“We do not follow trends,” Luc Perramond, CEO of La Montre Hermès, told our correspondent Marie de Pimodan Bugnon. The quote appears in Marie’s feature on an assortment of tiny new ladies’ watches she discovered at BaselWorld this year. In this respect, indeed, Hermès seems to be setting trends rather than following them. Even more significant, however, is the brand’s reintroduction of silver in its timepiece collection. For the next couple of years, Hermès has exclusive use of a new silver alloy that has been developed to eradicate the problems of patination that led the brand to discontinue use of the metal over 15 years ago. Keith Strandberg’s article has the full story.
My initial discussions with the bosses of brands that have scooped the Aiguille d’Or, the top prize at the Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève (the annual Geneva watchmaking awards), suggest that the Grand Prix is not necessarily seen as a barometer for trends, but that winning the Aiguille d’Or brings numerous tangible and intangible benefits. We will be publishing these interviews over the next few weeks, starting next week with a first exclusive video interview with Stéphane Linder, CEO of TAG Heuer. But as an appetiser Brice LeChevalier presents the new features of the 2014 edition and renowned designer Philippe Starck shares his experiences of being a member of the jury for last year’s awards.
Continuing the theme of trends, David Chokron asked whether the quest for ever-higher frequencies might have passed its peak. He also cast his expert eye over two apparently similar skeleton movements from Cartier, revealing their subtle differences in a detailed photographic cross-examination. My interview with Vincent Perriard, CEO of HYT, the “hydro-mechanical horologists”, concludes the week’s coverage, explaining the company’s rapid expansion and revealing some of the exciting developments he has in the pipeline.
This week: more trends, more insightful interviews and not one but two Longines Conquest Classic chronographs – the official watch of the Roland Garros tennis tournament - up for grabs in our June competition.
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