Brice Lechevalier
Romain Jerome, Yvan Arpa (CEO)
What is your assessment of the launch of the Titanic DNA collection?
It's been incredible: we made the first presentations at Baselworld 2007, the first deliveries in November 2007, and we have currently delivered watches to the value of 25 million Swiss francs (ex-factory price) and taken orders for twice that amount. Our turnover for January 2009 was four times higher than in January 2008. Of the 70 points of sale open during this period, Romain Jerome is one of the retailers' best-selling brands in three-quarters of these stores. All of them spontaneously came to request the opportunity to sell the Titanic-DNA in the wake of the intensive communication campaign previously undertaken.
Are you implementing a different strategy for the Moon-Dust DNA?
We are still working in the same “luxury with a twist” niche that consists of wearing not only a slice of world history on the wrist, but also a material that is otherwise entirely inaccessible and thus by definition limited. If customers wish to treat themselves to a sprinkling of moon dust, only our watches can give them that. We have created a whole new niche. The Moon Dust is now firmly anchoring the brand within the legends concept and releasing Romain Jerome from the sole power of the Titanic. We are once again creating a sensation and we are fortunate in that this release is attracting considerable media coverage, via Reuters, the AFP, the BBC and even the Sun daily newspaper. This means the product is already famous before it even reaches the shop windows. Simply handling these calls and this flow of visitors to the points of sale is a full-time job in itself.
How are you coping with the current crisis?
This crisis implies an obvious cash crunch and that leads clients to focus on authentically valuable investments, which works extremely well for our core business, since there are no substitutes for our products. Who else can offer you a piece of the Titanic or of the Moon? Which other brand would dare to incorporate within its timepieces “sworn enemies” of watch mechanisms such as rust or dust? This being said, nothing is ever certain, and we must continue to be extremely creative, to listen to our customers, not to deliver things without due care, to constantly improve our communication and to remain humble. Of the 618 watch brands currently on the market, those without a clear message and a real identity are definitely going to suffer.
Romain Jerome
