Taking the helm of MCT today is a challenge. What persuaded you to do so?
I like challenges and one might even say that I have made it a kind of specialty throughout my career. MCT is a fascinating one, because the brand combines all the ingredients to ensure that it has a sustainable future on the fine watchmaking scene. It has an ambitious and close-knit team, a research and production unit at the forefront of technology and to crown it all, absolutely incredible models that are instantly identifiable.
Independent niche brands are under pressure in the current economic climate. How do you intend to cope with that?
It is precisely when the economic climate is difficult that one needs to be able to offer greater enjoyment, more emotion and heightened excellence! MCT is a Manufacture that has the benefit of total creative freedom when it comes to inventing new forms of representation and measuring time, because it has all the necessary skills and resources internally, notably with regard to creating and assembling its own movements. In addition, we are fortunate to be able to rely on an owner who is committed to the long term and nurtures a very clear vision for the future, true to the spirit of the founder of the brand, Denis Giguet.
What can MCT offer collectors today that is particularly special?
In absolute terms, something that is very rare: an interpretation of time that is bold and
ultra-creative, yet developed with full respect for the purest rules of fine watchmaking. That is what our name MCT actually means: we are a true Manufacture of excellence, dedicated to a profoundly Contemporary approach to Time. Our watches appeal both to fans of mechanical perfection and design enthusiasts. They harness all the benefits of both new-wave watchmaking and fine watchmaking. For example, with its Sequential collection, MCT has created the largest hours on the market with an unparalleled, instantaneous and intuitive display. This kind of legibility conceals a mechanical complexity that is inversely proportional to its clarity: the hours indication, displayed as if on shutters, is governed by five rotating triangular prisms each consisting of 50 elements and all turning independently. A registered patent and a 471-strong component count testify to the level of sophistication behind a concept of this kind, effectively combining design and technique, form and function in perfect harmony. Three new variations of our sequential display will be presented at Baselworld, but we are not stopping at that.
Will be you ready to win a GPHG award next year?
You’ll have to ask the jury that question…
On what infrastructure will you be able to depend?
MCT produces its timepieces in close collaboration with its sister companies that are also based in Neuchâtel and La Chaux-de-Fonds, the Digitale watchmaking research and development company, and the MCH mechanical movement assembly workshop. The watchmaking companies from the Cage Holding Group employ some 40 people in their workshops on the shores of Lake Neuchâtel and in their Geneva offices. We have a subsidiary in Asia and a worldwide retailer network that we are going to develop with our sales team.
Where do you see MCT in five years time?
Independent watchmaking, and representatives of new-wave watchmaking in particular, are more important than ever for our industry. They represent an indispensable breeding ground for innovation and creativity in reflecting on and preparing for the future. MCT has everything it takes to make a name for itself rapidly, not only as one of the leaders in new-wave watchmaking, but also as one of its best ambassadors thanks to the discipline of its integrated approach to manufacturing.
