Thomas Meyer and Rodolphe Cattin shared an exclusive interview last week in Versoix to discuss their launch and plans for Manufacture Rodolphe Cattin.
WORLDTEMPUS - January 25, 2011
Roberta Naas
In a well-appointed garage for luxury vintage cars just 15 minutes outside of Geneva, designer Rodolphe Cattin and business partner Thomas Meyer are tucked away in a setting that immediately ignites a collector's interest; Manufacture Rodolphe Cattin deserves no less than the type of intrigue that goes along with luxury. Here, a few Type X Jaguars show themselves, while other vintage beauties remain covered by black cloth; a faint smell of oil reminds one of the finest machines and top performance goals. Yes, this is where Cattin belongs.
He makes it quick to say that what is past is past and he has moved on to a new chapter in watchmaking. “You can still see me here, it is still my jacket, but I have my character back now. It is very different from what I did before, as the case takes center stage now.”
Indeed, the new MRC watches prove that the design is definitively Cattin. Cases are either round with balls forming lugs or softly tonneau in shape with moveable inlaid lugs that are meant to be objects of art as much as functional watches. According to Meyer, he and Cattin partnered, then set out to ask retailers what they were looking for in a watch before they started designing. Then they began designing according to what they heard: topics included price point ranges, artistic looks, material uses, clean designs, and leaving out dive watches.
Cattin went right to work upon hearing the desires, and the result has captured their audience's full attention. The core line, for both women and men, retails from $2,500 to $10,000, and then jumps to a higher realm for specialty tourbillons. The watches are all powered by top-quality Swiss movements such as Soprod and Concepto and range from simple, unadorned pieces to varying degrees of diamond- and gemstone-bedecked models. Watches are crafted in steel and gold in three sizes, and some are coated with PVD. The men's collection starts at $3,300 and includes an automatic, a monopusher chronograph, a two-button chronograph, and a dual time model. All of the watches feature blue on the underside of the strap and blue on the logo.
MRC also offers tourbillons in extremely limited editions of ten pieces each. The Sapphire Tourbillion Squelette and Square Tourbillon feature a display of seconds on the tourbillon cage, with retail prices beginning at $170,000.
“Our goal is to make 1,500 watches this year,” says Meyer, “to increase to 2,500 next year, and then 5,000 in the third year and to continue to have specialty pieces. We are building a brand. We are not a small niche company. We have a five-year plan and we will develop it in all the countries .The United States is very important to us as is Switzerland, Europe, the Middle East and Asia. We are here for the future.”
