Girard-Perregaux is pleased to announce the forthcoming release of a publication in tribute to François Perregaux (Le Locle 1834 – Yokohama 1877). The brother of Marie Perregaux (who with her husband Constant Girard founded the Manufacture which to this day bears their surnames) was one of the pioneers of Swiss watchmaking in Japan.

The year 2009 marks the 175th anniversary of the birth of François Perregaux and 150 years since his departure for Asia. Besides, the Le Locle watchmaker’s adopted city, Yokohama, celebrates the 150th anniversary of its port opening to the West.

Abundantly illustrated and enriched with newly found archive documents, this brochure traces the exceptional history of François Perregaux and the first steps of Swiss watchmaking in Japan.

Opening with an introduction by Luigi Macaluso, President of Girard-Perregaux, the publication attests to the deep ties that have bound the Brand to the Japanese archipelago for a century and a half.

Exclusively aimed at Girard-Perregaux customers and friends, the publication also comes in an electronic version (English, French, Japanese).

The Fondation de la Haute Horlogerie (FHH) is delighted to welcome Manufacture Vincent Bérard SA among its partner brands.  This new arrival brings to thirty the number of watch companies which actively support the Foundation's projects.

Geneva, January 13th 2010 – The Fondation de la Haute Horlogerie's circle of partner brands now has a new member in Manufacture Vincent Bérard SA of La Chaux-de-Fonds.  It joins the 29 brands already affiliated with the FHH and which support its work to safeguard and promote the unique values of Fine Watchmaking.

Vincent Bérard came to Switzerland from his native Avignon, France, more than thirty years ago.  He trained as a watchmaker and repairer at the École de la Vallée de Joux, following which he joined the Musée International de l’Horlogerie in La Chaux-de-Fonds as a restorer of antique timepieces.  From there, he went on to work for a number of Manufactures.  Widely regarded as an expert in the art of complications, he established his own company, Vincent Bérard SA, in 2003.  A year later he unveiled the fruit of his labours:  Quatre Saisons Carrosse.  These four handcrafted timepieces, each 91mm in diameter, would serve as the models for his later creations. 

In October 2006, Vincent Bérard SA joined the Timex group, thereby ensuring the means for its long-term development.  Herbert Gautschi was appointed as CEO to develop the brand's organisation, marketing and international distribution, with Vincent Bérard taking charge of creative direction.

Since then, the brand has unveiled new collections in the form of the Luvorene 1, Luvorene Quatre Saisons and Luvorene 2 wristwatches, and the Talismane pocket watches.  All these timepieces are fitted with the hand-decorated VB 441 proprietary movement, which incorporates numerous references to the highly symbolic mandorla.  This is characteristic of an artist-watchmaker, also a painter, poet and sculptor, who believes that form must prevail and that technique must reinvent itself accordingly.
Vincent Bérard SA opened its new Manufacture in La Chaux-de-Fonds in September 2009.  The company currently employs twenty people and is enjoying strong organic growth. 

The Fondation de la Haute Horlogerie is pleased to welcome Manufacture Vincent Bérard SA as one of its partner brands.  Like them, it conveys a particular vision of the art of time measurement which it captures in unique contemporary creations.

The Fondation de la Haute Horlogerie's thirty partner brands are:
A.Lange & Söhne, Antoine Preziuso, Audemars Piguet, Baume & Mercier, Boucheron, Cartier, Chanel, Chopard, Corum, Daniel Roth, Gérald Genta, Girard-Perregaux, Greubel Forsey, Hermès, Hublot, IWC, Jaeger-LeCoultre, JeanRichard, Montblanc, Panerai, Parmigiani, Perrelet, Piaget, Richard Mille, Roger Dubuis, Tag Heuer, Vacheron Constantin, Van Cleef & Arpels, Vincent Bérard, Zénith. 

Fondation de la Haute Horlogerie
Press relations:
Anne Biéler anne.bieler@hautehorlogerie.org
Tel:  +41 22 307 09 96

Vincent Bérard SA Contact:  Herbert Gautschi, CEO
Tel:  +41 32 910 68 68
info@vincentberard.ch
www.vincentberard.ch

Download the press release (French, English)

It’s all change at hautehorlogerie.org in 2010, with a customisable homepage, a new graphic interface and all-new features in every section. Content in Japanese and simplified Chinese are under progress and complete this radical rethink.

Hautehorlogerie.org, the website of the Fondation de la Haute Horlogerie, has been unanimously welcomed since its launch in 2006. This online encyclopaedia of Fine Watchmaking caters to the general public and connoisseurs alike, with 8,000 pages, 4,000 photos, 200 videos and interactive catalogues.

With new information added each day, such a wealth of content warranted a format to match. From January, you can customise your hautehorlogerie.org homepage to match your interests and wishes. Personalise your passion for Fine Watches and transform each of your visits into an even more enjoyable, interactive experience. Eager to learn? Hautehorlogerie.org will take you straight to your favourite sections, maybe complications, brands, history or famous watchmakers. New content is posted each day, in the news pages, jobs library, vacancies, glossary or any one of the other sections.

Perfect your knowledge of Fine Watchmaking in a few clicks at www.hautehorlogerie.org and navigate at leisure in this fascinating world.

Carry on enjoying your favourite features at hautehorlogerie.org:

History & Culture
• Fine Watch brands with their history, iconic models and latest creations
• Complications explained with illustrations and films
• The history of precious watches and mechanical watches
• 700 years of watchmaking history
• An illustrated glossary of 450 watchmaking terms including an animated movement view
• Famous watchmakers and legendary watches

Jobs & Training
• International vacancies at HH Jobs
• Explanations of 80 watchmaking professions and where to learn them
• Métiers d’Art: artists and craftsmen talk about their work

News & Media
• The latest news from Fine Watch brands and the Foundation
• A video library
• Goodies from the Foundation’s partner brands

Fondation de la Haute Horlogerie
• Exhibitions
• Anti-counterfeiting campaign
• All the Foundation’s services

Actions de la FHH au Mexique

Le Salon Internacional de la Alta Relojerìa (SIAR) a accueilli pour la seconde fois la Fondation de la Haute Horlogerie à l’hôtel Four Seasons de Mexico. Du 29 septembre au 1er octobre, elle y a présenté l’exposition Terre, Air et Mer ainsi que « Gone with the Time », ouvrage de recherche (à paraître en 2010). La FHH a également accueilli M. Richard Courbrant dans le cercle des Haute Horlogerie Ambassadeurs.

Mexico entre Terre, Air et Mer

La Fondation présentait au SIAR une exposition dédiée à la Haute Horlogerie terrestre, aéronautique et maritime. Ce regroupement inédit présentait des pièces contemporaines de 27 des marques partenaires de la Fondation. L’exposition a remporté un franc succès, avec la distribution de 2000 catalogues, et un total de 3300 visiteurs (principalement des clients finaux)pour le SIAR. Les visiteurs du Salon Belles Montres auront également le plaisir de la découvrir à Paris, du 27 au 29 novembre.

« Gone with the Time » analyse les défis de la Haute Horlogerie

Pascal O. Ravessoud, Directeur du Développement de la FHH, a présenté à la presse, aux détaillants, aux marques et aux visiteurs le projet conjoint de la Fondation et de l’Université SDA Bocconi. Objectif : publier en 2010 une étude internationale stratégique sur l’industrie de la Haute Horlogerie et ses défis dans les 3 à 4 années à venir. « Gone with the Time », nouvelle bible stratégique, présentera une analyse globale du secteur. Menée par Luana Carcano, de l’Université Bocconi, la recherche investigue les perspectives managériales du secteur. Quels seront les principaux défis de l’industrie à moyen terme ? Quels outils permettront de les relever ? Quelles modifications influeront sur la structure de l’industrie ?
Placée sous le prestigieux sceau de l’Université SDA Bocconi, cette étude s’appuie sur une documentation et une méthodologie rigoureuses. Elle mettra en évidence les stratégies actuelles, tout en préfigurant les grands tournants du secteur.
Ce projet a recueilli un accueil très favorable auprès du public latino-américain. La FHH fournira prochainement plus d’informations sur la date de parution en Amérique latine, ainsi que sur les points de vente.

Nouvel Haute Horlogerie Ambassadeur

A l’occasion de la présence de la FHH au Mexique, M. Richard Courbrant, journaliste spécialisé en horlogerie, a intégré le cercle des Haute Horlogerie Ambassadeurs, pour la Délégation Amérique latine-Caraïbes. Il a ainsi rejoint M. Tobias Dryzun (Dryzun), M. Luis Peyrelongue (Peyrelongue Chronos) et M. Nabib Samman (Joyeria Gerais). La Délégation Amérique latine-Caraïbes, guidée par Christophe Maincourt, Chargé de mission, compte ainsi quatre Haute Horlogerie Ambassadeurs, vecteurs des actions de la Fondation dans ces pays.

The Fondation de la Haute Horlogerie (FHH) travelled to Las Vegas in early June for JCK, the United States’ biggest watch and jewellery show, giving the Foundation the ideal opportunity to present its latest activities to the North American market.

Swiss Watch by JCK takes place alongside JCK Las Vegas, a major US fair that attracts over 20,000 jewellery professionals. The FHH was invited to the event to publicise its anti-counterfeiting campaign "Fake watches are for fake people" and to promote its innovative new sales tool, the Watch@Tablet®.

Journalists made clear their interest in these projects at a press conference. "The anti-counterfeiting campaign is focusing a lot of attention," commented Pascal O. Ravessoud, the Foundation’s Director of Development. "Media in a number of countries are happy to relay a campaign that will make end customers aware of the implications of buying fakes and incite them to rethink their purchases."

The Foundation also presented its Watch@Tablet® to a group of key retailers who account for a third of watch sales in the United States. This was a welcome initiative, as the current climate meant most of these retailers had chosen not to travel to the Swiss trade fairs earlier this year. "Retailers immediately warmed to the practical applications of this innovative sales tool," Pascal O. Ravessoud declared. "The next step will be to convert this try and roll out the Watch@Tablet® at key retailers in the United States as of this autumn. This would give them a considerable advantage in that all-important run-up to the holiday season."

Ultimately, the Foundation’s active presence at Swiss Watch by JCK was an opportunity to take the US market’s temperature. Representatives of the FHH make regular trips into the markets to sound out the trends, most recently in Asia and shortly in the Middle East, South America and Europe.

The FHH travelled to Dubai in early July to meet managers from subsidiaries of the Foundation’s partner-brands, journalists and Fine Watch Ambassadors.

The Middle East has been a candidate for FHH activities for some time, and the Foundation was delighted to present its latest projects - the anti-counterfeiting campaign and the Watch@Tablet® - to an enthusiast audience. Journalists from watch, lifestyle and economic magazines welcomed the Fake Watches are for Fake People initiative, and a number of them will be relaying the campaign in their pages.

Several retailers intend equipping their points of sale with the Watch@Tablet®. They are highly desirous to develop their sales staff’s expertise and the Foundation’s touchscreen tablet PC will meet this need. Conscious that Fine Watchmaking has a strong following in the Middle East, the FHH is developing actions for this region, particularly through possible contributions to events and exhibitions. Watch this space!

The Fondation de la Haute Horlogerie sent two representatives to Shanghai, Hong Kong, Singapore and Tokyo. Four markets for the Watch@Tablet® and as many reactions. Read about the highlights of this Asian adventure.

Rana Karam, Project Manager, and Pascal O. Ravessoud, Development Director, were recently in Asia to present the Foundation’s Watch@Tablet® and other projects to retailers, journalists and the Foundation’s partner-brands.

On course for a Watch@Tablet® in Chinese

First stop Shanghai, where the Foundation presented the advantages of this touchscreen tablet PC for the Chinese market. Its training content is of particular interest in a country where retailers want their staff to be better informed, and sales associates are eager to learn.
Chinese retailers also need content in Mandarin. The Foundation therefore plans to have the Watch@Tablet® translated before launching it in this vast, high-potential market.

Price and product come first in Hong Kong

Sales associates in Hong Kong prefer to advise their customers, many of whom are Chinese, "the old-fashioned way." Staff are well-informed about the products, as are customers for whom brand and price are important considerations. For these reasons, Hong Kong’s retailers afford less importance to the Watch@Tablet’s® training content and more to the catalogues they can consult from the Foundation’s partner-brands which they carry in their stores. This is a major advantage, particularly as retailers can download new catalogues and updates onto the Watch@Tablet® via an Internet connexion, thanks to which stores can provide their customers with up-to-the-minute service.

Training is a priority in Singapore

Singapore is very much a mature market which attracts a clientele of connoisseurs. Affluent collectors and aficionados, many from Indonesia, appreciate the choice of prestige models and the quality service which retailers provide. The three main retailers in this island republic show a keen interest in the Watch@Tablet®. As sales teams change on a frequent basis, this touchscreen PC allows retailers to quickly train new staff so that the most demanding customers will continue to benefit from expert advice.

Planned distribution in Japan

In Japan, sales take place at stores but also through gaishos. These are sales associates who visit the homes of customers who prefer not to frequent stores. Each gaisho has his personal address book of customers, and one in two sales in Japan is made this way.
The Foundation took due note of Japanese retailers’ request to indicate prices in the Watch@Tablet®. Another priority for this market is for content in Japanese. Deliveries are scheduled for early 2010.

Adapting the Watch@Tablet® to the Asian market

Back from Asia, Rana Karam remarked how "with regard to the tablet PC, Asian countries sometimes have alternative solutions to Europeans. If retailers wish, they could therefore purchase just the software. As a specialist in this field, the Foundation provides quality content."

The Foundation will also take steps in two other areas:

• translate the Watch@Tablet® into Chinese and Japanese;
• develop single-brand versions for stores that carry only one brand.

"In an ageing industry, the Watch@Tablet® is something of a revolution! The Foundation, which is a veritable institution, is embarking on an innovative venture. The Watch@Tablet® was given the reception we were hoping for, particularly in Japan and Singapore. Chinese retailers are also delighted at this opportunity to train their sales staff at a lower cost," concluded Pascal O. Ravessoud.