e recently interviewed a broad selection of managers, active in a variety of segments, to help us identify the major trends within the watch industry.

Our Q&A with Mario Peserico – Eberhard & Co.

Europa Star: What are your strategic priorities for 2023?

Mario Peserico: Eberhard & Co’s strategy in 2023 will focus mainly on strengthening relations with our network of retailers by continuing our policy focused on selling only through them – our website will not sell one single watch. The second main axis will be to increase the average price by adding to our various collections. Over the last 15 months we have kept price increases to just 6% in an effort to minimise the impact of soaring costs. The only way we can grow is by adding more value for end customers. The third strategy will be to increase investment in social media, which is key to being able to talk directly to customers and drive them to the stores.

Mario Peserico

Which new products or lines will be your main focus this year?

At Watches and Wonders in Geneva we presented three new products in three collections. There are two elegant new dials for the 8days, which we patented in 1997 – a new white dial and a beautiful blue and white dial. We now have a brown version of our Scafograf, the diving watch that has been our best seller (in terms of units) since 2016. We also showed a preview of the Chrono Scientigraf, the chronograph version of our antimagnetic watch, in a comfortable 41 mm diameter for versatile wear. In the second part of the year, we will also introduce a couple of new limited editions in the Chrono4 line, the patented collection that is the most relevant for us in terms of value.

Eberhard & Co. Scafograf 300 MCMLIX

The emergence of the secondary market represents a major new development. Are you taking any steps to build a presence in preowned?

Although it is showing some weakness in terms of prices, it’s clear that the secondary market has been the emerging reality of the last few years. But we’re not thinking of managing it directly. We believe that prices should be left to supply and demand, and not be controlled by brands. This is not just because second-hand offers an alternative to new timepieces (and is thus damaging to the new watch market), but also because the condition and the age of watches varies. What we are emphasising is the possibility to repair every watch we have ever made, in reasonable time and for a reasonable price. We will maintain their integrity by restoring them, rather than fitting them with new parts from a different production period. This, in our opinion, is the value of a brand that has such strong roots in the past. Our archive certification will also be able to confirm the configuration of the watch, as it was produced decades before.