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Record collection

Editorial BRINGING BACK

VOICES FROM THE PAST

BY SERGE MAILLARD

hat will remain of our era? Emails and text messages are ephemeral. We regularly “clear out” our email inboxes. Which is a polite way of saying that we delete everything. Skype conversations, regardless of their subject matter, are never archived. Photographs, which used to be taken deliberately and carefully, now mount up in their thousands in albums that are at the mercy of built-in obsolescence. Today, a lifetime’s worth of images can be wiped out in a second. Until relatively recently, however, the most important things were put down in writing. Communication between Europe and the United States was conducted by letter, and later by fax. “It’s far easier to archive previous centuries than the current one,” explains Flavia Ramelli, head archivist for Patek Philippe, in our dossier. “Today, some of the most important information is virtual.” For the watch industry, the past has probably never been so important. How many re-issues, reinterpretations, and auc- Vintage timepieces tion records have we seen, alongside watches that have reare far more mained bestsellers practically since their creation. The careful record-keeping of previous generations, combined with Instagrammable than new digitisation and communication technologies, have Apple Watches! worked miracles. Watchmakers are now diligently “securing” their heritage, the better to exploit it. In an industry that has lost its basic utility, there is a keen awareness that success comes from status, heritage, and the passing on of culture and values. Even the many newcomers on Kickstarter, rather than focusing on performance alone, go to great lengths to demonstrate some connection to tradition, heritage, a glorious past. As far as the watch industry is concerned, far from killing off the mechanical watch, the digital era has brought past glories back to life. Vintage timepieces are far more Instagrammable than Apple Watches! Given this renewed focus on the past, Europa Star has embarked upon the digitisation of a unique heritage: over 90 years of watch industry archives. We are unveiling the first finds in this issue dedicated to heritage. But we shall not be succumbing to nostalgia. For us, this project is about preparing for the future. It’s a new beginning.

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GLOBAL EDITION | CHAPTER 5.2018

DOSSIER: HERITAGE

COVER STORY

CARL F. BUCHERER MASTER OF THE PERIPHERAL

PARAPHERNALIA

BALTHASAR DE PURY WATCHES WITH A SOUL

18 12

CARL F. BUCHERER HERITAGE TOURBILLON DOUBLE PERIPHERAL LIMITED EDITION Reference number: 00.10802.03.13.01. Movement: Automatic, CFB T3000 manufacture caliber, chronometer, diameter 36.50 mm, height 4.60 mm, 32 jewels, power reserve of 65 hours, hand-engraved 18 k white gold bridge, 22 k rose gold rotor.

22 THE QUEST FOR AN EVERLASTING STORY 34 PATEK PHILIPPE: AN EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH PHILIPPE STERN 42 VACHERON CONSTANTIN: A FORMULA FOR BRINGING ARCHIVES BACK TO LIFE 46 A GLIMPSE INTO LONGINES’ HERITAGE AND PATRIMONY 50 THE WATCHMAKERS TEST THEIR DNA 58 WHEN EXTINCT BRANDS ACHIEVE RECORD RESULTS

CARL F. BUCHERER Bucherer AG Langensandstrasse 27 CH-6005 Luzern Switzerland Phone +41 41 369 70 70 www.carl-f-bucherer.com

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SUBSCRIBE TO EUROPA STAR MAGAZINE www.europastar.com/subscribe | SUBSCRIBE TO THE WEEKLY NEWSLETTER www.europastar.com/newsletter | CHAIRMAN Philippe Maillard PUBLISHER Serge Maillard EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Pierre Maillard CONCEPTION & DESIGN Serge Maillard, Pierre Maillard, Alexis Sgouridis DIGITAL EDITOR Ashkhen Longet PUBLISHING / MARKETING / CIRCULATION Nathalie Glattfelder, Marianne Bechtel/Bab-Consulting, Jocelyne Bailly, Véronique Zorzi BUSINESS MANAGER Catherine Giloux MAGAZINES Europa Star Global | USA | China | Première (Switzerland) | Bulletin d’informations | Eurotec EUROPA STAR HBM SA Route des Acacias 25, CH-1227 Geneva - Switzerland, Tel +41 22 307 78 37, Fax +41 22 300 37 48, contact@europastar.com Copyright 2018 EUROPA STAR | All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form without the written permission of Europa Star HBM SA Geneva. The statements and opinions expressed in this publication are those of the authors and not necessarily Europa Star. Subscription service | Europa Star | 5 issues | Worldwide airmail delivery CHF 90 | Subscription orders via: europastar.com/subscribe | Enquiries: contact@europastar.com ISSN 2504-4591 | www.europastar.com |

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Tambour Horizon Your journey, connected.

The new Heritage Tourbillon DoublePeripheral Limited Edition by Carl F. Bucherer 12

Cover Story

CARL F. BUCHERER

MASTER OF THE PERIPHERAL BY SERGE MAILLARD

Bucherer, the famous Lucerne watchmaker and jeweller, celebrates 130 years of history this year by bringing a new dimension to its watch brand Carl F. Bucherer, which has been pioneering in its use of the peripheral oscillating weight. A stunning new model has been designed especially for the occasion. The brand is also exploring new territories in the United States. Here are some explanations.

A world first: a timepiece with a peripheral oscillating weight and a suspended tourbillon

30 years, three generations, a watchmaking style that focuses resolutely on innovation, and a rapidly expanding network. If you had to give a one-sentence summary of where Bucherer stands in 2018, that probably fits the bill. The Carl F. Bucherer brand has gradually increased its hitting power since its official launch in 2001, on the strength of a watchmaking heritage that goes back a hundred years. The brand’s growth began to accelerate a decade ago, after the launch of a major innovation: an automatic movement driven by a bi-directional mechanism, with a peripheral oscillating weight, in a series production – a first for the industry. “For our 130th anniversary we wanted to launch a revolutionary new initiative, something that would be talked about for decades to come,” exclaims CEO Sascha Moeri. He is referring to the launch of a completely new collection. First, though, let’s take a look back at the history of the peripheral oscillating weight, Carl F. Bucherer’s signature.

Peripheral rotor specialist The CFB A1000 movement of 2008 was succeeded in 2016 by the COSC-certified CFB A2000 calibre, which further refined the movement’s unusual construction and unique rotor. This year, another new calibre emerged from the company’s production facility in Lengnau, the CFB T3000, with 189 components. Unveiled at Baselworld, it represents the culmination of this pioneering technological advance. In the meantime other brands have hoisted their colours to the same mast, but Carl F. Bucherer remains the pioneer and leader in the field. The peripherally located rotor is held in place by three ceramic ball bearings placed around its internal circumference, making it extremely shockresistant. “In our calibre, the rotor rotates around the movement, which gives it a lighter construction and provides an unimpeded view into the heart of the mechanism,” explains Samir Merdanovic, Head of Movement Production.

Ultra-precise suspended tourbillon For its 130th birthday, the brand has taken its exploration of peripheral technology even further, adding to this unique calibre the watch industry’s most prestigious complication: a tourbillon. But this one is a little different. Unlike other tourbillons you’ll find on the market, flying or not, this one is attached neither to the movement plate, nor to a bridge, and it can be viewed in all its glory from both sides of the watch. The cage of the “suspended tourbillon”, which appears to float up by the 12 o’clock marker, is held in place and guided by three ceramic ball bearings around its external circumference. This obviously makes them peripheral too, as well as being invisible to observers!

Close-up of the highly innovative CFB T3000 movement with its suspended tourbillon

The mechanism is adjusted via an eccentric that optimises the amount of play. Unlike traditional tourbillons, this construction allows for reduced movement height, and provides a view of the mobile cage from both above and below. The watchmaker has also provided its CFB T3000 movement with a silicon pallet and pallet wheel, which takes the watch’s power reserve up to at least 65 hours and, rarely for a tourbillon, has made it eligible for COSC certification. Another unusual feature is the stop-second tourbillon feature, which pauses the cage’s rotation. The wearer can thus synchronise their watch to the nearest second.

New Heritage collection The two main features of this technology – the peripheral oscillating weight and the peripherally suspended tourbillon – naturally led to the name choice of “Tourbillon DoublePeripheral”. Introduced for the first time in Basel as part of the Manero collection, this unique combination has now found a home in a brand new collection created to celebrate the brand’s 130th anniversary: Heritage. The Heritage Tourbillon DoublePeripheral Limited Edition, unveiled in New York in October at an event that Europa Star was lucky enough to attend, is the first in what promises to be an annual series of exceptional timepieces, paying tribute to the company’s rich heritage and exploring some surprising innovations. In this respect, the watch does its job particularly well. Turning the watch over to look at the back, the astonishing craftsmanship that has gone into the Heritage series’ inaugural model is revealed. The reverse of the 18-karat white gold case features a handcrafted engraving depicting a view of Lucerne with its famous wooden covered bridge, covering the entire caseback except for the tourbillon aperture. This alone requires more than two weeks of meticulous manual work. But that’s not all: every engraving also features a tiny swan, which appears in a different position on each of the 88 models. This detail relates to the fact that, in 1888, Carl F. Bucherer opened his first specialised shop in the Schwanenplatz – the Place of the Swan.

Vintage case inspiration The shape of the 42.5 mm 18-karat rose gold case and the decoration of the sunbrushed dial, with its raised outer circle punctuated by diamond-cut markers, are inspired by some of the great classics of the 1960s, in line with the Heritage collection’s

mission to combine retro design with cutting-edge technology. To celebrate the brand’s 130th anniversary, the peripheral oscillating weight is also made of 22K rose gold. “Bucherer watches have been in circulation since 1919,” Sascha Moeri points out. “We have always created particularly innovative watches, in partnership with other brands, from chronographs to diving watches. But our production was always limited to our shops in Switzerland. In 2001 an important change was made, with the decision to export our products and create a completely separate watch brand, which we baptised Carl F. Bucherer. Today, we are limited only by our production capacity. We won’t exceed 40,000 units, however, because we want to remain an exclusive watchmaker.”

A fresh start in the United States The watchmaker, now an official partner of the Fondation de la Haute Horlogerie, can look to its mother company for new horizons. In the United States, for instance, Bucherer has bought leading retailer Tourneau and its 28 stores. Although it is already firmly established in Europe and Asia, the brand can rely on its rich history to win the hearts of American customers, as Sascha Moeri illustrates. “Many GIs who fought in Europe during the Second World War brought Bucherer watches back home to the States.” The Lucerne company’s promotion of its rich heritage in this vintage-obsessed era, combined with its flagship innovation in the new Heritage collection, should give it the advantages it needs to grow in the North-American market. And Lucerne itself is not short of historic credentials, as Sascha Moeri explains: “We are in a unique location, because just half an hour’s drive from my office is the Rütli meadow, the legendary place where Switzerland was born in 1291!”

The reverse of the 18-karat white gold case with a handcrafted engraving depicting a view of Lucerne

Paraphernalia

BALTHASAR DE PURY

WATCHES WITH A SOUL

Photograph: Guillaume Perret, Lundi13

t all started with his passion for insects, then it was the skateboard, and only later the watch. On his way home from school, he would gaze at the windows of watchmaking boutiques, enraptured by the watches on display. And so, after collecting insects, Balthasar de Pury began to collect watches. In the beginning, it was Swatches, then he bought his first mechanical watch at a flea market. For months, he saved his pennies to buy himself a brand new one. Mesmerised, he wanted to understand how it all worked. His fate was sealed. He fell hook, line and sinker under the spell. Thirty-five-year-old Balthasar now works for Piaget and the FHH (Fondation de la Haute Horlogerie), but pops over to the Val-de-Travers whenever he can. Nestled deep in the valley is the family estate, acquired by his ancestors in 1680 and now ‘the family’s secret garden’, of which Balthasar de Pury is currently the ‘guardian and rock’. One of his ancestors collected plants there, together with Rousseau, not so far from where the famous Bovet ‘from China’ watchmakers once lived. Nevertheless, the de Pury family, with its famous Neuchâtel lineage of military men, politicians and traders, has no particular ties with watchmaking, save its geographical proximity. And yet might the long family past not be partly responsible for turning Balthasar into the man we now know, an erudite and sophisticated collector with a passion for all things vintage and an eye for a watch with a story to tell? ‘Nowadays, everything has become a perishable commodity. But, when you pick up a watch that has lain untouched for decades and wind it up, it lives again! The hitherto dormant mechanism still works, it has a past, a story to tell, it sparks my imagination. Both maker and wearer of the watch have long since disappeared, but the watch is still here, still telling the time.’ Balthasar believes that it might be the time-worn aspect of an object steeped in history that explains their growing appeal among millennials today. They are looking for meaning, and a watchmaking past that is still alive and kicking, as they search for objects with a soul, rather than products of pure marketing hype. (PM)

1 FOUR POCKET WATCHES ON A GLOVE (from left to right) ‘Four watches, four pasts. The first is a school watch with an IWC calibre. It’s student-made, but the finishings are extraordinary, worthy of the Philippe Dufour tradition. Nowadays the watchmakers only learn to assemble the movement in school. It’s the kind of watchmaking that no longer exists these days, or if it does it commands crazy prices. The second is an Omega from Somazzi, one of the very first Omega retailers and still in existence today. The third dates by 1941 and it’s the first water-resistant pocket watch from Omega. A super-rare piece. The fourth, a Universal, is a unique piece, which once belonged to a train inspector called August Ruggli. It was sold to me by his grandson. It’s an exquisitely fine example. All four watches are pieces of absolute purity.’ 2 TWO IDENTICAL LEMANIAS ‘When I found the first watch, I thought it was unique. On its back was an engraved inscription: ‘Marchissy, To its soldiers, Lucien Pilloud, 1939 – 1945’. It’s a soldier’s watch. Then one year later, I chanced upon another, absolutely identical, but engraved with the inscription ‘Burtigny, To its soldiers, Albert Pilloud, 1939 – 1945’. Both were purchased from the same dealer. The two identical pieces are the only known examples of their kind. They are both crafted in the same style. They had lived separate lives for 70 years, now they are reunited and sitting here side-by-side. Quite incredible’.

5 3 A GENDARME’S WATCH ‘This one is an unbranded watch. It has no particular value apart from its past and the stories it conjures up. I find it quite beautiful. What I like about it is its interesting history: it was a gift made to Brigadier Billieux in the 40s by his colleagues at the police station in Rive [a district of Geneva]. You soon find yourself imagining all kinds of things this watch has lived orseen on the wrist of this otherwise unknown man.’ 4 MY MATERNAL GRANDFATHER’S WATCH ‘My grandfather was a night fighter pilot, or ‘From Dusk Till Dawn’ pilot, with RAF Squadron 219 & 168. On 13 March 1942, he was given this watch at the end of his flying school instruction in Florida. He continued wearing it on his wrist during the war throughout his 300 night-time sorties. He was one of the few survivors of his squadron. Amazingly, it’s only 29 mm in diameter!’

5 THE ABSINTHE FOUNTAIN ‘Banned for a long time, but now back in favour, absinthe, the ‘green fairy’ that drove poets mad, had always been distilled in secret in the Val-de-Travers. Absinthe is as much a part of this land as watchmaking. In its own way, it remains an inseparable part and anyone visiting these parts should definitely taste it.’ 6 A QUAINT RURAL SCENE ‘This one dates from the 17th or 18th century. It’s a tiny painting on wood, naive and almost surrealistic. The composition is slightly strange and it has oddly shaped clouds. But there’s something about it that made me instantly fall in love with the piece. I had to have it at all costs. Why? Who knows? Probably its hidden past.’

Photo: Vacheron Constantin â&#x20AC;&#x201C; First known pocket watch, 1790

Dossier

HERITAGE

THE POWER OF THE PAST

n the watch business it’s difficult to talk about consecration of Louis Moinet, provides a good illustrathe present without bringing up the past. It’s tion. Montblanc was less than overjoyed when Nicolas almost Pavlovian. In watch brand press releas- Rieussec, a key figure in the brand’s strategy, was dees it’s commonplace to start out with a reflec- moted from this position. Debates over heritage, fed tion on the piece’s origins, traditions, heritage, by archive material, have also had some very tangible DNA, roots, etc. etc. etc. effects on current collections. And, when you think about it, that’s Be warned: the But there’s one caveat: contemporary quite logical, for an industry whose brands may be watch heritage’s best conversation on main function is to measure the passfriends, but they’re also its worst eneing of time! But it’s worth examining heritage is often mies, when they misrepresent the past this phenomenon a little more close- dictated by marketing to suit their own marketing purposes. ly. Why does everyone harp on about imperatives, and the That’s why it’s important to fact-check their heritage? And what’s the deal what we are told, because the converwith all the reissues we’ve been seeing tone can sometimes sation on heritage is often dictated by veer off into dogmatic in recent years? marketing imperatives, and the tone As we celebrate the digitisation of pronouncements can sometimes veer off into dogmatic over 60,000 pages from the Europa Star pronouncements and purple prose. and purple prose. archives (the first phase covers six decBeware of hyperbole! ades) we hope to shed new light on the Beware of hyperbole! But despite all the pitfalls, it remains importance of heritage to the watch an utterly fascinating exercise. Among industry. We’ll also look into how watchmakers are ex- the millions of words written in the past, how many ploiting this rich history, now that new technologies surprising finds await us? make it so easy to digitise documents that were previously archived in unwieldy binders (as ours were!). And remember also that watch historians like nothing more than a good argument. The quest for the real “father of the chronograph”, which led to the recent 21

ARCHIVES AND HERITAGE

THE QUEST FOR AN EVERLASTING STORY

BY OLIVIER MÜLLER

Never has the watchmaking heritage of watch brands been so well-documented. The fashion for vintage has had a hand in this, forcing watchmakers to constantly refer back to their archives. But beyond this trend, conservation of their heritage is a mission that the brands tackle in rather disparate ways – a question of philosophy and density of heritage, but also one of priorities and means.

An “El Primero” animation at “The starry world of Zenith”, an exhibition launched by the brand in partnership with Neuchâtel Tourist Office to promote its rich heritage.

t’s a simple task at first glance, but as with so many things, before you even start probing the question of archives and heritage, you need first of all to actually define them. On this point, etymology is again very helpful – and surprising! The illustrious Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, a historical dictionary of the French language by Alain Rey (2,383 pages of high-flying erudition) reminds us that patrimoine, the French word for patrimony or heritage, is all that is inherited from the father (pater). Incidentally, in the Middle Ages it was possible to juxtapose patrimony and – matrimony. Even more surprising is that, contrary to what one might suppose, the word “archives” comes not at all from the Greek archeos, meaning ancient, but from arkheion, meaning “residence of the highest magistrates of the city”. In a nutshell, archives are not ancient documents, as we might first of all imagine, but the important documents of the city. On these grounds, let the debate begin! Today, the watchmakers’ sole mission, with regard to their own “patrimony” is to fuel their own history. And they all have their own way of going about it. Globally, the brands have understood the importance of this exercise, but their approaches differ on three points: the means they devote to it, the current status of their efforts to conserve their heritage, and the use they make of it.

Internal structures speak volumes Today, most watchmakers have a dedicated department, called something like Patrimoine, Image or Brand Heritage. The first thing to note is that the service provided by this department is anything but innocent. It very clearly reveals the use for which the brand’s heritage is intended. In most cases, it is directly attached to the marketing department. The structural intention is unequivocal here: the brand’s heritage is basically at the service of the “storytelling” that is made to measure for each new product. At a time when vintage is all the rage, it is obviously a huge advantage to be able to ground a contemporary re-edition in its original environment, with lashings of period publicity – extracts from archives, catalogues and advertisements.

A handful of cases are different. One of the most original ones is that of Zenith – its Heritage department is attached to its customer service. “Our mission is to listen to the collectors who contact us in order to see where their heart lies, all the better to build the future,” explains Laurence Bodenmann, Heritage Manager for the Le Locle-based brand. “We receive about 15 questions a day on the website, and we talk directly with customers and collectors. We then work with the Products and Movements department, with one eye on past products while we’re at it, so they can write the next chapter in the Zenith story.”

At TAG Heuer, Jean-Claude Biver intuitively grasped the attraction of new customers both to connectivity and to vintage… While launching the Connected watch, he also promoted the renaissance of vintage models such as the Autavia, as well as a travelling exhibition, the Museum in Motion.

TAG Heuer: connectivity and vintage Another atypical case, again within the LVMH Group, is the titanic work undertaken by TAG Heuer to reconstruct its heritage. The Heritage division was created by Jean-Claude Biver in 2017 to construct a story around the brand’s recent relaunches – starting with the Carrera and Autavia. “Before, our heritage was managed by customer service without any real knowledge of the price of historical components. For example, we noticed a continuous haemorrhage of period dials,” explains Catherine Eberlé-Devaux, who has led the department for the past two years. “Today, we have referenced and indexed more than 10,000 documents and prices that have enabled us to reconstruct our history, as well as to know the value of our stock of historical components. The most important thing is to prevent our co-workers deciding for themselves, internally, what is important and what isn’t. For example, last month the law department handed me a cardboard box of things they didn’t need any more. In it, I found our original order contracts for the very first Calibre 11!”

Breitling: unearthing the past Another special case is that of Breitling, the brand headed up today by Georges Kern. Two posts were created in 2017 to literally recreate its heritage. One of them is occupied part-time by none other than the manufacture’s social media manager. So theirs is a triple objective – to collect, share and collate. It's a colossal task since, as Breitling’s marketing director Tim Sayler explains, “heritage was not a priority of the brand’s in the past. We only had about 200 badly documented items. Over the past year we’ve bought a good thirty, including at auction and from collectors. We also search for items and documents in Granges and La Chaux-de-Fonds, in our basements, and so on. There’s still a lot to do.”

Under the leadership of Georges Kern, Breitling has introduced a new Premier collection, based on the brand’s legacy from the 1940s.

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Van Cleef & Arpels: 1.4 km of archives The volume of conserved items is only a figure, certainly, but one that nevertheless bears witness to the extent of a brand’s patrimonial intentions. Some figures speak volumes. “The Cartier collection was created in 1983 and today comprises more than 2,000 items,” says Pierre Rainero, the brand’s style, image and heritage director. His department is probably one of the most impressive at the moment, with some forty employees. Still at Richemont, the Van Cleef & Arpels collection runs into astronomical figures if we add watches and jewellery together: 1,400 linear metres of archives, 100,000 drawings, 250,000 gouache paintings, 100,000 slides and 50,000 photos. Its Heritage division was created nearly 20 years ago and is still headed by the same person. The archives are complete back to 1906. Lastly, let us not forget the Japanese precision of Seiko: “Our museum houses a total of 13,794 watches, 497 of which are displayed, and 1,836 clocks, 235 of which are displayed”, explains the brand with extreme exactitude. “Nine people work full time at the museum and are our equivalent of a heritage department.”

Breguet: a direct descendent in the Heritage department A complete archive with not an item missing is the holy grail of all watch historians. But they are playing on an uneven field. At Breguet, the presence of Emmanuel Breguet on the steering committee is a considerable asset for the brand: “I published the first proper biography of my ancestor just over twenty years ago. There has never been any gap in the indexation of items, movements or dials for any of our watches. It’s an extremely homogeneous corpus, which is extraordinarily rare in the watchmaking sector.” Emmanuel Breguet goes on: “Our entire heritage without exception since 1780 has been digitised, and any authentication request goes through me. I can respond in a matter of minutes by just taking a quick look, but if need be I always have my tablet with me, which allows me to browse 250 years of archives, all perfectly indexed, in a few seconds.” While he clearly has a strong personal interest in keeping this history alive, the Swatch Group has its own reasons. It applies industrial processes not only to its watchmaking, but also to its heritage. Everything produced by the Swatch Group is indexed, digitised, categorised and archived, whether it comes from purely watchmak28

“Our entire heritage without exception since 1780 has been digitised, and any authentication request goes through me.” Emmanuel Breguet

ing brands or from movement manufacturers like ETA. This approach is especially evident at Longines (read about our visit to its Heritage department on p. 46). The brand has conserved no fewer than 10,000 watches and every single one of its production registers. “It’s probably the most complete and best organised watchmaking heritage collection in the world,” explains Sébastien Chaulmontet, the acclaimed co-author of Chronographs for Collectors, on which subject he is an expert. “Don’t forget that when the brands went through difficult periods, the first thing to go out of the window was the archives, in general. At a time when watchmakers are vaunting micro-differences in dials, hands or indices, it’s a good idea to have a complete historical view of what has already been done. It’s worth remembering that the principal counterfeiters in the history of the brands are the brands themselves. Through their books, they do not always pursue the historical truth, but the glory they stand to gain. That’s flagrant, in the past and even today, in the inventions and patents that are filed, the ownership of which are questionable.”

“The principal counterfeiters in the history of the brands are the brands themselves. Through their books, they do not always pursue the historical truth, but the glory they stand to gain.” Sébastien Chaulmontet

#ThisIsYourTime

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Museums – a must?

“Since 2012, we have bought back nearly 500 items that will be exhibited in permanent or temporary collections.” Sebastian Vivas, Audemars Piguet’s Museum and Heritage director

Many watch brands still keep their archives private. Which museological approach to take is still up in the air. Often, the watchmakers hesitate between two options: a permanent museum or a travelling exhibition. Audemars Piguet is set to open its new museum in 2020. “95% of the exhibits will be in-house items and a few will be representative of the Joux Valley,” explains Sebastian Vivas, the watchmaker’s Museum and Heritage director. “Since 2012, we have bought back nearly 500 items that will be exhibited in permanent or temporary collections.” Zenith, on the other hand, has adopted a more populist approach with its recent initiative entitled “The starry world of Zenith”. Every Friday morning, a group of ten people follows a dedicated itinerary. This original con-

Julien Tornare

cept has been realised in partnership with Neuchâtel Tourist Office. “I wasn’t interested in creating a museum for the sake of it,” explains the company’s CEO, Julien Tornare. "Far too many brands are prisoners of their own history. You have to explain the link between your heritage and your current collections.” Other projects are in progress: Eberhard & Co, which has a little-known heritage, has only just recently returned to its historical building in La Chaux-de-Fonds. “It would make sense to create a museum here, in the company’s birthplace,” notes CEO Mario Peserico. The project is currently being studied.

Audemars Piguet is set to open its new museum in 2020. Exhibition rooms will alternate with watchmaking workshops, relaxation spaces, sound and cinema laboratories and contemporary art in this 'Maison des Fondateurs’.

Digital technology underused as yet

CERTIFICATES OF AUTHENTICITY: A WELL-ESTABLISHED PRACTICE The provision of extracts from archives and certificates of authenticity is already a well-established service in most watchmaking companies. Longines is one of the most in-demand, receiving 50 requests – per day! Archive extracts are free, while there is a charge for certificates of authenticity, signed by the hand of CEO Walter von Känel. Audemars Piguet delivers around ten per month. Given the huge effort it has undertaken with regard to its heritage, Breitling should be in a position to produce them from late 2018. As for Emmanuel Breguet, he personally receives one request per day on average, but ultimately, up to 60% turn out to be counterfeits or reworked items!

The idea of sharing heritage and watchmaking archives is gaining ground – and on this point, digital technology opens up opportunities that for the moment are largely underexploited. “We believe first and foremost in physical contact with the public. It’s a pity that the Reverso Virtual Museum Project is no longer online, but there are priorities to respect just as much as budgets,” explains Stéphane Belmont, heritage director at Jaeger-LeCoultre. Ateliers Louis Moinet caught the ball on the rebound: lacking the kind of budget wielded by the Richemont Group, this independent brand nestling among the hills of Saint-Blaise near Neuchâtel opened its digital museum this year, enabling it to display by virtual means a significant number of the creations of Louis Moinet, the inventor of the chronograph in 1816, whose story remains largely undiscovered. This digital initiative is similar to that of IWC, a manufacture whose museum has its very own Facebook page. Ultimately, travelling exhibitions remain the preserve of the big watchmakers with substantial resources. Cartier is one such watchmaker and heads the field in this respect. Since 1989, the company has held 34 exhibitions in the world’s greatest museums. Those by Van Cleef & Arpels are far less numerous (fewer than ten), but can attract up to 180,000 visitors – a respectable score, but way, way behind the 420,000 visitors to the Cartier Anniversary exhibition in New York in 1997, Cartier’s most successful exhibition to this day. TAG Heuer has also developed a travelling format entitled Heuer Globetrotter, which has been shown in nine cities worldwide. Today, it is continuing with Museum in Motion, a new, one-year peripatetic museum set to visit 70 cities. Measured on its own scale, the IWC Museum has no cause to blush with its 8,000 visitors a year to Schaffhausen, compared with the 3,000 who visit Saint-Imier and the Longines Museum. As for Bulgari, it has taken over no less a venue than the Kremlin in Moscow for a major retrospective to be held until January 2019. Some 500,000 visitors are expected. It is the shining symbol of this heritage that is once again occupying centre stage and, more than ever, legitimising the brands’ contemporary creations.

A room of the IWC Museum in Schaffhausen 32

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THE GENERATIONS OF PATEK PHILIPPE AN EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH

PHILIPPE STERN

BY PIERRE MAILLARD

You could say that the concept of heritage is baked into Patek Philippe. The company’s famous slogan, “You never actually own a Patek Philippe. You merely look after it for the next generation,” is more than just an advertising tagline, albeit a particularly well-known one. It reflects a multifaceted reality that, although it undoubtedly finds its expression in the timeless nature of the watches produced by the Geneva-based family firm, is equally rooted in the company’s splendid museum in the heart of the city, its customer service department capable of repairing any watch ever made by Patek Philippe since the company was founded in 1839, and in its ultra-rigorous curation of its historical records. Europa Star was granted the rare privilege of being able to discuss this with Philippe Stern himself. Although in 2009 he moved aside to allow his son, Thierry Stern, to take over the day-to-day responsibility of running the company, Philippe was more than happy to step out of the shadows to talk to us about the vitally important concept of heritage. Europa Star: Let’s start off with the most visible, the most public aspect. You would probably agree that the Patek Philippe Museum is the most spectacular demonstration of the importance the company attaches to its heritage. It’s one of the finest watch museums in the world. So how was it developed, and why? Philippe Stern: I joined the family firm in 1962, and I quickly realised that we didn’t really have an in-house collection. There were a few pocket watches kept in cabinets, which contained perhaps forty or so assort-

ed timepieces that happened to be in our possession. During my travels around the United States, where I had been sent, I realised that there was a core group of collectors who were interested in our history, and in watch history in general. So I decided to delve a little deeper and, little by little, I began to build up a collection of Patek Philippe watches from all eras, which I bought as opportunities presented themselves. At the time, the idea was mainly to create a collection for posterity. Back then, in the 1960s, collectors weren’t really interested in wristwatches, and you could find them at unbelievable prices. For instance, I remember I picked up a very rare minute repeater, a Reference 2419, for 30,000 Swiss francs. It’s a tidy sum, but a watch like that would set you back around a million today.

Philippe Stern, when he was president, in the room where all the company records going back to 1839 are carefully preserved. Every watch made is individually recorded and documented according to a classification method that has remained unchanged since the beginning. 35

A young Philippe Stern with then-president Henri Stern in the 1960s. Behind the two men are the modest display cases that, at the time, contained the entire private collection of Patek Philippe.

The scope of your collection quickly expanded from just Patek Philippe to encompass the entire history of watchmaking.

“I picked up a very rare minute repeater, a Reference 2419, for 30,000 Swiss francs. It’s a tidy sum, but a watch like that would set you back around a million today.”

Originally, the ambition was to map out the evolution of Patek Philippe’s watchmaking, right back to the company’s creation in 1839. But around 1975 or 1976, I started becoming interested in old watches from the very earliest days. The idea was to be able to illustrate, step by step, the entire technical and aesthetic evolution of horology, from its invention in the 16th century – including the first watch ever made – up to 1839. From that date, Patek Philippe watches take over the story, providing a chronological illustration of the rest of the historical timeline.

Clearly, there was also an educational imperative behind the creation of such a comprehensive collection.

From the beginning I wanted to be able to show this collection to the public. At that time, there weren’t really any museums that recounted the history of watchmaking. All of our hundreds of acquisitions, many of them at auction, were made with this in mind. I was looking for well-documented pieces in good condition, that illustrated the most important stages and the most striking developments in the industry and in the decorative arts. We collected around 2,500 pieces in total.

Photography background features Le Corbusier’s visual art “OTHELLO” | © FLC / 2018, ProLitteris, Zurich.

In 1996, Patek Philippe brought all its production facilities together in Planles-Ouates, on the outskirts of Geneva. At the time, it was assumed that this new ultra-modern building would meet their needs for decades. But in 2015 the decision was made to build an additional new building, budgeted at 500 million francs, and paid for in cash. That’s quite a bet on the future. “That was the last decision I took,” notes Philippe Stern, who has since passed the baton to his son Thierry Stern, now the company’s president.

Currently, you’re homing in even further on the educational aspects of your exhibits in the museum. Yes, we’re revising all our exhibits in order to better situate the pieces in their historical context. Visitors can now enhance their experience with the help of an iPad. Each display case is numbered and, on an iPad or on the interactive terminals, visitors can read a detailed explanation of each watch on display. The idea is to link the exhibits with cultural developments, historical events, European 38

civilisation and developments that emerged in Germany, England and then Switzerland. Watchmaking does not exist in a sterile bubble: it is indissociably of its time, in every respect. These improvements to our presentation required considerable efforts. I personally read over all the texts. The display cases have been reworked and we’ve reduced the number of pieces on display. There were too many of them! We decided that the ideal number was a thousand, spread among 150 cases. We can’t have the public feeling overwhelmed!

But this preoccupation with heritage is not just about the watches on display. No, of course not. We also have automata, objects featuring miniature enamel painting – a major speciality of Geneva – and machines. And don’t forget our library, which houses more than 8,000 works on horology, some of them extremely rare, plus a plethora of documents and our company archives [see next page]. All this effort is in the interests of passing on knowledge. How important is that, in watchmaking? It’s absolutely vital. But in order for anything to be passed on, it must first be kept. The concepts of conservation and preservation are at the heart of our family business. Throughout all the upheavals history has thrown at us, we have always been careful to keep everything – even during the quartz era, when so many watchmakers got rid of everything they thought was now useless. Letters, bills, original writings, photos, drawings, advertisements, models – we’ve kept them all. In the ledgers we have kept assiduously since our founding, it’s possible to find all the details about every single watch we have made throughout our history: the type of watch, movement number, calibre, case number, style, type of dial, date of manufacture, price, date sold, type of strap, and other information. For several years now, vintage watches have been enjoying a huge revival. Have you noticed a resurgence of interest in older pieces? Our archive extract service, which members of the public can access via a dedicated website, has experienced a phenomenal increase in traffic. In the last five years particularly, requests for information have gone through the roof. The same goes for our Client Services, which are committed to repairing or even restoring any watch made since 1836. We keep between 6 and 8 million parts in stock, some of them over 150 years old, and they cover around 95% of our requirements. Whenever we stop producing a given watch, we manufacture enough additional components to meet our needs for the next fifty years or so. It’s a living legacy, a genuine treasure trove, which is very costly to maintain, but it’s essential in ensuring that the concept of legacy is not just an empty word but a concrete reality. Each year we undertake close to 90,000 interventions,

overhauls and restorations. And this figure, which far exceeds our annual production, continues to grow. But heritage is not just about objects; there’s also knowledge, expertise, trade secrets... Indeed. In order for a heritage to remain alive, and to be passed on as a legacy, it must be maintained. And that happens when techniques and savoir-faire are passed down from one generation of watchmakers to the next, even when it might seem that a specific technology is obsolete and no longer serves any purpose. After all, who can be sure it might not come back one day? Our Dome table clocks, which reflect our mastery of the rarest artistic crafts, are a great example of this. Around 1965 we had a hundred of them or so in stock. No one was buying them any more, but we continued to make them. What we wanted above all was to preserve the expertise required to produce them. At the time, there was hardly anyone doing enamelling. We continued to give our enamellers work, so that their “secrets” would not be lost in the mists of time. Today, we’re very happy we took that decision. And our Dome table clocks are back in the spotlight. Who would have believed that, fifty years ago? Auctions appear to have played a major role in reviving interest in watch history in general. Patek Philippe has been central to this, and auctions have also contributed significantly to the very high valuations for your watches. In 1989, our 150th anniversary year, Osvaldo Patrizzi, the founder of Antiquorum, organised The Art of Patek Philippe, probably the first themed watch auction. He was a trailblazer and a true visionary, at a time when mechanical watchmaking was undergoing a renaissance. In the same year, after nine years’ work, we unveiled our commemorative Calibre 89 pocket watch with its 33 complications, including a carillon with Grande and Petite Sonnerie and a minute repeater. The reason I mention this particular example is because it is emblematic of the work that goes into preserving our horological heritage. Our first minute repeater dates back to 1845 and we have produced them regularly ever since, in pocket watches and, from 1906, wristwatches, most of them based on movements sourced from the Vallée de Joux. That was the case up to the end of the 1950s. Most of these are rare pieces, made in the time-honoured fashion using traditional tools by master watchmakers 39

who worked without a safety net, so to speak, adjusting and regulating their pieces individually. In fact, that’s the reason we have no real plans. The design and subsequent execution of the Calibre 89 marked a fundamental change of approach, because the idea was to be able to reproduce complicated mechanisms exactly. Cue the engineers. Exactly. We set up a technical and engineering office with the task of producing plans, deciding measurements, etc., in order to make operations repeatable. But in parallel, we still had movement blanks from the Vallée de Joux to give to our watch restorers, along with drawings and descriptions of old pieces: an unparalleled mine of

FLAVIA RAMELLI, GUARDIAN OF HERITAGE Flavia Ramelli prides herself on one very particular fact: she was the first ever official archivist for a watchmaking brand. “They all followed after me,” she proclaims. A historian by training, having worked at the CICR Archives (International Red Cross Archives in Geneva), she joined Patek Philippe in 1997. “It was just after the brand had moved into its current manufacture where everything had been centralised. I was hired for 6 months to start with, to put all of the boxes in order. While rooting around in the archives and drawing up an initial inventory, I discovered that there was an untapped wealth of resources: correspondence, plans, drawings, photographs, films and, of course, the famous company records. So I set up a small private exhibition for Philippe Stern and he immediately made my post a permanent one. I ended up staying for 21 years.” The company records start with watch no.63, which was sold on 1st May 1839. The data contained therein includes the movement 40

information about how this or that mechanism worked, and the solutions devised by our predecessors. Without these archives, over which our engineers pored assiduously, we may never have been able to produce the masterpiece of complications that is the Calibre 89. This operation, which was a celebration of the transmission of methods and solutions – and their transformation – as well as marking an evolution from purely manual ingenuity to a technical, reproducible approach, heralded the birth of a new generation of striking watches. It was a genuine renaissance, a new future, made possible by absorbing the lessons of the past. By documenting every operation, by giving ourselves the resources that guarantee our ability to reproduce a piece in the future, we guarantee the transmission of our heritage and the survival of our legacy over the long term.

number, case number, the features of the watch and the name of the end client. These details were used to help establish the price of the watch. Every watch produced to this day features individually in these records. And the system for entering these items in the register has not changed since 1839. “For Patek Philippe, these were the Archives. But I saw them more as a database that needed to be cross-referenced and supplemented with other elements, such as correspondence, drawings, plans, etc… in order to give genuine substance to the watch as an object.”

Over half a million documents “So I developed a two-part filing system: on one side, the product, the watch, with all the various design and production stages through to its marketing and sale; on the other, full details about the family history, correspondence from Henri Stern, the buildings, etc… A total of 50,000 files in all, spread over 5,000 boxes stored on 18 sites. Every document is entered in a database together with its title, date, and storage location. The sum total is divided into Series, including, for example, full details about the Sale, markets, countries, dates; Models, photo library, catalogues, technical data sheets; R & D, all studies undertaken including abandoned studies; Design, ideas, marketing; and also Production. On this basis, therefore, for any given watch, it is possible to locate photos,

techniques employed, marketing details, events, fairs at which it was presented, its promotion and sale, after-sales history, etc… The other part is devoted to the company history, buildings, human resources, organisation, etc…” In order to spread news of her work within the company, Flavia Ramelli was given her own column in the in-house journal. She soon noticed that interest in the Archives had increased tenfold over the years. So who are the biggest users? “Customer Service. Upon a customer‘s request, this department compiles data sheets on the watches, as well as marketing, advertising, design information, etc. It has become an everyday work tool. Dead archives are pointless, they need to be given a daily relevance. The job, however, is never-ending. The past may be safely recorded, but now the task is to do the same with the present. And it is our policy to conserve everything that the company produces.” But we must end on a paradox: “It‘s much easier to archive the 19th century than the 20th century, or the present day. In the 19th century, there were written records for everything. How to archive telephone calls? E-mails? Obviously not everything is conserved, but nowadays, the essential has perhaps become virtual…” For this reason, the Company Records, which are now completed electronically, are painstakingly copied onto acid-free paper to ensure that they may still be read in 50, or 100 years‘ time... (PM)

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A FORMULA FOR BRINGING ARCHIVES BACK TO LIFE

BY SERGE AND PIERRE MAILLARD

The Geneva-based watchmaker provides a highly original service: it restores and repairs its oldest timepieces before putting them on sale in its boutiques – an ability that depends first and foremost on impeccably maintained archives, and one which others in the industry are starting to emulate. How can you bring archives back to Constantin to maintain, conserve, safelife – and make a living from archives? guard and ultimately digitise this vast Vacheron Constantin has come up corpus – no mean task. The brand has with an unusual formula; via its currently digitised around ten perCollectionneurs line, the brand is buycent of its total archive. ing back, restoring and reselling its own vintage timepieces – dating from before 1970. A dedicated Instagram account, @ The power of vintage thehourlounge, has even been set up on social media for the purpose, the company being well aware that today social media “Our documents go back to the first are the prime vector for information watch made and sold,” Christian “There is a constancy – and even sales – where models of bySelmoni adds. “The archive has nuof style and this gone days are concerned. merous uses, whether presenting our “A classic company like ours quite awareness comes heritage to customers, or maintaining naturally feeds on elements from the from the archives.” and restoring items for them.” Today, past,” remarks Christian Selmoni, style Vacheron Constantin offers a twoand heritage director at Vacheron Christian Selmoni, style and heritage year guarantee on models from the Constantin. “Today, our business has director at Vacheron Constantin Collectionneurs series, which it sells in 263 years of continuous documented its network of boutiques at dedicated history. There is a constancy of style and this aware- events. All items are accompanied by documents attestness comes from the archives, which for us are a gold ing to their origin and history, the direct result of the mine in more than one way.” work done by the heritage department. With the help The brand archives add up to 420 linear metres of paper, of the after-sales service team, these documents also or four million pages, and 200,000 letters. Its private make it possible to rebuild from nothing missing or collection encompasses 1,500 horological items dating age-damaged components. back to the eighteenth century. A double handful of around ten “investigators” are employed by Vacheron 42

Photo: JohannSauty

Pocket watch quarter-repeater dated 1812, 18K pink gold, fluted bezel, “guilloché” case and back, engraved centre and back, enamel dial. Vacheron Constantin private collection.

“The customer base for this kind of product is really global,” underlines Christian Selmoni. “For example, via Instagram we’ve just sold to a Korean customer a pocket watch dating from 1924 which was used to time horse races.” Vacheron Constantin chooses to internalise the resale of its historical timepieces – thereby exercising a kind of direct control over its heritage that is now being emulated. F.P. Journe, through its Patrimoine deparment, created in 2016, buys back, restores and also resells its old watches. And on its website, the kind of model the watchmaker is seeking is clear. Even a brand as contemporary as MB&F, founded in 2005, has begun restoring its own “old” (so to speak) products this year. Other companies will no doubt follow suit. Within the Richemont Group, which has just acquired the second-hand watch sales platform Watchfinder, Vacheron Constantin is for the moment the only company to do so.

Three-dimensional experiences The archive department also plays the role of guarantor for the legitimacy of re-editions, re-interpretations and relaunches of historical models, as is the case this year with the Fiftysix collection, the name of which is self-explanatory... Moreover, the 1956 catalogues have been made available by the brand’s archives depart-

ment to accompany the market launch of the models. “Sometimes we also veto certain current developments,” explains Christian Selmoni. “For the past few years, our role has really gained importance within the company. The heritage department has gone from being a simple service provider to a genuine sales, promotion and communications tool.” With such accomplished work on its heritage, why not open a museum? Their direct competitor, Patek Philippe (see p. 34), has established what is probably the world’s number one museological reference in the global watchmaking capital – which has gained even more importance since the Musée d’horlogerie (Museum of the Watch and Clock Industry) in Geneva closed in 2002 following a serious robbery. “Opening a museum isn’t as easy as all that,” replies Christian Selmoni. “It poses numerous legal questions. We’ve opted rather to reorganise tours of our site at Plan-les-Ouates by including the heritage department. We’re also in the process of developing innovative solutions in collaboration with the EPFL to create three-dimensional experiences based on our archives and private collection.” The battle of the archives is only just beginning!

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A DAY IN SAINT-IMIER A GLIMPSE INTO

LONGINES’ HERITAGE AND PATRIMONY

BY LORENZO MAILLARD

Diving into Longines’ patrimony provides an understanding of how deeply the Swiss brand has impacted the watch industry, both on a technical level, and also through some of the most daring and exquisite designs ever imagined. While Longines is highly respected by the collectors’ community, in some ways it is still underrated on the auction circuit and in the second-hand market, although appreciation for the brand is on the rise. We take a look at how Longines manages its heritage and legacy, something it has done meticulously for a long time. 46

September 13th, 10 am, Saint-Imier train station A footpath under the station leads directly to a narrow pass, guarded by an avenue of perfectly aligned trees, that descends straight down to the historical headquarters of Longines, which have proudly stood there for more than 150 years. Although the small town of Saint-Imier was here a long time before the factory was ever imagined, it gives the feeling that it was built for and around the manufacture, providing the company with the necessary workforce and offering several venues where employees could enjoy a well-deserved beer after their workday. After navigating through various executive and operating departments spread over the building’s several floors, we reach what is known as the World Heritage Workshop, located directly under the roof’s wooden beams. Here, in a relatively cramped room, ten watchmakers have their heads down and hands at work, cleaning, restoring and repairing vintage Longines. From the relatively common Conquest of the 1960s to an original military-issue Majetek, these watchmakers have the challenging task of understanding how to work on an impressive variety of watches and calibres. To help them, they have one of the most complete archives of well-maintained and meticulously organised historical data, from the design plans of a 1960s calibre to invoices for a South American retailer from the 1930s. The amount of information is truly astonishing, and it’s all beautifully preserved. Dedicated people are also constantly on the lookout for additional data to complete their already encyclopaedic information resources.

A Longines Flagship timepiece dating from 1957

The same goes for watch parts, furniture and supplies; the department is filled with drawers and cupboards stuffed full of calibres, cases, dials, hands, balance wheels, crowns, pushersâ&#x20AC;Ś you name it! Everything is properly stored and labelled. I could have spent hours opening drawers and reading old booklets, but I didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t want to disturb the peace and the atmosphere of such a special, historical workplace. As long as the name Longines or Wittnauer appears on the dial or movement, these watchmakers will have the necessary skills to do pretty much anything on a watch. The restoration/repair costs are fairly reasonable, considering the level of expertise, and I can only advise you to send them your watch if it needs some kind of overhaul. The brand also invests time and effort in helping vintage Longines owners and providing them with information. In fact, the heritage department receives up to 50 requests per day about historical/vintage timepieces. They authenticate and identify models and calibres, and they can actually trace back the exact date of production and, most of the time, the original retailer. The task is taken seriously, and Longines can provide

owners with a free authentication certificate, something of a rarity in the industry. The company is also working towards digitising their archives, and to that end they have signed a partnership with an EPFL start-up, with a view to developing optical recognition technology for characters and symbols, an ambitious project that has initiated an interesting dialogue between programmers, scientists and archivists.

Pioneer spirit in the museum The rest of the day was dedicated to the company museum, located deep inside the Saint-Imier premises. Opened in 1992 and completely refurbished in 2012, the museum is actually open to the public, but itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s preferable to pre-book, as all visits must be accompanied by a guide.

We had the pleasure to be welcomed by the museum’s historian, a kind woman who is passionate about her domain of expertise, and a fount of information and anecdotes. She is personally responsible for selecting the timepieces that are showcased throughout the museum, and she’s always on the hunt for new and intriguing pieces to add to the exhibition. Just a glance at the cabinets is enough to figure out how significant the brand has been to the watch industry. Aviation instruments, military watches, sports chronometers, pilots’ chronographs, Olympic timing instruments and many more pieces bear witness to a wealth of historical details and anecdotes. Longines was among the first watch companies to develop instruments for timing sports events, understanding at an early stage the deep connection between these two worlds, and realising the marketing potential of such a union. The same goes for aviation; the pioneers of the first half of the 20th century also collaborated with the brand to enhance navigation instruments, making flying a much safer pursuit. Weems, Lindbergh and countless anonymous fighter pilots and explorers wore Longines watches and chronographs, not because they were beautiful objects of pride, but simply because they were the most technically advanced timepieces you could find at that time.

Longines Watch 183 The researches of a passionate collector led to the discovery of the oldest Longines watch found to date. Thanks to its small serial number - 183 - and notes made in the company's carefully archived registers, the brand’s historians and watchmakers were able to confirm that this pocket watch was manufactured in 1867, the year the Longines factory was built. Housing a mechanical wind-up movement, this “savonette” type silver pocket watch is typical of the pieces created by Longines at that time.

Having made his famous non-stop solo flight over the North Atlantic in 1927, pilot Charles A. Lindbergh designed a navigational instrument which he had Longines bring to life. Used in conjunction with a sextant and a nautical almanac, the Lindbergh Hour Angle watch – based on the model Weems created in 1927 – helped aviators calculate longitude which, when combined with their latitude, gave them their exact geographical location.

Longines was at the forefront of innovation in the 1930s and 1940s and, to my mind, was behind some of the most groundbreaking inventions of that period, as well as some of its most iconic designs, excelling among its competitors. Let’s not forget that their less well-known dress watches still capture the essence of classical and elegant design, while keeping a sense of innovation. The palpable art deco influence in the rectangularshaped case watches makes them, for me, irresistible pieces. Decent examples can still be found at a relatively affordable price point. And then there’s the famous 13ZN and 30CH chronographs, considered by many to be among the finest and most beautiful in-house chronograph calibres ever produced. I simply can’t argue with that. The first patented flyback chronograph, the monopushers, the early Weems iterations, the train clocks, the ultra-rare 24H Swissair watch, the Avigation series – so many timepieces are showcased in the museum that it would take hours to barely scratch the surface of their historical resonance, and understand the back story of these products. Like the Saint-Imier building itself, Longines’ heritage is imposing and beautiful. It’s a captivating path paved by years of technical innovations and aesthetic successes, built on a foundation of genuinely epic stories of exploration and adventure. Longines fully acknowledges this incredible heritage, and is making sure that its legacy is well kept and maintained. For all these reasons, Longines is a brand that deserves its place among what can be described as the founders of the watch industry.

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HERITAGE

WATCHMAKERS TEST THEIR DNA

BY SERGE AND PIERRE MAILLARD

The grand old companies with an uninterrupted history, such as Rolex, Audemars Piguet or Patek Philippe, maintain their heritage with absolute consistency and guard it jealously. But not all watchmakers are as lucky, some having seen parts of their heritage vanish through successive buyouts and acquisitions. Others have shown little interest in it until now. Today, some brands are trying to make up for lost time.

he bestsellers of 2018 are incredibly reminis- While the first decade of the new millennium seemed cent of those from a few decades back. The almost entirely dedicated to a (necessary) dusting down Royal Oak, the Daytona and the Nautilus – of the industry to ground it the modern era, break esthe magical trio – have not gained a wrin- tablished codes and expand its horizons, today we are kle. The more things change, the more realising that this horological dust contained treasthey stay the same... Within the Swatch Group, the ures of ingenuity and design. Speedmaster from Omega is another prime example of a model that has spanned the ages without getting any older. Led by Raynald Aeschlimann, Baume & Mercier: this brand has, incidentally, done a re“I shut myself away with markable job of conserving its herit200 historical timepieces” age, as illustrated last year by the 1957 Trilogy, or the repeated success of its Consequently, several companies with Speedy Tuesday operation. genuine historical legitimacy have This exploitation of heritage, in a connot exploited the full potential of this text which seems to give an extra adheritage, too busy as they were with vantage to the watchmaking icons, modernising their image and conis arousing envy in certain quarters. quering new markets following the In fact, it is a response to an underlyrenaissance of the market for the meing phenomenon: far from consignchanical watches of the 1990s. ing the mechanical watch to the rank Founded in 1830, Baume & Mercier of incongruous object from the past, seems to illustrate one such case. Its the digital age has put this most noble new CEO Geoffroy Lefebvre now inof horological products back in the tends to remedy this: “We’ve made too spotlight through the medium of millittle of the extraordinary history of lions of images shared on social media, Providing evidence of Baume & Mercier, notably in relation to and the rapid advance of a globalised the synergy between watch exteriors. The first thing I did on watch culture. Rather as if the tools of the new social media taking up the reins of the brand was to the future were taking us back to the shut myself up for a day at Les Brenets and older creations, past. Everywhere, the insistence is on with 200 of our legacy timepieces. Very the new CEO of the need for authenticity. early on, you find watches of incredible Baume & Mercier design, such as the complete chronoTurning dust into gold Geoffroy Lefebvre posts graphs from the 1950s, or the Riviera.” Providing evidence of the synergy almost exclusively Everyone is not equal in the face of this between the new social media and phenomenon. The neo-brands of con- vintage models on his older creations, the young CEO posts temporary, 21st-century watchmaking, Instagram account. virtually nothing but vintage models for example, do not of course have any of Baume & Mercier on his Instagram heritage with which they can claim longevity. Instead, account. “Bringing this heritage back into the spotthey emphasise the idea of disruption. light is absolutely a part of my strategy,” he explains. Such a stance works particularly well when the econ- Having transited through two longstanding brands omy is booming and the emerging markets are creat- within the Richemont Group, Vacheron Constantin ing thousands of new millionaires with less conserva- and Jaeger-LeCoultre, the new CEO certainly has a tive tastes than the collectors of the Old Continent. A sense of history…and a timely one, at that. significant number of these brands were weakened by the watch industry slump of 2015. And the fundamental question of collector-investors is often the same: will this brand still exist five to ten years from now? Detail of the dial of a vintage 1950 chronograph by Baume & Mercier 51

Rado: the futuristic brand eying up its past Rado, part of the Swatch Group, has always been regarded as the “futuristic” brand of the watchmaking giant thanks to its exploration of materials such as ceramics. With this profile, and compared with brands like Omega or Longines, the company is “lagging in terms of making the most of its heritage,” its CEO Matthias Breschan acknowledges. On his arrival in 2011, his focus was on bringing the brand up to date, handicapped as it was on the Chinese market by its emphasis on shaped watches and quartz – characteristics inherited from the past, in fact. The strategy put in place since then for more classic formats, and the integration of more mechanical calibres with the simultaneous pursuit of new materials, has upped Rado’s popularity in Asia. But the time has now come to turn the brand’s heritage to profitable use: “We’re in the process of building up an ensemble of information about the history of Rado,” explains Matthias Breschan. “In two years’ time, our use of the archives should really start to get interesting.” The Rado Original of the 1970s is still one of the Lengnau-based brand’s bestsellers. Matthias Breschan gives us his analysis of why: “Attitudes towards watchmaking have changed over the past few years, with a strong popular interest in the past: attaching them-

“Attitudes towards watchmaking have changed over the past few years, with a strong popular interest in the past: attaching themselves to some kind of heritage is reassuring for our customers.” Matthias Breschan, CEO of Rado

selves to some kind of heritage is reassuring for our customers. You can see everywhere a return to simpler values, to nature, to sustainability. Today, Rado is able to work on its historically strong designs while at the same continuing to introduce innovative materials. It’s a formula that works for us.” This archival work could be useful in China too, underscores the CEO, brandishing an advert published in the late 1970s in a newspaper from the People’s Republic: “At the time there was also a slot on Chinese TV entitled Rado Quiz. We still have good potential for growth in China. We were pioneers in India too, and we’re still dominant where Swiss watch sales are concerned.”

The Rado Original of the 1970s is still one of the Lengnaubased brand’s bestsellers.

The highly recognisable shape of the Rado case on the cover of Europa Star in 1979 52

The “Montre Ecole”, an artisan watch project thought of as a way to maintain the endangered know-how of craftsmen of the past

Heritage – not a question of age Even a brand as young, industrially speaking, as Frédérique Constant – which has just celebrated its 30th anniversary – is already intending to capitalise on its heritage. “For a watch brand, it’s much easier to work on the tried-and-tested successes of the past. Without revealing any more, I can already tell you that I’m working on our heritage in preparation for a future new collection,” announces Niels Eggerding, the new CEO of Frédérique Constant. An even younger brand (it was founded in 1994), Bell & Ross went with the vintage aesthetic right from the start, at a time when the trend was rather for flashy colour. “With our round, military watches with white figures on black dials, we were really going against the grain,” remembers its co-founder Carlos Rosillo.

“Some well-established brands no longer had any models of that type! It was neither vintage style, nor military watch style.” Greubel Forsey , despite being only 14 years old, has taken the initiative to save traditional know-how with the “Birth of a Watch” project run by the Time Aeon Foundation, of which it is the co-founder. This is an ambition dear to the hearts of Robert Greubel and Stephen Forsey. Their protégé, Michel Boulanger, who started building a series of watches single-handedly under the patronage of Philippe Dufour, is now touring the globe to share his experience. In 2016, his “Montre Ecole”, or school watch, was sold at Christie’s in Hong Kong for the price of 1.46 million dollars.

Ulysse Nardin: a “moral obligation” The boss of Ulysse Nardin (and recently also of Girard- ed by Freak with its crazy display and movement, as Perregaux) Patrick Pruniaux has made upscaling the well as the pioneering use of silicon in the escapement. brand’s heritage a priority of his mandate, which be- “He was incredibly future-focused, which was what esgan just after the introduction last tablished the brand on the two bases it year of the Marine Torpilleur model, “We long were the stands on today, one traditional and the a “freshened-up” version of one of other highly innovative. Now, we have sole supplier to the the company's historical lines. The to dig deeper into this heritage. Today, Marine Torpilleur Military US Navy American navy, which there is a very strong recognition of arlimited series launched this autumn provides legitimacy. tisanship, for handcrafted work. That’s is one result of this heritage work. “We Military men never the current definition of luxury, which rediscovered that Ulysse Nardin was is based on historical knowledge.” forget their origins!” the sole supplier to the American navy For Patrick Pruniaux, this work is virPatrick Pruniaux, for several decades starting in 1905,” tually a moral obligation. The brand is explains Patrick Pruniaux. “That pro- CEO of Ulysse Nardin using the services of a historian to revides obvious legitimacy to our colconstruct its heritage which dates back laboration. Military men never forget their origins!” to 1846. The problem is that, for one thing, acquiring hisUnder the influence of Rolf Schnyder, the former own- torical models is a costly mission, and for another, Ulysse er of the brand who held the reins for all of 30 years, Nardin does not have all of its archives at its disposal. A Ulysse Nardin took a highly futuristic turn, as illustrat- large proportion is at the Château des Monts in Le Locle.

Ulysse Nardin Marine Torpilleur Military US Navy

Girard-Perregaux: three box files on which to build the future The objectives have been set and the other brand headed up by Patrick Pruniaux, Girard-Perregaux, is also occupied with exploring its heritage. But it has come up against several obstacles, as the company’s historian and “living memory” in the literal sense of the term, Willy Schweizer, explains. “Today, our entire archive fits into three box folders. That’s due to our company’s tumultuous history.” Founded in 1791 by the visionary Geneva-based watchmaker Jean-François Bautte, the company’s ambition from the beginning was to bring the “factory” – the skilled artisans and workers who previously worked from home – together under one roof. Passed from one generation to another, sold and bought, the manufacture then oscillated between growth and commercial problems for a century. The merger in 1906 of Maison Bautte with the Girard-Perregaux cooperative gave the company its current name. “Of all those years, nothing much remains in the archives,” says Willy Schweizer. “A large number of the documents were scattered, some destroyed or thrown away. We might chance on a few finds or recover a couple of items as we search, but not much.” Having worked in marketing and advertising, with responsibility for the Swiss and Middle-Eastern markets, this local history buff fell in love with the heritage of GirardPerregaux the day a suitcase full of antique watches was entrusted to him. He patiently analysed the contents, which he eventually restored. In 1991, Willy Schweizer opened a small museum in the attic of the main Girard-Perregaux building to put them on public display. Encouraged by the former owner, Gino Macaluso, who fully understood the value of this historical research, he then opened a museum in the adjoining Villa Marguerite, which belonged to the group. But in 2007, the villa was the target of a serious robbery. A new museum is now in the works.

History can hold surprises Whatever the case, this collection of historical watches is still crucial to the brand: not a single retailer or private customer visits the company without being given a presentation. Above all, it is the promotion of this heritage that gave rise to the “renaissance” of the Three Gold Bridges which, in various forms, has grown into the icon of the brand. “It is a unique case:

The Three Gold Bridges, a signature of Girard-Perregaux

it is the only watch immediately recognisable by its movement.” Another example is that of the recently relaunched Laureato – a watch that symbolises the profound changes that took place in the 1970s. “History is an aid to creation today,” emphasises Willy Schweizer. “It provides consistency. There’s a very clear interest in vintage and antique watches. The number of searches is constantly growing, including for quartz models, of which Girard-Perregaux was a pioneer.” The brand continues to purchase older watches; today, it has around 400. “The problem with this research is that we don’t always know what we’ve made. And sometimes, we get surprises.” As with the currently popular DNA tests that often throw up astonishing results, watchmakers too sometimes discover an unsuspected genetic heritage.

Montblanc: purchasing a past

This heritage is an inexhaustible source of inspiration for Cerrato, who is also a designer. Montblanc’s new Lastly, some companies get themselves a glorious hor- collection, both classic and vintage, which is to be ological past by means of a clever acquisition. Such is presented at SIHH next January, is in fact the direct rethe case of Montblanc, which for the past two years sult of his historical discoveries. But why did they not has been heavily promoting the historical manufac- conserve the Minerva manufacture as such? “It’s highture Minerva, a chronograph specialist ly unusual, certainly,” replies Davide purchased in 2006 by the Richemont Cerrato. “Montblanc has only two decGroup and simply handed over to the ades of watchmaking history. We’re in brand with no further ado. the process of merging it with that of “It has an extraordinary heritage: Minerva to extract the best of those we’re fortunate that Minerva has nevtwo worlds.” er been the victim of a fire or of floodYou only have to look at the Montblanc ing despite its 160 years of history – product catalogue of the past two years, the climate at Villeret would appear to which includes the 1858 Geosphere, to be particularly clement!” says Davide understand the work in progress on Cerrato, who heads up Montblanc’s heritage in a brand that is simultanewatchmaking division. “Everything is ously exploring the world of connectextraordinarily well preserved, from ed watches, with the Summit, and that the thousand historical timepieces, the of grand complications. The spectrum antique movements, components, casis broad... es, to the paper archives. We still have Vintage is not a vague trend, but a “maall the company’s accounts registers.” jor underlying cycle,” Davide Cerrato Back when he worked for Tudor, be- “The 1970s were the believes. “The 1970s were the last perifore the mania for vintage watches we last period when we od when we still thought of the future are now experiencing, Davide Cerrato with optimism. We imagined carefree still thought of the revamped the brand’s legacy models, tomorrows and flying cars. This confifuture with optimism. notably relaunching the Heritage dence in technology was strongly exChrono in 2010, then the Black Bay. At This confidence pressed in design, which explains the Montblanc he found fertile ground in technology was current interest in that period. Today with Minerva; when we met him, this we have a more catastrophic view of strongly expressed in history-loving aesthete had in his the future. Lots of people prefer to design. Today we have pocket a vintage dial from the 1950s! look back in history, since a new vi“We still haven’t exhumed every- a more catastrophic sion of the future has not yet emerged. thing from this veritable tomb of view of the future. A The debate is only just beginning.” Tutankhamun,” he enthuses. “I make In this respect, we can expect an exnew vision of tomorrow new discoveries every week. We’re plosion of research into watchmaking only just starting to draw up a ration- has not yet emerged.” heritage in the years ahead. al catalogue of all this inheritance. We’re also starting digitisation, which Davide Cerrato, managing director could result in interactive experiences of Montblanc watch division through Minerva’s past thanks to the possibilities offered by digital technology.”

The new Montblanc 1858 Geosphere, a vintage-inspired timepiece 57

WHEN EXTINCT BRANDS ACHIEVE RECORD RESULTS Pre-owned websites are flooded with vintage watches. Among the most sought-after are now defunct brands like Universal Genève or Gallet. The leading online marketplace Chrono24 shares data on their performance, especially the famous Compax model. Breakdown of searches for extinct vintage brands on Chrono24 (share by brand, over one year)

If we take time to thoroughly explore the meanders of watch history, we quickly realise that a great number of brands, many of them no longer in operation, have contributed to the rich heritage of the industry. With the skyrocketing prices of the most famous vintage watches, an increasing number of aficionados are looking into lesser-known and more affordable alternatives. Chrono24 shares some of its massive database in order bring to light these unfamiliar brands. (LM)

Gallet 10% Angelus 8%

Universal Genève 52%

The brand founded in 1894 by Descombes & Perret really rose to fame in the 1930s thanks to a cleverly thought out chronograph line-up and manufactured calibres. Also known as The Compax family, the in-house chronograph series became successful with various declinations, Uni-Compax, Aero-Compax and of course the famous Tri-Compax (introduced in 1944).

Nivada 8% Wittnauer 7% Minerva 4% Juvenia 3% Technos 3% Mathey-Tissot 1% Lemania 1%

Price performance of the Compax series by Universal Genève on Chrono24 Average price

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The global marketplace for luxury watches since 2003

More than 400,000 watches from over 90 countries Watch descriptions automatically translated More than 10 million visitors every month Money-back guarantee for private sellers Buy and sell watches worldwide www.chrono24.com

HIGHLIGHT

URBAN JÜRGENSEN MEET “THE ALFRED” A CONTEMPORARY GENTLEMAN

Despite a slightly old-fashioned name that is a tribute to Jacques Alfred Jürgensen, the last watchmaker from the Jürgensen dynasty born in Le Locle in 1842, The Alfred is a model with a firm footing in modernity and in tune with the current watch industry and e-commerce trends. The aesthetics of The Alfred, a special edition timepiece, will be familiar to brand devotees who will recognise the pure classicism and signature elements of Urban Jürgensen, such as the grenage dial, the teardrop lugs that are individually forged and invisibly welded to the case, and the finely fluted case bearing the Urban Jürgensen logo. The introduction of steel to the collection demonstrates the brand’s desire to address a more youthful clientele that appreciates a less opulent and less traditional material while refusing any concessions concerning hand craftsmanship and contemporary technology. The Alfred is worn on a brown leather strap finished off with contrast white stitching carefully sewn by hand.

The ‘Grenage’ dial is a manifestation of elaborate craftsmanship. ‘Grenage’ is a traditional, timeconsuming technique that results in a silvery, frosted surface with remarkable depth and granularity. This rare finishing is patiently built up by hand on a solid fine silver dial.

www.alfred.watch

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This special edition celebrating the new Urban Jürgensen Ateliers is on sale exclusively via the brand’s website. A facilitated ordering process is paired with an exclusive and super-trendy customer experience, since each new owner of an Alfred is invited to take delivery of their watch at the Ateliers in Biel/Bienne.

HIGHLIGHT

SEIKO

ASTRON GPS SOLAR THE MOST ADVANCED EVER

Since its creation in 2012, Astron has changed the way that many people measure, perceive and relate to time. Now, an entirely new calibre, 5X, offers the most advanced functionality ever and is the smallest and thinnest GPS solar watch ever built*. To enhance the speed and quality of the GPS connection, every component in the Astron GPS module has been re-engineered. Furthermore, with its high-speed time zone adjustment, the operation of the 5X calibre is faster and more intuitive than ever. For example, only three seconds are needed to advance the 14 hours that separate the time in Tokyo and New York, thanks to a system that moves the hour, minute, and seconds hands independently. The new 5X calibre makes automatic adjustments to Daylight Saving Time, and the time transfer function allows the wearer to switch the display of home and destination times between the main and the sub-dials. The new Astron 5X series adjusts at the touch of a button to your time zone** by connecting up to twice a day to the GPS satellite network and. As it takes all the energy it needs from light alone, it never needs a battery change and yet delivers the astonishing precision of an atomic clock. It is the perfect timepiece for the global traveller.

GPS Solar Dual-Time 5X53 SSH003J1 GPS-controlled time and timezone adjustment. Dual-time with AM/PM indication. Perpetual calendar correct to the year 2100. Automatic DST adjustment function. High-speed time zone adjustment. Time transfer function. Signal reception result indication. World time function (39 time zones). Power save function. Diameter: 42.9mm. Thickness: 12.2mm

* Seiko research, September, 2018

www.seikowatches.com

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** If there are changes in the region/time zone, manual time zone selection may be required.

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SPOTLIGHT

CASIO

G-SHOCK GMW-B5000GD A SQUARE CASE WITH A FULL-METAL SHOCK-RESISTANT STRUCTURE. ACHIEVED THROUGH SYSTEMATIC EVOLUTION FROM ONE STAGE TO THE NEXT. It has been 35 years since the introduction of the DW-5000C onto the world watch market. Now for 2018, G-SHOCK introduces additions to the new exterior, new structure, and new module GMW-B5000 lineup, equipped with a Connected Engine. The full-metal hard stainless steel cases and the bezels of these two models have ion-plated finishes in either black or gold. The case and band also feature hairline finishes to maximise the elegance and presence of the metal. Light-on-dark LCDs further add to the chic overall look of these timepieces. The base model is the GMW-B5000, which is the model from which we reviewed our hollow case structure and developed an even higher level of shock resistance. Fine resin shock absorbers between the metal bezel and case created a shock resistant structure for a full-metal case. Innovative new band connections use highly shock resistant TROGAMID® to lessen the effects of impact to the connecting pins. The back covers of the thick screw back cases of these models come with a diamond-like carbon (DLC) finish that is highly wear resistant. A film solar cell that maintains display clarity and an STN-LCD are used to ensure easy reading of display information, even from an angle. Use of the latest-generation engine makes it possible to achieve high-density component mounting without affecting the size of the finished timepiece. Advanced technology modules are packed into stunning designs that are finished using some of the best that technology has to offer. Function-wise, these models are designed for outstanding timekeeping accuracy using Bluetooth® data communication and MULTIBAND 6, which supports automatic time adjustment based on one of six time calibration signals around the globe. Time information can also be acquired from an internet time server using the G-SHOCK Connected*1 app running on a smartphone. Other functions include Tough Solar in combination with original CASIO power saving technology that delivers a stable supply of power, high-brightness Full Auto LED illumination, World Time, and more. A selection of six languages for the day-of-the-week indicator *2 provide localisation at the press of a button. All of this means that accurate timekeeping is ensured no matter where in the world your travels take you. *1 Smartphone app for use with G-SHOCK Smartphone Link models. It establishes a Bluetooth connection with the watch’s Connected Engine for automatic time correction, configuration of World Time and other settings, and more. It also makes it possible to keep updated with the latest time zone and summer time information. A Tough Solar power system generates enough energy to ensure uninterrupted operation of power-hungry functions.  *2 Day-of-the-week languages: English, Spanish, French, German, Italian, Russian

The first G-SHOCK model DW-5000C was born in 1983. Its iconic square design is reinvented with a full-metal shock-resistant structure and the latest advanced functions, including Smartphone Link. The only truly tough watch continues to challenge greater heights.

The photos above show GMW-B5000D-1

Full-metal shockresistant structure  Fine-resin cushioning material is inserted between the stainlesssteel case and bezel, and the module is enclosed in a protective shell. A shock-resistant structure with a metal exterior is achieved, while maintaining the form of the first G-SHOCK model.

Film material solar panel + STN LCD  The solar panel has been changed from glass to an easily processed film material. An opening provided in the centre suppresses reflections of outside light to improve the LCD’s visibility. Other advances include adoption of an STN LCD affording higher contrast and a wider viewing angle.

Band structure  The band connection sections employ a three-pronged structure to distribute the impact from shocks to the connector. The metal band links feature a dimple motif, and the design of the first model's resin strap is reproduced.

Super Illuminator (Highbrightness LED backlight)  The Super Illuminator senses ambient light and lights up automatically with just a tilt of the wrist in low-light environments. A Fade-in/Fade-out function is installed for brightness control.

DLC-coated screw back  The highly water-resistant screw back is a adapted from the first G-SHOCK. DLC treatment is applied to enhance wear resistance.

Reminder setting [Smartphone app]  Reminders of dates registered in the app appear on the watch in the form of both a title display and a special light-emission pattern, such as blinking or colour changes.

2way (Bluetooth®/Radiocontrolled) module The standard time radio wave and Bluetooth® communications antennas are placed in the vicinity of the LCD window and button shafts to avoid interference from the full-metal structure on reception sensitivity.

Time and place log [Smartphone app]  This app enables you to stamp events and the time of their occurrence on the map with watch button operation. You can edit and manage titles and log entries through the G-SHOCK Connected app.

https://world.g-shock.com 67

HIGHLIGHT

MB-MICROTEC

A SPECTACULAR NEW BUILDING THE START OF A BRIGHT FUTURE

The world’s leading manufacturer of the trigalight self-powered illumination technology has inaugurated a one-of-a-kind new building in Niederwangen, near Berne, to meet challenging new demands.

www.mbmicrotec.com

mb-microtec’s new stateof-the-art building perfectly reflects the main activity of the innovative company: producing illumination technologies using tritium, an isotope of hydrogen, in a safe and climate-controlled production area measuring 1,200 m2 . The number of employees has already doubled to 80, with a further 20 still to come.

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The building took three years to construct, with CHF 23 million invested into the project as a whole. “Faced with increasing demand, we were reaching production limits and needed more operating space,” explains Michele Starvaggi, Head of Marketing & Sales at mb-microtec. “The new building also enables our production and management teams to merge on one single site.” The production of the functional gaseous tritium light sources that provide illumination for decades requires a great deal of expertise and also places specific demands on the production facilities. The company produces 15 million of the tiny pipes every year. They are used in the aerospace sector, and for illuminating telescopic sights, as well as watch hands and dials. “We already supply some 50 watch brands around the world,” underlines Michele Starvaggi. “Since 1989, we have also produced our own timepieces under the brand traser swiss H3 watches.”

HIGHLIGHT

HKTDC WATCH & CLOCK FAIR

A RETROSPECTIVE OF THE 2018 EDITION The Hong Kong Watch & Clock Fair, whose 37th consecutive edition was held in September, attracted over 21,000 buyers and brought together 830 exhibitors from 25 countries. “Hong Kong is one of the world’s major exporters of watches and clocks, with exports reaching HK$37.3 billion in the first seven months of 2018, up 2.5% over last year,” pointed out Benjamin Chau, Deputy Executive Director of the Hong Kong Trade Development Council, the fair’s organiser. As expected, Hong Kong and mainland Chinese brands were particularly well represented – a welcome opportunity for them to showcase their mastery of the art of watchmaking. “Hong Kong watch and clock companies have been developing original design manufacturing products and own brands with innovative designs and superb craftsmanship to stay competitive,” said Benjamin Chau. “To match market demand, Hong Kong companies have also incorporated wearable tech elements in their designs, produced own-designed mechanical movements and collaborated with brand licensors, seeking new opportunities in an uncertain market,” he added.

www.hktdc.com

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While mainland China remains Hong Kong’s main export market, with sales amounting to HK$6.7 billion, the United States (HK$5.2 billion) and Switzerland (HK$5.3 billion) follow closely behind.

A JOURNEY THROUGH

OUR ARCHIVES

1927

1960

2018

SPECIAL FEATURE COMPILED BY PIERRE MAILLARD

1927 The year the publishing house was born, devoted essentially to the international promotion of the watchmaking industry. Dozens of magazines, periodicals and guides in French, German, English, Spanish, Portuguese, Arabic, Hindi, Japanese and Chinese, etc. were published and sold all around the world. All of them have been carefully preserved in our Archives. 1960 Coinciding with the birth of the European Common Market and following the 1957 Treaty of Rome, all of these publications with varying titles, but sharing an identical purpose and covering all international markets, were gradually grouped together and made available under one name, Europa Star. 2018 This treasure trove of memories and information on the entire watchmaking industry gleaned over 90 years lay dormant in the hefty bound tomes constituting our Archives. We resolved to digitise the entire collection. It was no mean feat, entailing the processing of hundreds of thousands of pages and the development of a research tool to fully exploit all the resulting data. 2019 In early 2019, we make available for public consultation an initial batch of around 100,000 digitised pages covering the period between 1950 and 2018.* Similarly, data covering the period between 1927 and 1950 will be digitised in 2019 and made available in early 2020. P.S. In early 2019, our archives from 1950, up to and including the publication of The Eastern Jeweler and Watchmaker, will be digitised. * To have access to our archives, please see page 125.

1960 2018 A FORETASTE Six decades of watchmaking. Six decades of upheavals ('twas ever thus!). The chronograph dies a death and is reborn, power is in the hands of youth, fashions change, lines shift, man conquers space, quartz arrives, turns the world upside down, quartz is rejected, mechanical watchmaking makes a comeback, brands and groups are formed and dissolved, appear and disappear, success follows upon crisis, crisis upon success, sociologies are transformedâ&#x20AC;Ś in other words, things never really stop changing. And at an increasing pace. Until it reaches the point where watchmakers (and others besides) no longer remember what they did before. And yet, there are many lessons to be learned today from the successes and failures of the past.

By exploring a few select themes, the following pages present a foretaste of the research and investigation that can be undertaken into this living, breathing subject following its digitised renaissance. They also disprove the common conception about â&#x20AC;&#x153;dusty old archivesâ&#x20AC;?, showing them instead to be a dynamic, expressive reflection on past worlds that exert a continuing influence on the present day, as can be seen by the vintage wave currently unfurling.

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Early 1960s: the post-war years are over, the Marshall Plan has laid the foundations for the reconstruction of Europe, the horizon is clearing and young people want space to breathe and live life to the full. Everything is changing – morals, music, fashion. “Daddy’s” style of watch is looking old – grey, dull, conventional. It needs to change, take on some colour and get back in phase with the new, fast-moving world that is metamorphosing to the beat of the “consumer society”, in which commerce reigns. Horology – that “grand old lady”, as an ad in Europa Star terms it – has to get with it. Twisting time is here.

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CHRONOGRAPH IN HAND

THE RENAISSANCE OF THE CHRONOGRAPH In 1963, we wrote: “The editors of Europa Star believe in the future of the chronograph and fully support the watchmakers who are not afraid to make sacrifices to develop a neglected market with incalculable possibilities”. At the same period, the Federation of the Swiss Watch Industry launched a vast chronograph promotion campaign aimed at young people in the hope of convincing the “watchmakers who no longer believe in them” to turn their attention back to this niche product, which was nevertheless acclaimed by young people the world over.

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’60S THE “WATCH OF THE ABYSSES” Given the “considerable impact” of its feature on chronographs, in 1964 Europa Star promoted “another domain reserved for young people: the submarine world that demanded endurance, physical strength and a taste for risk”. The Abysses feature explored all the latest developments in this field of technical horology, giving pride of place to the pioneering Rolex which, a few years earlier, on 23 January 1960, had made a splash by fixing a Deep Sea Special to the outside of Professor Piccard’s bathyscaphe. The watch attained the record depth of 10,900 metres, at which the pressure is around 1 tonne per square centimetre. And it emerged completely unscathed.

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HONG KONG: OPPORTUNITY AND RISK In 1963, Hong Kong had 4 million inhabitants, compared with 600,000 in 1948. The city was in the midst of an economic boom, with extreme poverty coexisting alongside insolent wealth. In the space of a few years, the city had grown into an important centre of industry; the shanty towns were razed to make space for tower blocks, and land was claimed from the sea to build “the world’s most modern airport”. This capitalist city “at the gateway to the collectivist world of communist China,” as Europa Star described it, had “grown into one of the largest importers and re-exporters of watches in the world”. Hong Kong was therefore already of key importance for Swiss watchmakers, who nevertheless were faced with numerous challenges.

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COUNTERFEITING “A great calamity has befallen regular importers of Swiss watches in Hong Kong. The falsification of famous watch brands on the one hand and the fraudulent use of the words ‘Swiss made’ on the other. It is not just a question of a few pieces made by a handful of dishonest dealers but of a real industry threatening the actual position of the Swiss watch on this all-important market. How many watches are sold under a faked trademark? It is difficult to give the exact number but an authority on Hong Kong affairs has advanced the figure of 25,000 pieces monthly. These watches are not all sold by far in the British colony, so that for some years imitations of Omegas, Rolexes, Eternas, etc., have been found all over Asia. What are the reasons for this sudden rise of counterfeit production?” asked Europa Star in 1963.

THE JAPANESE PERIL In its Hong Kong special report of 1963, Europa Star explains that “a great battle is being fought s in g & between co the Swiss watch, which detains the monopoly in actual fact, and its young Japanese rival. Every night, innumerable neon signs advertise the fact that the Swiss watch is the best, the most sold, the unique and unequalled. But every day, the Japanese pressure is felt more strongly, more insistently in the newspapers and in the bazaars. Japanese arguments are tempting: price, good standard quality, mass production. The battle has only started and nobody can foresee the issue.”

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THE MOON LANDING: WATCHMAKING ACHIEVES NIRVANA Europ a

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As Europa Star wrote in 1969, rather over-emphatically but correctly nevertheless, the first man to walk on the moon â&#x20AC;&#x153;wore on his right wrist an Omega Speedmaster Professional, a fact that will have made its mark forever with the watchmaking fraternity and will no doubt remain in the memory of the man in the street many years hence.â&#x20AC;? Needless to say, at the time, this exploit influenced virtually every watchmaker. In 1969 and the few years following it, an incalculable number of brands attempted to capitalise on this event by portraying their watches suspended in space, with the moon for a backdrop, or accompanied by intersidereal objects. It was quite an epidemic.

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The events of May 1968 shredded the straitjacket of the prudish 1950s. Taboos fell and watchmaking, which until then had been rather shy, threw restraint to the winds. Oh, nothing too torrid, but half-naked women began vaunting the virtues of the watch on their wrist â&#x20AC;&#x201C;an advertising pretext aimed at attracting a little more attention from largely male watchmakers, but also a sign of the times, when minds and bodies were being liberated.

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For a few years in the early 1970s, fashion suddenly took a bizarre turn. Out went the timeless elegance, restraint and harmonious finesse of the classic watch case. In came massive, clunky cases, usually non-scratch, but always heavyweights. This rather strange fashion has never yet seen a revival, and watches of that ilk are not generally sought after by collectors. They were consigned to the profit and loss column. Although you never know... After all, we were convinced that platform shoes would never make a comeback!

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QUARTZ, THE BETA 21 SAGA At the 1970 Basel Fair “of which we had high expectations,” as Europa Star wrote the day after, “because rumours were insistently circulating about the massive entry of electronics into most of the collections... the reality surpassed the fiction”. It was a date which would “perhaps mark the twilight of the traditional watch in all its forms”. Better still – or even worse – with the advent of quartz “all the manufacturing techniques that to us appear ultra-modern” risked being swept away, our editor continued. This anticipated shock came from the presentation of the Beta 21. This was the fruit of research undertaken by a consortium entitled “Community of interests for the industrialisation of the Beta Calibre”, which comprised around 20 brands, including Rolex, Patek Philippe, Omega, Girard-Perregaux, LeCoultre & Cie, Zenith, IWC, Bulova and many others who were presenting their first collections. Europa Star reports extensively on this venture in its columns, detailing at length its technical characteristics and unveiling the first models of this new era. But things quickly took quite another turn...

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With the Beta 21, the Swiss had struck a strong blow, but the powerful existing industrial infrastructure was not designed to support this kind of revolution. The Japanese, on the other hand, were not weighed down by the same history, society or industry. From the outset they viewed quartz as a totally industrial product and an engine for job creation – whereas in Switzerland, the so-called “quartz crisis” went on to wipe out 60,000 jobs, leaving no more than 30,000. The beginnings were relatively modest, but over the course of the decade, the Japanese wave inexorably gained speed. The declared ambition of Seiko in 1976 says it all: “Changing the world’s standards of accuracy”. From that period on, the internationally oriented Europa Star reflected this Japanese rise to power (which whipped up the occasional controversy between us and the Swiss watchmakers...).

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THE DEATH OF THE MECHANICAL WATCH? In the early 1980s, the question was being put quite openly. The mechanical watch had reached a dead end, if it wasn’t dead altogether. Valentin Philibert, editor-inchief, mused, without batting an eyelid: “Switzerland to Stop Producing Mechanical Watches?” The tone was lugubrious: “After sinking slowly for five years, we have now touched the bottom. Everything seems to have been in league to destroy the very foundation of what was once a flourishing and seemingly indestructible industry.” Brrr… As the new collections being issued showed, if the 1980s did not seal the definitive triumph of quartz, nothing would. In retrospect, the choice of illustrating them, as ETA does in Europa Star, in terms of a desert-crossing, is a curious one.

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In late 1982, Europa Star presented in its columns “a new kind of watch made of synthetic material – the ‘Swatch’ – in which a completely new concept and production technology are applied.” Scarcely one year later, one of our headlines ran “These Swatches that throw the watch market into confusion”. By winter 1988, Swatch had already clocked up 268 different models, sold to more than 40 million ‘fans’. Swatchmania was at its height. Italian collectors went loco over it. And the craze did not slow down: finally, it gave its name to the group that produced it. In 1988, “to pay tribute to the history of the little Swiss watch that became the symbol of industrial recovery,” SMH became the Swatch Group.

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The 1980s saw another phenomenon burst onto the horological stage: the fashion watch. With its strong ongoing internationalisation, diversification into accessories and knowledge of retail, the fashion world was out for its share of the watchmaking cake. One man came to symbolise this mounting trend: Séverin Wunderman who, in June 1988, not far from Biel, inaugurated the construction site of the new “industrial and operational” headquarters of the Severin Group, the flagship brand of which was Gucci, a highly successful venture that had begun back in 1972 and pointed the way for numerous players from the worlds of fashion, perfume and accessories. As for Séverin Wunderman, the Gucci venture enabled him to acquire Corum and launch his Bubbles collection.

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’80s THE MECHANICAL WATCH RENAISSANCE Scarcely five years had gone by since the announcement in 1980 of the imminent demise of the mechanical watch and here it was, back again. In 1985, our editor, back from Basel, noted that, “The mechanical holds its own with the quartz, even improving its standing thanks to an increase of special models in the upper bracket”. Watchmaking was metamorphosing, the aim being to move upmarket, in order to relegate quartz watches to the ranks of mass-produced goods. Complete calendars, moon phases, perpetual calendars, automatic chronographs – such were the luxury tools put to the purpose of reconquering hearts and minds. One symbol of this – not the only one, but one that has remained engraved in people’s memories thanks to the PR savvy of a certain Jean-Claude Biver – is Blancpain. In 1985 in Basel it launched a collection that included an extra-slim automatic with the day, date, month and moon phases.

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THE WATCHES OF 1990 1990 was a record year, with world production estimated at 753 million units and a 12.2% rise in Swiss exports. Note, however, that while the overall production of mechanical watches had fallen globally, the opposite was true in Switzerland: mechanical watch sales were booming and exports were driven by the outstanding growth in watches with complications and other â&#x20AC;&#x153;deluxeâ&#x20AC;? mechanical watches. The path for the following decade seemed to be laid out in advance, as this compilation of the most beautiful models from 1990, published in Europa Star in early 1991, shows. 103

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The upward trend of Swiss watchmaking was confirmed in 1991, with a total export figure of CHF 6.8 billion, despite the outbreak of the first Gulf War in January of that year. But even in the Middle East, exports resumed from April. At the head of his group, Nicolas Hayek was jubilant: it was the best year on record for his 12 brands and his industrial empire. Sales of finished watches and movements were up 34%. Omega, Rado and Longines alone accounted for 33% of sales volumes and around 50% or more – the figures were not supplied – of the rising profits.

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RENAISSANCE OF THE MANUFACTURES The quartz industrial crisis was over, the renaissance of the manufactures was beginning. The word was on everyone’s lips. The 1990s saw an unprecedented blossoming of new factory projects. While Patek Philippe was launching the construction of its new, ultramodern production site, others were not far behind: Jaeger-LeCoultre, IWC, Piaget, Vacheron Constantin and many others besides were opening vast work projects as far away as India, where Titan, part of the Tata Group, inaugurated an immense and magnificent production centre near Bangalore with help from France Ebauches. But the industrial decline of France had just begun, while Germany, in the throes of reunification, saw its watch industry in Glashütte recovering under the impetus of a visionary figure: Günter Blümlein. 106

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The 1990s fulfilled all their promises, reaffirming with unprecedented force the absolute supremacy of the mechanical watch. For the occasion, Europa Star inaugurated a series of Portfolios and entrusted them to renowned photographers, who immortalised this return to grace of mechanical ingenuity and beauty. A new Golden Age seemed to be opening up, as this photo of a watch by Vincent Calabrese symbolises in its quasi-religious intensity.

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THE WATCHMAKER OF THE FUTURE, AS VIEWED IN 2000 Changes of millennium are propitious for fuelling fears â&#x20AC;&#x201C; witness the famous Y2K bug â&#x20AC;&#x201C; as well as lofty dreams. In 2000, Europa Star issued a Millennium special edition in which we presented, among other things, our predictions for the future of watchmaking, from Internet-enabled watches (www.europastar.com had been launched back in 1997) and mass-printed watches right through to hologram watches in crazy designs. Everything was possible, so it seemed.

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TERRITORIAL EXPANSION BY THE MAJOR GROUPS The noughties marked a period of global expansion, with large groups from the luxury sector moving massively into watchmaking. Side by side with the industrially based Swatch Group, Richemont was asserting itself ever more strongly, while at the same time LVMH was making its entry into the watchmaking arena, multiplying its acquisitions in the luxury watch sector. The race was on to attain critical mass, to integrate production and verticalise. The purchase, in 2000, of LMH (Jaeger-LeCoultre, IWC and Lange & Söhne) by Richemont for the sum, judged madness at the time, of CHF 3.08 billion was emblematic of this expansionist frenzy.. Questioned by Europa Star, Franco Cologni imperiously replied: “We paid that price because we believe that luxury is eternal”.

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SIHH and Basel, 2001. Rather than presenting watches by their traditional categories, from the most complex to the simplest and from the most classic to the most innovative, that year Europa Star decided to present them according to the ‘lifestyle’ they represented – a classification based on a study by the Advanced Communications Centre in Paris and the European Observatory on Trends, which identified seven “principal mentalities” and “12 strong trends”. The result was not intended to be strictly scientific but bore witness nevertheless to consumer aspirations: a strong demand for “proximity”, “conviviality” and “personalisation”, and a strong emphasis on the notion of “service”. And this was observed across all the social categories surveyed. But what was really striking during these years was the simultaneous existence of the most diverse trends possible. A grand free-for-all. rope 2/2001

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RETAIL: THE GREAT UPHEAVAL The traditional distribution networks, the division of territory among local watch retailers, often family businesses, established in every town, were vanishing. There were two reasons for this: the strong emergence of the concept of brand and, as they reindustrialised, a move by the large groups to take back direct control of their distribution channels. The creation of spin-offs in the international distribution networks on the one hand, and the emergence of brand-owned boutiques on the other, were ringing the death knell of the traditional multibrand retailer. This phenomenon, which began in the early 2000s, rapidly went global. Our correspondents in Italy, Germany, the US and Japan regularly wrote of it in the columns of Europa Star.

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History never goes just one way. At the same time as the large groups were becoming ever more dominant, independent watchmakers were not only getting their heads back above water, they were also asserting themselves as the creative force in mechanical watchmaking. As Europa Star headlined in 2001: “The independent watchmakers have the creativity, the groups the markets.” With the creation of the Académie des Horlogers Créateurs Indépendants (Academy of Independent Watch Designers, AHCI) in 1985, independent watchmakers found an excellent incubator. Established brands and groups gradually came to realise that they constituted a genuine centre of research into new mechanical horology. They began to make contact with these renegade watchmakers. Operation Golden Arrow, launched in 2001 with seven watchmakers from the AHCI, who presented 14 innovative watches, marked minds and sparked a trend for collaboration. 119

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The noughties, which began so promisingly, ended under gathering storm clouds. The 2008-09 financial crisis came and went with devastating effect. The economic crash was responsible for much of the damage, certainly, but watchmakers themselves were not entirely blameless. Watchmaking had gone into overdrive. Everything was possible, the industry thought. Prices had attained astronomical heights, brands were forever going upmarket, the Swiss had abandoned mid-range products, and the fashion for bling-bling had had a catastrophic effect. Watchmaking was paying for its excesses. Would it recover during the decade that was just beginning, the 2010s? In late 2009, Europa Star ran the headline: â&#x20AC;&#x153;The positive side of the crisisâ&#x20AC;?. Perhaps it had taught watchmakers not to rush headlong into things, but to act without haste, calmly and consistently, to let time do its work. Have they learned their lesson? It is up to the present decade to provide the answer.

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2010â&#x20AC;Ś The decade we are currently living through, and which is now drawing to a close, has witnessed the same implacable historical cycles we see repeated in our Archives since the 1960s. The watch industry is like an arrow continually turning in circles. But it never describes exactly the same loop. Letâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s take an example: the current technology crisis, which has seen digital watches rise to a dominant position, is strongly reminiscent of the quartz crisis. Anyone who proclaimed that the mechanical watch was dead, as Europa Star did in 1980, could scarcely have predicted that, as early as 1985, it would already be making a comeback. For the media too, the decade that began in 2010 has been synonymous with technological, sociological and financial upheaval. Although Europa Star was an early adopter of the web, it always believed that paper would remain an essential ingredient. But only as long as it offered something extra, some editorial added value, aesthetic pleasure, a personality, and a material presence. And that is precisely what we have done over the course of the current decade, by giving our magazines a thorough overhaul, enriching their content and updating their graphic design. After all, archivists teach us that paper is the only guarantee of posterity. Our paper archives are proving more valuable than ever, but thanks to digital technology, they are also far more accessible.* * To find out more about accessing the Europa Star Archives, see page 125.

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TO BE CONTINUED... To date, we have digitised exactly 62,393 pages of archives, from a total of over 300,000. We began with our Europe edition (December 1959 to December 2016), followed by the Global edition (January 2017 to the present). Among the most-mentioned watch brands are Patek Philippe, Omega, Rolex and Longines, which each have more than 1,000 pages of editorials. Almost all watch brands in the history of the 20th century have been featured in Europa Star. We will continue to digitise everything produced by our publishing house since its creation in 1927. Here is the complete list: • 1927 GUIDE RAPID, BULLETIN D’INFORMATIONS, BULLETIN DES ACHETEURS, BULLETIN GUIDE DES MACHINES (Switzerland) • 1929 GUIDE DES ACHETEURS (Switzerland) • 1940 ELEGÂNCIA E PRECISÃO (Brazil) • 1942 INFORMATIONS TECHNIQUES (Switzerland) • 1942 LA REVISTA RELOJERA (Argentina and Latin America) • 1945 BELORA (Portugal) • 1949 ORO Y HORA (Spain) • 1950 ESTRELLA DEL SUR (Latin America) • 1950 THE EASTERN JEWELER AND WATCHMAKER (Far East and Asia) • 1950 AS SÂ’ÂT WAL-DJAWÂHER / ORAFRICA (Middle East and Africa) • 1959 EUROPA STAR (Europe) • 1959 EUROTEC (Europe) • 1967 EUROPA STAR / EUROTEC COMECON (Eastern Europe) • 1967 EUROPA STAR USA & CANADA • 1968 EUROPASTAR AFRICA, NEAR & MIDDLE EAST • 1968 EUROPA STAR FAR EAST & AUSTRALASIA • 1968 EUROPA STAR AMERICA LATINA Y BRASIL • 1989 EUROPA STAR DIAMOND INTELLIGENCE BRIEFS • 1975 EUROPA STAR JEWELLERY MAGAZINE • 1993 EUROPA STAR ESPAÑA • 1993 EUROPA STAR CHINA PRECIOUS • 1997 EUROPA STAR/COUTURE INTERNATIONAL JEWELER • 1997 EUROPA STAR/AMERICAN TIME • 1997 EUROPA STAR HORA LATINA • 1997 EUROPA STAR CHINA • 1997 EUROPA STAR ASIA/MIDDLE EAST • 1998 EUROPA STAR PREMIÈRE (Newsletter for Switzerland) • 2001 EUROPA STAR WATCHES-FOR-CHINA • 2003 EUROPA STAR BASEL TRIBUNE (ES-CIJ-NJ) • 2004 EUROPA STAR INTERNATIONAL • 2006 EUROPA STAR WEB SPECIAL USA & CANADA • 2006 EUROPA STAR UKRAINE • 2009 EUROPA STAR TRENDS & COLOURS • 2015 EUROPA STAR PREMIÈRE (Newspaper for Switzerland) • 2017 EUROPA STAR WATCH AFICIONADO (USA) • 2017 EUROPA STAR GLOBAL

Interested in one of the most complete watch archives of the 20th century? Don’t hesitate to contact us!

123

RECOMMENDED READING BY FABRICE MUGNIER, WATCHPRINT.COM

CHRONOMASTER ONLY The Super-Chronograph by Nivada & Croton by Grégoire Rossier & Anthony Marquié Chronomaster Aviator Sea Diver: this singular name belongs to one of the most original professional watches of the 1960s, combining an unparalleled number of functions with a timeless design. Created in 1961, this chronograph was produced for around ten years under several brand names, through a partnership between the Swiss company Nivada SA and the American firm Croton Watch Co. This led to some of its dials bearing probably the most complicated name in watchmaking history: Croton Nivada Grenchen Chronomaster Aviator Sea Diver. Thanks to the authors’ trademark rigorous methodology, the signature of the “ONLY” reference works, this book reveals the incredible diversity of the Chronomaster models. It is intended both as an initiation for connoisseurs of exceptional watches and as a reference guide for collectors. This legendary watch will doubtless thus regain the place it deserves among the most desirable 1960s chronographs. 25.9 x 31.6 cm | 288 pages | CHF 110

WATCHES: An Identification Manual for Contemporary and Collector’s Pieces by Fabrice Guéroux Buying a previously owned watch can be a risky purchase. Fake watches are legion on the internet and unscrupulous vendors are increasingly using this market place to sell theirfraudulent products. Few second-hand watch websites call upon true experts and purchases are increasingly made at the buyer’s risk. How to tell a true watch from a fake? That is exactly what you will discover in this third volume covering the main luxury watch brands, and above all providing specific documentation on the counterfeit market – which is constantly evolving and perpetually on the lookout for the perfect fake watch. Enhanced knowledge of watchmaking and its flagship brands along with an understanding of the fake market will help you make the right decisions when buying a watch. 21 x 29 cm | 296 pages | CHF 49

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WHEN THE WRITING’S

ON THE WALL… BY D. MALCOLM LAKIN

et’s start at the beginning: Digitus (Latin) meaning finger or toe begat digit, meaning finger or toe and from about the 14th century it also referred to a single number between 0 and 9. Digitisation, despite having the same etymological source, has nothing to do with fingers or toes; it is the conversion of data or information from analogue to digital - or, more simply put, it is the computerised archiving of anything from a person’s letters to newspapers, photographs and magazines. Digitalisation on the other hand, mustn’t be confused with the archiving process because it is the administering of digitalis, a drug prepared from the dried leaves or seeds of the foxglove plant to a patient as a heart stimulant, which can occur when the owners of magazines discover the price of digitisation. As you’ve already discovered in this issue of Europa Star, it is dedicated to digitisation which means that soon you will be able to delve into our archives and discover, for example, dozens of Freely Speaking and Lakin @ Large articles or better still, an article written in 1969 by Watchie, a dog, entitled ‘Watchie’s Barking Corner’. For those interested in such trivia ‘Barking’ in this case doesn’t refer to the woof woof a dog makes, but to the phrase ‘barking mad’ which in turn refers to a medieval insane asylum that existed in the London Borough of Barking. 9 6 5/19 pe Londoners soon dropped the 'mad' and simply referred to them as ‘barking’. o r r Eu Sta a As I was saying before I went off on that educational tangent, Watchie, the far-sighted p o Eur horological canine journalist, wrote about ‘Shnook, The watch for your life’ and how stupid it thinks the idea is of having one watch that will last a lifetime and how the factory will soon close down once everyone has a Shnook. If memory serves me correctly I believe Watchie changed his name and eventually found his appropriate kennel, sorry make that niche, at Swatch. Shnooks apart, there is a more serious aspect to digitisation: what’s going to happen to the white cotton glove manufacturers? Now when you enter your favourite museum to research one of their delicate tomes of yore accompanied by the curator or his assistant the Lone Arranger, that unforgettable stale and musty odour of decaying paper will no longer reach your nostrils and worse, that pair of elegant white cotton gloves that made you look like a butler in Downton Abbey won’t be proffered. Instead you’ll be guided to a computer where you can scrutinise the digitised pages of that aforementioned tome to your heart’s content and in so doing have regular headaches and improve the sales figures for aspirin and spectacles. Maybe the Neanderthals and the Ancient Egyptians had the right idea, they didn’t bother with archiving, they avoided filing and copying by writing and drawing on walls, tombs and pyramids. They were the forerunners of today’s grubby graffiti gringos. So, when the writing’s on the wall, digitise.

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Watchwords

TRADITION AND BUTCHERY BY JILL METCALFE

nyone who’s tried to cook a familiar recipe in a foreign land will probably have faced the issue of sourcing the right ingredients. You may arrive at your gîte in Normandy and decide that a pot-roast brisket with some seasonal vegetables would be just the ticket, requiring minimal effort and offering maximum satisfaction to a hungry family at the start of their holiday. But browsing the boucherie shelves of the local supermarket, you see nothing that looks quite like what you’re expecting. There might be bavettes and entrecôtes, or an anonymous-looking rôti, but not the brisket that you’re looking for. So you return home with a polystyrene tray of boeuf pour bourguignon and make the best of it. The problem (actually, from a culinary perspective, it’s far more helpful to look at this one as an opportunity) is that the French butcher their beef differently. So what the British call a brisket turns out to be a pointe de poitrine or a tendron, possibly even a jumeau or flanchet. But you’re unlikely to have any joy even if you find a butcher who recognises these terms, because in France a brisket is just part of the paleron, which usually gets chopped up and sold as pot au feu. Same cow, different cuts. And that brings me to the point of this digression, which is that languages often turn out to work in a similar way. The theme of this issue, in French, is héritage. In the language of Molière, this word covers a broad sweep of concepts that reach back into the past

and stretch out into the future. In English, we have to chop the same concept into smaller morsels, denoted by the words “heritage” – property that is (or may be) inherited, or valued objects, traditions and qualities that have been (or may be) passed down from previous generations – plus “inheritance” or “legacy”, which are more or less what the heritage turns into once the “may be” becomes “has been”, and the objects or qualities are passed on. Oh, and “inheritance” is more concrete, while “legacy” can be either concrete or abstract. Same cow, different cuts. You see what I have to put up with. But to rewind a little, the word “tradition” also offers an interesting glimpse into how, somewhere between this linguistic heritage and its legacy, the etymological road will sometimes fork, eventually leading to two separate and apparently unrelated new concepts, known as “doublets”. Going back a millennium or two, “tradition” can be traced to the Latin tradere, to give up or hand over, which is also the root of “traitor” from traditor, one who delivers. So “tradition” and “treason” are actually cousins. That leads us to some interesting reflections. When the past sends out its messages to the present (and this seems like an appropriate place to point out that “legacy” comes from the Latin legatus, which is an ambassador or envoy), they can either be delivered to their intended recipient, their heir, or they can be betrayed. Food for thought.

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INDEX A. Lange & Söhne 112 AHCI 119 Apple 8 Audemars Piguet 9, 30, 31, 32, 50, 51 Baume & Mercier 51 Bell & Ross 53 Blancpain 100 Breguet 28, 32 Breitling 26, 32 Bulgari 25, 32 Bulova 91 Carl F. Bucherer COVER I, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17 Cartier 28, 32 Casio 64, 65, 66, 67 Certina 33 Chanel 4, 5

Chrono24 58, 59 Corum 99 Croton 124 Ebel 37 Eberhard & Co. 31 ETA 28, 41, 94, 95 Eterna 83 Fondation de la Haute Horlogerie 18 Frédérique Constant 45, 53 Gallet 58 Girard-Perregaux 55, 91 Greubel Forsey 53 Gucci 98, 99 HKTDC 70, 71 IWC 19, 32, 91, 106 Jaeger-LeCoultre 32, 91, 106

Jean Marcel 49 Longines 6, 7, 28, 32, 46, 47, 48, 52, 104 Louis Moinet 21, 32 Louis Vuitton 11 LVMH 24, 112, 113 MB-Microtec 68, 69 Montblanc 21, 56, 57 Nivada 124 Omega 19, 51, 52, 83, 84, 85, 91, 104 Patek Philippe COVER IV, 34, 35, 36, 38, 39, 40, 50, 51, 91 Philippe Dufour 19 Piaget 18, 106 Rado 52, 104 Richard Mille 27 Richemont 112, 113

Rolex COVER II, 3, 50, 51, 80, 81, 83, 91 Seiko 62, 63 SIHH COVER III Swatch 96, 97 Swatch Group 28, 51, 52, 104, 105, 112, 113 TAG Heuer 24, 32 Tissot 29 Titan 106 Traser 68 Ulysse Nardin 54 Universal 19, 58 Urban Jürgensen 60, 61 Vacheron Constantin 42, 43, 44, 106 Van Cleef & Arpels 28, 32 Vincent Calabrese 108, 109 Zenith 23, 24, 30, 31, 91, 130

THE WORLD OF WATCHES

www.europastar.com Europa Star in French • English • Chinese traditional • Chinese simplified • Spanish • Russian

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Crossword Myles Mellor BY MYLES MELLOR A WATCHby CROSSWORD Are you an expert in the history of watchmaking? If they do not spontaneously pop into your mind, you will find most of the solutions to this crossword puzzle in the special Archives pages of this issue, starting on p. 72. Test your brainâ&#x20AC;Ś and your memory!

8 9

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30 32

38 39

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Down

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A last word to start

THE WATCHMAKER WHO SAVED ZENITH FROM OBLIVION BY PIERRE MAILLARD

The last El Pr imero adverti

sement from

Europa Star

Europe 2/19

t’s a well-known story, but one that definitely bears retelling. All the more so, since this issue of Europa Star is all about the value of preserving memories of the past. In 1972, the US-based Zenith Radio Corporation, which owned Zenith at the time, saw the arrival of quartz and decided that that was the future, the only future. Orders were given to get rid of everything. Machines, tools, presses and parts were to be sold off by the tonne. Plans and everything else could be thrown out. One watchmaker was appalled. Charles Vermot was head of the chronograph movement workshop, and had had a front row seat for the development of the El Primero. He made attempts to save it, but the Americans were deaf to his entreaties. That was the past. The past was OUT. So he secretly moved 150 swages (worth CHF 40,000 each at the time, and weighing a tonne all told), along with cams, cutting tools, technical plans, files, everything. Anyone familiar with the Zenith manufacture before its recent transformation will know that, among the warren of corridors, passageways and staircases, there were some forgotten attics. And that was where he hid his treasure. Left alone with its quartz movements, Zenith faltered. In 1978 the company was bought by Dixi micromechanics. Gradually, mechanical watchmaking began to pick up, and interest in the exceptional El Primero movement was rekindled. Ebel was interested, as was Rolex for its Daytona. There were a few left lying around, but everything else had gone, thrown away or auctioned off. At least, that’s what those in charge believed. But in 1984 Charles Vermot decided to stick his head above the parapet. He took the director up to the old attics filled with their scraps and odds and ends, and showed him the nine crates of equipment he’d saved. He also pulled out a dust-covered binder in which all the plans were meticulously filed. Charles Vermot, a most unlikely hero, saved Zenith and made many people’s fortunes along the way. Years later, he was still moved to tears as he recounted the entire adventure in a sensitively filmed documentary produced by Télévision Suisse in 1991*. When the interviewer asked him how he had been rewarded for saving the business, along with many jobs, Charles Vermot showed the new-generation El Primero on his wrist, a gift from the company. “It’s a very nice watch, I like it very much.” Was that all? Of course not. “My wife and I were invited out for a good meal.” Which goes to show that the present doesn’t always adequately recognise the debt it owes to the past. * You can watch the video (in French) on https://www.rts.ch/archives/ tv/information/tell-quel/7386270-le-retour-du-tic-tac.html

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