Ten years, the age of reason? Many brands make a lot of this milestone, beyond which the chances of sustainability begin to make themselves felt. As if they were at last breaking free of gravity to take flight and fulfil their early promise.
That is exactly where DeWitt now finds itself. Its distribution network has been thoroughly reshuffled: as Mr DeWitt himself admits, he has closed “80% of its points of sale. We are sensing a strong recovery and we had to have partners who are simply the best, who respect the brand identity and values – in a nutshell, those who make the difference”.
A new in-house calibre and a new horological complication
This salutary realignment has been bearing fruit for a year already and is set to continue. DeWitt will focus most of its efforts in 2014 on the production and promotion of its simple three-hand Manufacture movement. The latter will in due course account for one half of in-house production ad is currently being finalised.
In parallel, DeWitt is about to introduce a new 100% in-house complication into one of its iconic models, the Twenty-8-Eight.
DeWitt will nonetheless continue developing its core complications. Many will notably remember Calibre DW 8014, the first complicated regulator movement comprising a tourbillon entirely developed and produced by DeWitt, which featured a patented Automatic Sequential Winding (A.S.W.) mechanism, powered by a peripheral oscillating weight. DeWitt has further optimised this technical feature and will be presenting at the SIHH a completely reconstructed version of its calibre, that Mr DeWitt deemed perfectible. The movement will now feature deadbeat seconds and an almost 80-hour power reserve, a performance resulting from two and a half years of development.
Tourbillons in the spotlight
In 2014, DeWitt will also continue developing its tourbillons. Two new 100% Manufacture DeWitt models of this type will be introduced: one hand-wound and the other self-winding. Both will be launched in the course of the year.
Finally, a major new release is in the pipeline: an in-house movement starring a jumping display: “These are highly technical constructions that will be fitted in our high-end models and which will feature the brand’s signature design with straight graining and geometrical motifs”, says Mr DeWitt.
Finally, DeWitt will be revamping its Alma collection, while maintaining the brand’s inherent spirit of simplicity.
