Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie (SIHH), Geneva 2016 & 2017

01 Wednesday Feb 2017

Posted by sitanshi talati-parikh in Brand Watch, Interviews (All), Interviews: Luxury Brands, Publication: Verve Magazine

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

Audemars Piguet, Baume and Mercier, Christophe Claret, Geneva, Interviews: Luxury Brands, IWC, SIHH, Verve Magazine, Watches

VERVE’S HAUTE HORLOGERIE STORY (SIHH 2017)

Read full story here

Excerpt: In sub-zero temperature, Geneva became the hotbed of haute horlogerie. This was also the first time the exclusive, invitee-only fair opened its doors to the public on the last day, to experience the pleasure of fine watchmaking. And yet, surrounded by chicly-attired attendees (the cold seemed to bother no one, in fact the wardrobe worked it’s magic in stunning layers), the watches sparkled and shone in all their new glory. Perhaps the mood was a bit muted, perhaps the markets are not what they used to be, but the will and passion burned bright. A big take-away is IWC coming up with a sophisticated and dedicated line (Da Vinci) for the ladies… (we wished and you heard us!) Sonam Kapoor as brand ambassador was a ballsy move to pull in a big chunk of the unexplored market for the brand. Here’s a recap of our Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie 2017 journey (Snapped from Insta Live).

WATCHES FROM GENEVA’S SIHH 2016: TICKING FAST

Read full story here

Excerpt:

The Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie (SIHH), Geneva, is considered the crème de la crème of watch fairs, with it’s invitee-only entry, extremely selective offerings and some of the world’s most exclusive watch brands in attendance.

Systematically designed with country-based media slots to watch the unveiling of the year’s novelties, even the bracing cold (rumoured to be the coldest SIHH ever) could not dispel the passion emanating from the warm recesses of the Palexpo fair area, even though the hallways held whispers of the fair being a milder version of it’s earlier glory.

The booths may have been cookie-cutter for most part, but the window displays were innovative and some were just breathtaking in their intricacy. The presentation that took the cake, however, was hands-down the Audemars Piguet virtual reality tour of their manufactory with the humour, wit and infectious enthusiasm of the CEO François-Henri Bennahmias, that made even the sleepiest journos wake up at the fag end of the day.

This year saw a new lot of 9 independent watchmakers presented in a separate Carre des Horlogers section, some with some standout pieces. After 25 years, this year, SIHH saw 24 exhibitors and a museum display ‘Square of Clocks’.

Meanwhile, our evenings remained busy with cocktails at the A Lange and Soehne booth, the Jaeger-LeCoultre gala affair to celebrate 85 years of the Reverso watch with a mesmerising live installation and a Christian Louboutin pop-up, and the ever-elegant Cartier dinner. Not to mention, an exclusive première of the exhibition Breguet, A Story Among the Greats, at Cité du Temps.

Also, interviews:

Why you should buy a vintage IWC watch and which one

With Audemars Piguet’s creative director Claude Emmenegger

Christophe Claret’s Gaming Collections

Discovering Design: Alexandre Peraldi for Baume & Mercier watches

Discovering Design: Claude Emmenegger for Audemars Piguet

30 Tuesday Aug 2016

Posted by sitanshi talati-parikh in Brand Watch, Interviews (All), Interviews: Luxury Brands, Publication: Verve Magazine

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

Audemars Piguet, Claude Emmenegger, Interview, Interviews: Luxury Brands, SIHH, Verve Magazine, Watches

Published in Verve Magazine, August 2016

Last year, Claude Emmenegger became the new creative director of Audemars Piguet. After a stint with the brand from 1999 to 2003, he left to establish his own design consulting company. Twelve years and working with 40 brands later, he is back, firm in the belief that his appreciation for the brand has not changed a bit. He’s the creator of the Royal Oak Concept (2002) and the Tradition of Excellence models 2, 3 and 4; currently his main objectives include the development of the women’s category, high-tech concepts and new functionalities. ‘Break the rules in order to revolutionise horology’ is Emmenegger’s philosophy. Find out more:

Design vision
“Audemars Piguet is known for its classical points, along with innovation. I would like to take the design in a more modern direction inspired by contemporary art: make it evolve — though, not change — from what it is now.”

Audemars Piguet philosophy
“Diversity in excellence. When Audemars Piguet does something new, the idea is not to stop things halfway; it is to do something innovative and to finish it in the right way.”

Creative inspirations
“We live in a world where we are bombarded by sounds, images, perceptions…. The strength of a designer is to be able to hear in all that mass of information — what is interesting, what could be combined, what is of essence — and bring that together into something new. Once you have passed the stage of mood boards where you filter out the things you want to focus on…then, what the world is doing and what the noise is saying doesn’t matter anymore. Then you just have to get it done!”

Advanced complications for women
“We are in the middle of progress into that field. It’s really a big project right now — there are things in the pipeline and on the board, to see how the movements can evolve.”

When design meets technology
“It’s a bit like two brothers with different characters…. When you have a dream that you want to transform into a reality, it takes quite a bit to follow a road and make it happen. Even if you want to, tech may say, ‘No we can’t do it!’ You have to be able to stimulate them and persuade them…we are going to bend the iron a little bit more, but we are going to make it work!

What has really changed is the team spirit. You have people from design, from production, from the technological world, having discussions as early as possible. And rather than ‘No, it’s impossible to make it’, to agree on ‘Let’s find out if we can do it!’”