For some years now, watchmaking and gastronomy have formed a pairing that works rather well. Major brands such as Jaeger-LeCoultre, Zenith, Bell & Ross, Omega and Cartier, among others, have Michelin-starred chefs as their ambassadors. Haute horlogerie and haute gastronomie go hand in hand, as we have already reported here.
The association between watchmaking and spirits, on the other hand, is rarer. Firstly, because it works less well in certain countries where the public consumption of alcohol is forbidden. Secondly, some of the world's finest wines are already owned by major luxury groups, who compete fiercely on a daily basis. In this context, there's no need to further exacerbate the tensions that animate their own watch brand segments. The Pinault and Arnault families, among others, already have enough jousting grounds...
A wind from Poland
However, a few years ago, one player succeeded in seducing a number of Maisons. It's worth noting that they are all independent, thus protecting themselves from potential group conflicts. They are Armin Strom, Czapek, Louis Moinet and Speake-Marin.
Their CEOs know each other well. So do their customers. If all of them, albeit with different projects, have approached the spirits business, it's thanks to a common stakeholder: Wealth Solutions. Wealth Solutions, based in Poland, specializes in trading the rarest nectars. Each of the aforementioned brands has produced a limited edition containing a drop of cognac, rum or whisky. All from historic, centuries-old casks.
Cvstos, the wild card of prestige tequila
Today, Cvstos continues the process. But as always, in its own way. The brand has not chosen to use Wealth Solutions. It has also chosen an alcohol hitherto untouched by watchmaking: tequila. Finally, Cvstos took the artistic exercise to its logical conclusion. The brand asked its partner, the very exclusive Barajas, to create a bottle that takes up the general lines of the Cvstos case, but with a design and, above all, an artisanal decoration made entirely by hand, for a total of 30 watches and 30 bottles, each a unique piece, delivered in a box that is also made-to-measure.
This highly confidential approach reflects the Cvstos philosophy. The brand does not follow in the footsteps of its predecessors, whose respective announcements were all very close together. Cvstos has taken the time to find the right partner, and to develop a transversal concept corresponding to its label.
Finally, the choice of tequila is more offbeat and youthful than traditional cognac or whisky vintages. And like Cvstos, Barajas is a niche brand for enlightened connoisseurs. Finally, it's worth noting that the spirit chosen is contemporary, with no link to the historic, outdated vintages of the aforementioned editions. Cvstos thus targets a different, younger, more daring clientele. In a word: like them. The best way to consume watchmaking?
