Watchmaking is now finding itself in a strange situation. All at the same time, we feel bewildered, disoriented, and yet excited. Bewildered because the bad news keeps on coming; disoriented because no one really knows if this is just a simple and temporary downturn or a profound paradigm shift; excited because never before have we seen such seeds of creativity.
In the tree of timekeeping, some branches are drying up while new buds are sprouting. They have not yet begun to bear fruit, but these new shoots are making themselves seen. At the base of the tree, under the humus, the larvae have started their cycle and, who knows, perhaps new butterflies—with unknown colours and forms—will succeed in leaving their cocoon to take flight.
Said more prosaically, each one is looking for his new ‘growth area’. It seems that watchmakers are hesitant between continuing to be on the run (see our editorial in this issue) and returning to the fundamentals of the art and science of timekeeping, i.e. the isochronic Grail. It seems that designers are not sure if they should continue to design monsters for the wrist or look more modestly for new forms proving that ‘less is more’.
As for the suppliers, they are not sure either if they should continue to invest in cutting-edge tools and CNC multi-axis equipment, especially now, since after current saturation levels, it is over-capacity that is a threat.
The retailers are also unsure which model they should devote their time and resources to. Should they fill up their stockrooms and load up their display windows or should they vigorously clean out their stores and be severe in their selections?
Then there is the media, which sees their former economic models collapsing around them, but without new ones coming to replace them.
And finally, there are the consumers, who sometimes get duped by too many broken promises, who thought they were making an investment when in reality what they purchased is now at a loss. Now mistrustful, they are more inclined to fall back on sure values, but what value is really sure in today’s climate?
This mixed climate is, however, conducive to a thousand initiatives, as we observe everyday. Watchmaking has not lost one ounce of its power of attraction for young engineers, designers, or entrepreneurs who dream of making it big in this field. They are teeming with ideas. They are building new calibres. Every day, they are creating new brands.
Also quite mixed, and even incomparable, the SIHH salon—the temple of ‘sure values’—and the new-born GTE—a nursery for young shoots—will give us the occasion to closely observe these contradictory tensions. But surprises don’t always happen where we most expect them. While some ‘large’ brands will show themselves to be more inventive than some ‘small’ ones, other ‘small’ enterprises will perhaps show up the ‘large’ companies. As they say, we live in interesting times.


Source: Europa Star December-January 2010 Magazine Issue