuer’s aggressive pricing and positioning?
No, it has no diminished the number of tourbillons that Patek Philippe has sold and I can provide personal testimony that it has not impacted number of tourbillons that Hublot has sold. If a customer would not buy a Patek Philippe tourbillon at US$120,000 because there’s a TAG Heuer tourbillon at US$20,000, then he should go to hell. How can you hesitate? If a customer would not buy an advanced Hublot carbon tourbillon at $80,000 because there’s a TAG Heuer for $20,000. He should also go to hell. It’s not the same business nor the same customer, we are not selling prices. Whoever shops with that mentality, I would thank God that he didn’t buy. That said, there are a huge number of people who cannot afford a Patek Philippe but why should they be punished? If it’s in the concept of the brand, as in the case of TAG Heuer, the accessible luxury swiss watchmaking brand, we should have a tourbillon which addresses that market gap.
Biver’s TAG Heuer 02 tourbillon chronograph is disruptive because he found a way to streamline process and production of a tourbillon and offer it at $20,000 to consumers.
We accomplished this at TAG Heuer by designing the tourbillon so that even a blind watchmaker can put one together; A blind watchmaker can only put together a tourbillon if it is built like a Lego because a child can build a Lego. A child can feel when the right pieces are supposed to fit. Before, a tourbillon can only be made by master watchmakers, he had to adjust everything. The construction and simplicity of a TAG Heuer tourbillon saves time for our watchmakers and this lowers our costs. The more you prepare in production in terms of precision and ease of assembly, the better efficiencies then allow us to offer you a tourbillon for $20,000. But just because we have new production processes for a TAG Heuer tourbillon doesn’t mean that we have condemned Patek Philippe or Hublot to selling zero tourbillons, it’s a different customer base. Brands have different customers, philosophies, messages and perceptions.
Some Group CEOs have expressed distaste for watch collectors since they over-examine each new novelty, in pursuing a commercial direction, do you feel that opinions of watch collectors must be considered in designing new products?
Yes, it matters and it’s important because they are very neutral. A collector sees every watch with the same eye. Journalists can sometimes see the watch through the eyes of their friends because they might like the CEO, or they get invited to Switzerland on a trip and they decide to write nice things, it’s only natural, it’s human. But a collector doesn’t care, he sees everything neutral. Thus, the collector’s opinion, his eyes and his knowledge are very important to me because they are very neutral. But this isn’t always the case with a retailer or journalists.
But then if you always listened to them, you would have a lot of watches without date complications…
Again, this is dependent on the brand. When I was at Omega, I didn’t do many complications. When I was at Blancpain, I made many complications because that was our message. It’s very important that brands know their message and what they’re supposed to do. The message of Zenith is the future of tradition. If Zenith makes a connected watch, is that the future of tradition? No, it’s only the future, it has nothing to do with tradition. If we a Zenith chronograph measures 1/100th of a second, that is the future of tradition, this is the future of the 1969 El Primero with 1/10th of a second. If we do a new hairspring with carbon-nano tubes with anti-magnetic and anti-thermic properties because everyone uses radiating cellphones, this too is the future of tradition, this is also an evolution of a hairspring that was steel, silinvar and today, silicon or carbon-nano.
Thus, TAG Heuer is the swiss avant garde accessible watch brand; Hublot is the unaffordable, disruptive watch brand and Zenith is the future of tradition. When this is clear then everybody knows what to do. No confusion possible. Ask another brand what they’re message is and I doubt they can communicate it in 5 words.
Biver is a really busy guy, He also makes his own cheese and produces his own wine, making him one of the, if not THE most prodigious captains in the industry. Yep, that’s him with a block of his cheese from his farm. A staple at Hublot booths during Baselworld.
Biver’s Secret to getting many things done
We hear you only sleep 3 hours a night, is that true?
No it’s not true. Sometimes I sleep 0 hours and sometimes I sleep 6. I never sleep more than 5 or 6. I flew into Singapore today at 4pm and will head to Hong Kong for a meeting and I will leave Hong Kong that evening. I was in Sao Paulo before where I flew in during the day and out again that evening. If you need sleep, it would very difficult to do same day flights, you’d be too tired. I never get tired.
Is this the secret getting so many things done?
Yes. But it’s two secrets. First, sleeping is like being dead, you are completely inactive. Second, have good help, you cannot build success alone, you need good people. You need people because you need love. Love brings harmony and equilibrium and help comes from love, it gives you support, hope, optimism, colour, strength and joy. My two recommendations: Don’t sleep and always have help.
