When You Push A Gag Too Far... Part Deux

Okay, I will start out by saying that yes, the video that was created by the folks at Moser was funny, you can find the link at the bottom of this post.

Having said that, I can honestly say without fear that I will change my opinion, that this is a watch that is so unpleasant to look at that it hurts my feelings.

Courtesy of H. Moser & Cie.

I appreciate humor.  I absolutely appreciate making a statement.  But with this latest splash of bravado, I start to understand what Gertrude Stein meant when she wrote of Oakland -
...but not there, there is no there there

I suspect that some of you are waiting for me to get to the damn point, so here it is -
More and more I wonder are the cinematic efforts of H. Moser an attempt to REALLY communicate brand identity and values?  There is a time for bravado, and there is a time for restraint.  On the one hand the message is we are extremely rare and wonderful.  That is a great message by the way.  But there is one problem - in the same message they say that not only are they rare and wonderful but please check out our latest partnership.  Oh, and we're irreverent!  Oh, and edgy too, don't forget edgy!  Oh, and did we mention that we are also very rare...

Rare and wonderful?  Then show me the watch makers, show me the production, show me the real care and attention that I am absolutely certain they pay to their product.  If your message is about the watch, then talk about the watch.  Cool it with the gimmicks and gags.  Because more and more what it comes to look like is the boss writing large checks to feed his ego and make fun videos.

And while other brands are struggling to pay the milk bill,  it is a wonderful luxury to have the funds to create an ego trip that tells the time.  But it also shows that the brain trust at H. Moser are failing to heed one of Barry Hearn's rules (as adopted to the watch industry) - Keep your heart and your wallet in different places.



Let me close with this - while I write about this stuff, I am clearly not in H. Moser & Cie's demographic, and that is okay.  The fact that it is not my particular demitasse of espresso, I understand that it might turn your crank.  So if you're so inclined, here are the pertinents -
  
TECHNICAL FEATURES

SWISS MAD WATCH
Reference 8327
Reference 8327-1400 model made with Swiss cheese, red fumé dial, Swiss cowhide leather strap, unique piece

Case
Cheese integrated with itr 2 © composite material
Diameter: 42.0 mm
height: 9.4 mm
Sapphire crystal 
See through sapphire crystal caseback
Crown adorned with an “M”

Dial
Red fumé with sunburst pattern
White lacquered applique indexes and hour and minute hands in the shape of a swallow's tail

Movement
In-house, hand-wound, mechanical HMC 327 calibre
Dimensions: 32.0 mm or 14 ¼ lignes, height: 4.5 mm
Frequency: 18,000 Vib/h
29 jewels
Power reserve: minimum 3 days
Moser teeth for all wheels and pinions
Original Straumann Hairspring® with stabilised Breguet overcoil 

Functions
Hours and minutes
Power reserve indicator on movement side

Strap
Hand-stitched cowhide leather strap
Steel pin buckle, engraved with the Moser logo

A New Look for the Swiss Alp Watch

From H. Moser & Cie. -

Courtesy of H. Moser & Cie.

Here are the pertinents -

Courtesy of H. Moser & Cie.

TECHNICAL FEATURES – SWISS ALP WATCH S

Reference 5324-0201, white gold model, midnight blue fumé dial, black alligator leather strap

Case

Solid 18 carat white gold

Dimensions: 38.2 x 44.0 mm / height: 10.3 mm

Sapphire crystal

See-through sapphire crystal case-back

Screw-in crown adorned with an “M”

Dial

Midnight blue fumé with sunburst pattern

Applique indexes
Leaf-shaped hour and minute hands

Small second offset at 6 o'clock

Movement

In-house hand-wound HMC 324 calibre

Dimensions: 32.0 mm x 36.0 mm / height: 4.8 mm  

Frequency: 18,000 Vib/h

27 jewels

Power reserve: minimum 4 days

Hacking seconds

Moser teeth for all wheels and pinions

Interchangeable Moser escapement

Original Straumann Hairspring® with stabilised Breguet overcoil

Gold escapement wheel and pallet fork

Movement and components hand-finished and decorated 

Bryan Ferry and H. Moser & Cie.

And the "news" from H. Moser & Cie.

Courtesy of H. Moser & Cie.

Enough.  Can we please have a "cease and desist" order on all of the ego tripping?  Can we go one week without a watch brand trotting out a "partner watch" that is nothing more than a thinly veiled attempt to "pal around" with a celebrity or a celebrity angling to do likewise with a watch brand?

The latest announcement from H. Moser & Cie. finds me somewhat conflicted.  Not as much a "money flush" as Tag Heuer acting as a cash machine for celebrities to wear their watches, and I am a HUGE Bryan Ferry/Roxy Music fan, but this is reinforcing my belief that it is no longer about watches - and more importantly no longer about the CUSTOMERS.

A partnership where there is a sensible correlation I get - explorers wearing a specific watch for the purposes of exploration and giving an endorsement.  A "Moon Watch" and an astronaut.  In fact, I can even get behind Omega's blatant over-saturation with Bond watches because in the end there is always a humane twist - like the young man who was gifted one by Omega via Daniel Craig at the Spectre premier.  Add to that the vast amount of good works Omega does with Orbis and I think that this is a fair exchange.

Rolex has subtle, tasteful partnerships, and they have the Rolex Laureate program.  Glycine has even been with an astronaut.  All of these are subtle, not "in your face" tie-ins.  H. Moser & Cie. has taken great pains to inform us that it's "all about the watches", but clearly that depends on what day you check in.

But, I will leave it to you to decide, here's the info:

Courtesy of H.Moser & Cie.

H. MOSER & CIE. ANNOUNCES A VERY RARE LIMITED EDITION DESIGNED WITH ONE OF THE WORLD’S LEADING STYLE ICONS, 
BRYAN FERRY. 

Elegance and refinement are cornerstones for H. Moser & Cie. watch, and the company imbues these terms today with a touch of provocation, freshness and even irreverence. In an innovative design partnership, the iconic singer and musician Bryan Ferry and the Manufacture H. Moser & Cie. created a signature limited edition watch of 100 pieces, the Endeavour Small Seconds Bryan Ferry. This watch will be available from January 2016. The engaging dialogue between the Neuhausen watch Manufacture and this eternal gentleman, whose stylish dandy chic has an elegance of his own making, was immediate and mutual.

Courtesy of H. Moser & Cie.

Widely regarded as the embodiment of the glamorous and romantic worlds evoked by his songs, Ferry is also lauded as an icon of sartorial and personal cool and as an accomplished designer in his own right. Having studied Fine Art under Richard Hamilton at Newcastle, Ferry is renowned for creating the legendary Roxy Music album covers and now a new legend: the H. Moser & Cie. limited edition Endeavour Small Seconds Bryan Ferry. He discovered the creations of H. Moser & Cie. thanks to a mutual friend, and expressed his desire to collaborate in the creation of a special series bearing his name. This was the beginning of a partnership of rich exchanges, whose fruit is the Endeavour Small Seconds Bryan Ferry model. 

Courtesy of H. Moser & Cie.

Edouard Meylan, CEO of H. Moser & Cie., recalls: "I experienced Bryan Ferry when I was very young, through my parents, and I admire this artist and his impressive career. Since his debut as a leader of Roxy Music, he has pursued many of his own adventures, having just released his 15th solo album. When we met, I was touched by the passionate character of Bryan Ferry: by his enthusiasm and interest in everything. Watchmaking obviously fascinates him and it was a pleasure to work with him to develop the Bryan Ferry Limited Edition." 

Courtesy of H. Moser & Cie.

For this exceptional watch, Bryan Ferry and H. Moser & Cie. designed it with a decidedly vintage aesthetic. Drawing on inspiration from the historic models from H. Moser & Cie., the Limited Edition references the dial details from specific H. Moser pocket watches: the dial is in a lacquered white with a matte finish and with figures whose aesthetic clearly evoke the past, combining black and touches of red. This retro look is enhanced by the minute track which emphasizes the edge of the dial, as well as the traditional for m of the blued hands. This classic, timeless creation has an ultimate elegance coupled with a sobriety and it displays, every so discreetly, the name of Bryan Ferry in red at 6 o’clock, instead of the usual "Swiss Made". Combined with a rose gold case with sculpted shapes with alternating polished and brushed surfaces, the buffed brown calfskin strap completes the Endeavour Small Seconds Bryan Ferry model. Available from January 2016 at H. Moser & Cie. retailer partners, for some very fortunate fans this will also be the opportunity to meet Bryan Ferry, in an exclusive, very rare, personal watch presentation. 

The Venturer Big Date

From H. Moser & Cie -

Courtesy of H. Moser & Cie

Available in 2 versions, both are tripartite and of red gold.  Measuring 41.5 mm in diameter and 14.5 mm in height.  

Pioneer Centre Seconds

From H. Moser & Cie.

Courtesy of H. Moser & Cie.

A sportier model from the folks in Neuhausen am Rheinfall.  Here's the scoop -

Courtesy of H. Moser & Cie.

TECHNICAL FEATURES
Reference 3230-0900, model in red gold and black DLC-treated titanium, argenté dial, rubber strap Reference 3230-0901, model in red gold and black DLC-treated titanium, red-gold fumé dial, rubber strap Reference 3230-0902, model in red gold and black DLC-treated titanium, ardoise fumé dial, rubber strap

Courtesy of H. Moser & Cie.

Case
Case in multiple sections of solid 18-carat red gold and black DLC-treated titanium 
Diameter: 42.8 mm
Height: 15.0 mm
Curved sapphire crystal and see-through case back
Black DLC-treated titanium screw-in crown adorned with an “M”
Water-resistant to 120 metres

Dials
Argenté, red-gold fumé or ardoise fumé, decorated with a sunburst pattern 
Appliqué indexes in red gold, with hour markers in Superluminova®
Flange with fluted structure

Hands
Leaf-shaped, partially-skeletonised, red-gold finish Superluminova® luminescent elements on hands

Movement
In-house automatic calibre HMC 230
Diameter: 30.0 mm or 13 1/4 lignes
Height: 4.7 mm
Frequency: 21,600 Vib/h
Automatic bi-directional pawl winding system
Rotor with the H. Moser & Cie. company hallmark engraved in red gold 
Power reserve: minimum 3 days
Hacking seconds
Original Straumann Hairspring®
Functions
Hours and minutes Central seconds

Strap
Black rubber
Pin buckle in black DLC-treated titanium engraved with the Moser logo 

H. Moser & Cie and Only Watch

This is H. Moser's contribution to the Only Watch auction -

Courtesy of H.Moser & Cie.

Here are the details -

H. Moser & Cie. joins the fight against Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy by participating in the Only Watch Charity Auction organized by the Monegasque Association against Muscular Dystrophy. For the occasion, the Manufacture has created a unique piece, the Endeavour Perpetual Calendar Only Watch, revisiting the flagship model in its collection in a highly symbolic execution.

On November 7th, 2015, Geneva will host the 6th edition of the Only Watch Charity Auction with proceeds donated for research on Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy. H. Moser & Cie. joins the action with the donation of a unique piece, the Endeavour Perpetual Calendar Only Watch. This exceptional watch is not only remarkable for its complexity but also for the symbolic value and the message it conveys. In honour of the young victims of Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, for whom every movement is an accomplishment and each day is a challenge, the children of H. Moser & Cie. employees have handwritten the design for the perpetual calendar dates. As a symbol of the fundamental principle of life, with its strength and radiance, the red small seconds hand in the Endeavour Perpetual Calendar Only Watch provides a stark contrast to the signature fumé dial, while the red strap lining also takes up this colour, with a discreet and modern effect. For the case of the Endeavour Perpetual Calendar Only Watch, the watchmakers at H. Moser & Cie. chose titanium with a DLC finish. Durable, lightweight, hypoallergenic, the polished titanium accents the sleek contemporary design of this model, adding a timeless dimension. Revealed through the crystal case-back, is the HMC 341 movement with a minimum 7-days power reserve. In addition, the Moser interchangeable escapement has been fitted with an Original Straumann Double-Hairspring®, a very rare feature in honour of this exceptional charity event. This watch will be on display during a tour of the collection in Monaco at the Monaco Yacht Show, September 23rd  to 26th, 2015, and will be followed by stops in Hong Kong, Beijing, New York, London, and finishing in Geneva from November 5th to 7th, 2015. A perpetual calendar in the service of eternal hope: a complication was never so aptly named. TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS - ENDEAVOUR PERPETUAL CALENDAR ONLY WATCH Reference 1341-0502, titanium model, fumé dial, black alligator strap, unique piece Case Titanium with a DLC finish, in three parts Diameter: 40.8 mm, Height: 11.1 mm Curved sapphire crystal Crystal case-back with a curved sapphire crystal Screw-in crown adorned with an “M” Dial Fumé with sunburst pattern Applied indices Month indicated by a small arrow-shaped hand in the the centre Seconds hand in red Big date with a unique design Movement Manual winding manufacture calibre HMC 341 Diameter: 34.0 mm or 15 lines Height: 5.8 mm Frequency: 18'000 A / h 28 jewels Power reserve: minimum 7 days Stop seconds Double barrel Original Straumann Double Hairspring® Pallet fork and escapement wheel made from gold Movement and components hand-finished and decorated Functions Perpetual Flash Calendar Big date display Centre-hand month indicator Hour and minute Off-centre seconds dial Power reserve indicator on dial Leap-year cycle indicator on movement side Strap Hand-sewn black alligator leather strap with lining in red leather Pin buckle closure in solid titanium with a DLC finish engraved with the Moser logo

H. Moser & Cie and the Original Smart Watch

Now in fairness, I sorta' saw this one coming ever since the "pre-announcement" a week or so ago that H. Moser & Cie would be releasing a "smart watch" -

http://e3.marco.ch/publish/moser/681_7414/20150309_HMOSER_SMART_WATCH.mp4

Essentially, that the mechanical H. Moser & Cie. is the "original" smart watch.  No small "co-winki-dink" that this was scheduled for release today - the same day as Apple's own smart watch.

I will invite you to view the film and judge for yourselves ; )

A Fumé Dial

From H. Moser & Cie

 Courtesy of H. Moser & Cie

So with all of the fuss over the smart watch, H. Moser & Cie today wishes to remind us of the timeless beauty of good "old-timey" watch making.  So let me turn this over to H. Moser & Cie so that they can put it in their own words -


Led by a young, dynamic and ambitious team, H. Moser & Cie. has positioned itself as a decisively innovative player in the Haute Horlogerie sector. In a world awash with aggressive branding and marketing strategies, the independent manufacture has gone back to basics to unveil a watch of absolute purity. This model, which features neither indices nor a logo, is the antithesis of the dial overloaded with useless functions, and turns the spotlight back onto distinctively human luxury which remains true to the central aim of watchmaking: indicating the time.



With the creativity of watchmakers seemingly limitless, and with the emergence of the smart watch, H. Moser & Cie. has returned to its roots and to those of watchmaking, distinguishing itself by unveiling a timepiece of incredible purity. Showcasing its well-known fumé dial – a signature of the brand – stripped of frills, indices and logos, H. Moser & Cie. has put the accent on luxury craftsmanship and the beauty of expertise so often eclipsed by the surrounding marketing campaigns, to remind us that behind a logo lies the work of talented watchmakers and dial makers. With this resolutely vintage piece, H. Moser & Cie. also demonstrates that a real luxury product is immediately identifiable even without a visible logo or brand identifier, just like a painting that remains unsigned by the artist. A case with alternating polished and satin-finished flanks, a fumé dial with a sunburst pattern, noble materials – an 18 carat white gold and alligator exterior – and a movement featuring traditional finishes: H. Moser & Cie. stands for distinctive luxury.



As Edouard Meylan, CEO of H. Moser & Cie., explains: "when our customers buy an H. Moser, they are looking for a manufacture watch with a distinctive design created by real craftsmen. We place the emphasis on the product, not on the logo or marketing." In fact, behind the apparent simplicity of the latest piece from H. Moser & Cie. lies almost a century of experience. At its heart beats a proprietary movement entirely designed and produced by H. Moser & Cie: the hand-wound HMC 343 calibre. Its interchangeable modular escapement is also produced in-house, and requires expertise which only a few manufactures possess. Driven by this mechanical masterpiece, the timepiece's three hands move around a dial of classic, timeless Moser beauty. Created in accordance with the purest artistic dial-making tradition by one of H. Moser & Cie.'s partners, the fumé dial has become an integral part of the identity of this small watch Manufacture from Schaffhausen, whether in red gold fumé, midnight blue fumé or its iconic original incarnation. Its sober elegance belies a complex production process that uses tried and tested techniques. Each dial is machined in the traditional way, coloured and hand-finished to obtain the famous sunburst pattern, which produces a subtle play of light that gradually fades towards the edges and making this watch a thing of beauty.



This model lends itself to philosophical reflection, designed as a conceptual piece that can be reproduced upon special request.



TECHNICAL FEATURES

White gold model, signature fumé dial, hand-stitched black alligator strap



Case

18-carat white gold, three-part

Diameter: 40.8 mm

Height: 10.9 mm



Dial

Fumé with sunburst pattern



Movement

In-house hand-wound calibre HMC 343



Functions

Hours and minutes

Central seconds

Power reserve indicator on movement side

Very Rare Watches

From H. Moser & Cie.

A Very Rare Company

Sort of a slow news cycle at the moment.  So here's something on H. Moser -

H.Moser's New American Distributor

Is Mike Margolis.

Mike has worked in the past with Hublot and Girard-Perregaux.  He will distribute H. Moser & Cie through his latest venture - Horology Works LLC.

And the Screams of Foul Grow Louder -

So...

In fairness, I have to applaud Edouard Meylan's riposte to the unpleasant shift in the exchange rate jacking up the "value" of the Swiss Franc and thereby making his watches even more expensive.

I think we have here what has sometimes been referred to as a "teachable moment" for the Swiss watch industry.  When times are good, they continue to jack up the price, sometimes mid-year leaving their distribution and retail partners screwed.  When times are good, they are wasteful.  They flush millions down the toilet of vanity for hare-brained celebrity partnerships, "swag" gifts for corrupt FIFA and Olympic functionaries, the type of bloated executive salaries that would make the most corrupt leader of "Bizerkistan" blush.  So now they are actually facing a real, not imagined obstacle and if I am honest, perhaps this will force their hand and make them actually try to live within their formerly bloated means.  It might mean no more first class flights for sales staff, more honest and realistic bonuses, actually WORKING WITH your distributors and retailers instead of jerking the strings to make them dance, then abandoning them when you can't squeeze anything more out of them.

Sound a bit harsh?  Yes, I suppose it does.  But those who fail to learn from history are bound to repeat it - remember the quartz crisis?

While Hayek the Elder cut through the shit, cleaned house, and pretty much saved the Swiss watch industry, he also as much as anyone helped all of that thrift, caution and common sense approach go out the window when he achieved "rock star" status.

Ego is a tough master - you either master it, or it will master you.  

I said it last night and I'll say it again.  Who this is really going to hurt are the smaller players, and it is also going to hurt the distributors and the retail partners.  It will also hurt the "regular" staff.  Executive management?  Well maybe it's time for them to get back in touch with reality, and learn to live on a more realistic wage.  That way when they don't get a bonus, they'll maybe understand that a bonus is not a given, it is an incentive to make your projections.  And maybe, just maybe they will put down the crack pipe and realize that they have been giving outlandish projections and shit-canning everyone underneath them when it proves that their projections were unrealistic from the beginning.   Sure, they made the board and the share holders happy, but were the stuff of fantasy.

So having said that, here is Mr. Meylan's letter -

AN OPEN LETTER TO MR. THOMAS JORDAN, PRESIDENT OF THE SWISS
NATIONAL BANK, ON BEHALF OF ENTREPRENEURS FROM H. MOSER
WATCHES.

Neuhausen am Rheinfall, January 15th, 2015

Dear Mr. President,

I wanted to personally and publicly thank you, regarding your dramatic move releasing the minimum Swiss Franc exchange rate of 1.20 to the Euro.

When I woke up that morning I had a strange feeling. As I checked the news, I wondered, “What am I going to do today?” aside from our usual business in January. There was no new conflict, no big news about emerging markets slowing down, and thank goodness, no new terror attack.

I am an entrepreneur, and I own a small watch manufacture called H. Moser & Cie, based in Schaffhausen, Switzerland. Very Rare is our tagline at H. Moser & Cie. Very Rare, because we produce 1,000 watches, we are entrepreneurs in an independent, family-owned business that employs 55 people, and because we are a manufacture in the true sense of the word, developing and producing our own ingenious watches.

As an entrepreneur in a small Swiss company, I like a challenge; whether it’s the pressure from the big luxury groups in supply or distribution. Or, a fight to do more with small budgets against the avalanche of big advertising and marketing. Well, today, Mr. President, your dramatic move helped step it up a notch: over 95% of our watches are sold to people outside of Switzerland, and the first retailers called the same day to cancel orders.

So this morning at 10:38 when my CFO sent me an email titled “Breaking News”, I thought “aha, finally something to do”. Something that forces me to find smart solutions to continue our growth and improving profitability and to ensure continuity for H. Moser & Cie. and the jobs for 55 people working for me.

In fact, one thought crossed my mind: why not just move 2 kilometres into Germany and continue business as usual in the EU? I’ll even beat that other restriction on permits for workers from the EU that came up in February 2014 – around 20% of my employees are German.

Let me make my appeal clear to you, on behalf of the many small and mid-size businesses that employ so many Swiss people: I trust you have a strong plan that will help all of us make it through with you over the long term. Because otherwise, along with many other wonderful Swiss creations, H. Moser watches may just have become very, very, very rare.

Sincerely,


Edouard Meylan
CEO of H. Moser & Cie. 

Venturer Small Seconds Bucherer Edition

From H. Moser & Cie.

Courtesy of H Moser & Cie.

Here are the details -

TECHNICAL FEATURES
Reference 2327-0202, white gold model, midnight blue fumé dial, black strap

Case
18-carat white gold, three-part Diameter: 39.0 mm, height: 12.5 mm Curved sapphire crystal
See-through sapphire crystal case-back Screw-in crown adorned with an “M”

Dial
Midnight blue fumé with sunburst pattern Appliqué indexes and contrasting hands

Movement
In-house hand-wound calibre HMC 327
Diameter: 32.0 mm or 141⁄4 lignes
Height: 4.4 mm
Frequency: 18,000 vib/h
28 jewels
Power reserve: minimum 3 days
Hacking seconds
Moser teeth for all wheels and pinions
Moser balance wheel and original Straumann® Hairspring with a stabilised Breguet overcoil, both finished in a unique blue colour achieved through a high-precision electrolytic treatment

Functions
Hour and minute
Small seconds hand and sub-dial
Power reserve indicator on movement side

Strap
Hand-stitched black alligator
18-carat solid white gold pin buckle with engraved Moser logo 

H. Moser & Cie. Perpetual Calendar Black Edition

This is just in from H. Moser & Cie. -

Courtesy of H.Moser & Cie.

The H. Moser & Cie. in-house perpetual calendar is one of the most innovative yet user-friendly complications ever produced. 

Perpetual Calendar from H. Moser & Cie

Courtesy of H. Moser & Cie

Not 40, not 41, but a cunning 40.8 mm - I love the refusal to round the case size the nearest millimeter!

Michael Margolis Joins Sowind Group’s team as President of America

And now the official announcement - as seen in our partner site Chronometers.org
http://www.chronometers.org/



Courtesy of Girard-Perregaux

La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland (February 16, 2012) – Girard-Perregaux, iconic luxury Swiss watch brand, and JeanRichard are proud to announce the appointment of Michael Margolis to its team as the new President of America for the Sowind Group. Margolis will join Michele Sofisti, Sowind Group CEO, Stefano Macaluso, Girard-Perregaux Managing Director, and Massimo Macaluso, JeanRichard Managing Director, to oversee the U.S. expansion strategy. Born in the United States, Margolis graduated with a double major in Latin American Studies and Foreign Languages from the University of Connecticut. Proficient in English, Spanish, Portuguese and German, he began a sales career at Crest Reprographics and later on moved on to Nikon. His life in the watch industry came as a result of his passion for luxury timepieces, which he developed as TimeZone.com moderator from 1996 till 2007. It was at this time that Margolis began his professional career in the watch industry, when at the time Hublot CEO, Jean-Claude Biver, brought him into the team as Sales Director in the U.S.



Courtesy of Girard-Perregaux

“Mike is a remarkable individual, with true passion for the craft”, says Michele Sofisti, CEO of Sowind Group (Girard-Perregaux and JeanRichard). “We are very glad to have him on board to lead the U.S. team into this new phase of the brand and are sure that together we will be very successful”.



Margolis will join the Sowind Group (Girard-Perregaux and JeanRichard) as President of America starting March 1st, 2012, where he will use his long experience and success in the watch industry to help the brands achieve their ambitious goals in the U.S. market.



“I am very excited and honored to join iconic brands like Girard-Perregaux and JeanRichard”, says Michael Margolis. “I have admired the brands and their heritage from afar for many years and greatly look forward to being a part of the team”.





About Girard-Perregaux

Girard-Perregaux is a Swiss high-end watch manufacturer tracing its origins back to 1791. The history of the brand is marked by legendary watches that combine sharp design with innovative technology such as the renowned Tourbillon with Three Gold Bridges presented by Constant Girard-Perregaux in 1889 at the Paris Universal exhibition where he was awarded a gold medal.

Devoted to the creation of state-of-the-art Haute Horlogerie, the Brand is one of the very few watchmakers to unite under the same roof all the skills to design and manufacture watches including the forging of their heart, the movement. With over 80 registered patents, Girard-Perregaux is fully committed to research and development to constantly fuse its unique heritage into modern watchmaking.



About Jeanrichard

Jeanrichard is a Swiss watchmaker that designs and creates high quality watches, combining traditional knowledge and skills with a truly innovative approach. Based in La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland, Jeanrichard enjoys extensive creative and technical independence, promoting in-house development of watches.



With roots going all way back to 1681 and links to the watchmaking genius Daniel Jeanrichard (famed as one of the founding fathers of the Swiss watchmaking industry), the brand was taken over by Sowind Group (Girard-Perregaux) in 1988. Jeanrichard has been successfully reinterpreting time ever since, injecting contemporary energy inspired by a tradition on pioneering spirit. Acquascope, Highlands… Each collection has an assertive identity and combines a high level of expertise with the curiosity for discovering new horizons.


Hautlence HL2.0

Here is a quick BaselWorld preview -

Courtesy of TWI

This is the Hautlence HL2.0, or rather I should say this is the "inner workings" of the Hautlence HL2.0

Here is what Hautlence had to say about it -


It took the entire team over three years to develop,
internally and in the utmost secrecy, a true novelty
in the world of watchmaking that breaks away from
the mechanisms of the past without forgoing
historic regulation methods.

Futuristic in its construction method and the way in
which it delivers the time, this piece is truly
revolutionary.

Thanks to the integration work of the manufacture
calibre and to deep reflection, the shape of the
gear teeth has been optimised, higher-quality
oscillators have been created and the energy
consumption of the various complications has
been regulated. Through effort and constant
research, HAUTLENCE is now able to unveil the
second stage of its vision of innovative time
display.

The most remarkable part of the HL2.0 is that the
complete escapement system, including the plate,
bridges, and wheels move to a new position each
time the hour jumps, making four complete 60°
rotations every single day. To counter balance the
debilitating effects of gravity on precision,
HAUTLENCE has made the entire mechanism
move; a first in watchmaking history.

This mechanical masterpiece has several objectives:

To display the hours in an aperture, on a 12-link chain
moving in a controlled, regulated manner every 60 minutes.
The movement of the chain is from hour to hour is
purposely slowed to 4 seconds; as opposed to an
instantaneous system, which is too quick, or to a
continuous-action system that does not allow the numeral
to be visualised correctly between two times.

To obtain an optimal chronometric result without
disturbance from the energy required for the
complication and animation of the display, in a system
that compensates for the effects of gravity.
The regulating organ is a set of gears that change
position (60°) every hour like the tourbillon,
which does this continuously.

Caliber:                     In-house revolutionary self-winding movement

                                    Regulating organ 18,800 vibrations

                                    45-hour power reserve

Case:                          Height: 50mm

                                    Length: 44mm

                                    Depth: 17mm

                                    Water resistant to 30m/100ft

Buckle:                      Custom developed folding clasp by Hautlence in titanium/gold

Strap:                          Alligator full-skin square scale

Guarantee:                 3 years

Quantities:                 28 per model

Price:                           HL2.2 RG: $200,000 / HL2.1 WG: $219,000

For more information, please contact:

Totally Worth It, LLC

1760 Second Avenue, Suite 7C

New York, NY 10128-5355

+1 212 828 7749 Office

+1 724 263 2286 Mobile

888 TWI 4ALL (894 4255)

888 TWI 6898 Fax

alexis@totallyworthit.com

www.TotallyWorthIt.com