We hope that you are up-to-date with all the launches from this year’s SIHH thanks to the comprehensive dossier that WorldTempus published, including over 50 news items during the week of the show itself.
Amidst the bustle of the SIHH and the outcry over the Swiss National Bank’s decision to stop propping up euro’s exchange rate with the Swiss franc (see the open letter from H. Moser & Cie’s CEO Edouard Meylan and our analysis, some of the smaller independent brands were grabbing headlines thanks to their creativity. De Grisogono, for example, presented a seasonal offering that was neither jewellery nor watch but a high-end pair of skis developed in conjunction with the Rossignol racing department.
Meanwhile, Pierce Brosnan, who through his role as James Bond had previously been associated with one of the industry’s biggest brands, became the new ambassador for… Speake-Marin. It’s a relationship that grew out of a true friendship that blossomed when Peter Speake-Marin acted as a consultant for a film in which Pierce Brosnan plays a watchmaker.
The industry takeover news last month came not from Switzerland, or even from France, but from Belgium. Joris Ide acquired valuable movement production capabilities with the purchase of Innovations Manufactures Horlogères SA (IMH), based in Le Locle. The Julien Coudray 1518 brand was part of the deal and will continue as a niche operation, but Mr Ide has plans to use this new production capacity for developing his own Lebeau-Courally watch brand.
Even in these uncertain times, Swiss watchmaking capacity seems to be a sure investment.
