Interview of Stéphane Waser and Thiébaut Bentz

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Interview of Stéphane Waser and Thiébaut Bentz - Maurice Lacroix
Digital opportunities, the new Aikon Venturer GMT, and why GMTs are the best complication for the pandemic

How are you enjoying the world of digital launches and presentations?
Stéphane Waser (SW), Maurice Lacroix’s Managing Director: It's a lot of fun. We were already working from home before the pandemic so we are used to working this way. But the pandemic has not only made us realize how important digital is, but also how much you can do with digital. We recently built a studio here in Saignelégier, which is also allowing us to do web training, webcasts, conference calls, and producing all kinds of digital tools. You will see that we can also show products; it’s a great tool. So, when we started the pandemic last year, we said okay, the world is changing so we really need to be very agile to be able to navigate this, and I think we're doing quite well.

Interview of Stéphane Waser and Thiébaut Bentz

You have just unveiled a new AIKON Venturer GMT, what has the response been so far?
SW: The feedback has been very good. And I think one thing that quite surprised me personally was the positive comments on the white timepiece. We presented the black one last year, as a pre-launch, and people were really fond of it. So, for me, their interest in the white version was the great thing about this launch.

Thiébaut Bentz (TB), Maurice Lacroix’s International Product & Marketing Director: The important thing for me is that the product strategy is very well understood. It is logical for both journalists and the end consumer. They all believe that it's a nice and obvious extension of the AIKON family and that having the GMT function within the Venturer Collection makes sense.

Interview de Stéphane Waser et Thiébaut Bentz

You always do really cool events and concepts around your new launches. How are you keeping up with this dynamic right now?
TB: We just announced the Maurice Lacroix Running Club on Strava, which is also very interesting, as when you consider the pandemic, one of the only things you can still do is go running. We will launch some running challenges in the coming weeks, and we hope that lots of people will participate. And we announced recently a partnership with the Mahindra Formula E racing team. We are working on digital gaming which will kick off at the same time as the first European race. The idea is that you bet on qualifying times, and also the final positions of the drivers. It's going to be very interactive between the Formula E fans, the brand, and the Mahindra racing team. So, this is definitely a format that we would like to continue in the future, having this kind of social gaming that is both physical and digital at the same time.

What are you most proud of when you look at the new AIKON Venturer GMT?
SW: For me what was nice about the Venturer design is that we've put a lot of effort into it, and I'm really proud of how we integrated the GMT with this 24-hour rotating bezel. It makes it look even better. TB: I'm proud of the work we've done on the GMT hand. Of course, it is just a hand, but we made many prototypes and tried many designs to get the right balance between the length and the thickness of the hand. We wanted to find the perfect balance in terms of legibility and offer a nice contrast with the dial. Most GMT hands go right up to the bezel but we decided to stop the hands before the indexes and make them a bit larger and thicker, with more character. And I think that brings more character to the watch. It’s a small detail that I am particularly proud of.

Interview de Stéphane Waser et Thiébaut Bentz

Why did you decide to release a GMT now when travel is at an all-time low?
SW: I mean, it's the perfect product for a pandemic. It is true that we can’t really travel anymore, but everybody is stuck at home on Zoom or on Teams, talking to people in different time zones. On the backside of the watch, we have all the time zoneas a reminder. So, think of the influencers, for example, who have to post at the perfect time. They always have to think about which time zone they are active in, where do they need to post, and what time to make it effective. So, I think I think the GMT and travelling is an old concept. I think the modern conception of GMT is more about working with people in different time zones around the world.

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Stéphane Waser