What Moves Me - Auguste Reymond

It's hard not to be romantic about watches.

I've said it before, and I'll say it again - a brand is more than just a (registered) name.  A brand is the people behind it.  And while I had always had a soft spot for Auguste Reymond, it was a baffling brand for me to try and get my head around.  I had popped in to their booth at BaselWorld once or twice, and I had seen an Auguste Reymond ONCE in San Francisco back in 2000.  Apart from that, they had a pokey website, and (if I'm honest) a pretty bland selection of watches.  With one exception - The Jazz Age Chronograph, which we'll get back to in a moment.

It was back in November of 2015 that I first visited Tramelan with my good friend Rod Hess, not realizing I was going to make another friend that day, the CEO of Auguste Reymond, Lorenz Aebischer -

It was a Sunday, and he met us for lunch, then took us to the factory which he opened up so that we should see it first hand.  I returned to Tramelan about 4 months later just before BaselWorld and Lorenz showed us around for a real tour.  And you can read about that here -

A Grand Day Out - Auguste Reymond Part 1

A Grand Day Out - Auguste Reymond Part 2

And a little while after that, I began to work with Lorenz and team at Auguste Reymond to try and help reintroduce North America (and frankly, the English speaking world) to one of Tramelan's hidden treasures.  It was slow going, because there really was no budget to spend for advertising, marketing, etc.  It was a lot of reviews, a LOT of Facebook activity, and... we started to see some sales.  Not hundreds, but a slow but steady drip began to accumulate, and a few retail partners had approached, and just when it looked like we were going to turn the corner - the new owner of Auguste Reymond decided that he could do it better himself, and Lorenz was moved out.  

And what followed was a vivid example that, as mentioned above, a brand is nothing without the people.  The new owner, to his credit, did try make some changes, but it was also clear that he didn't really fully get what made the brand special in certain countries.  And after (I believe) about a year, he sold it to the current owner.  In the process, he sold the building.  And that was a tough one to take. I also fairly certain everyone who was still working in Tramelan at the time lost their job in the end.

Which brings us to now.  The current owner of AR is not really having any more luck than the person he bought it from.  He moved the brand from its hometown and it is now, if I am being honest, doing a Sleeping Beauty.  There is a web shop, the Facebook page has over 100,000 followers (you're welcome), and no new content for what appears to be a year or two or more.  When a brand's management is indifferent, how can they expect the buying public to feel any differently?  

Back in 2017 I was feeling a lot more optimistic about the future, and I bought the Jazz Age chronograph you see at the top of this story.  And if I am completely honest, when I put it on it is always a bit bittersweet.  Auguste Reymond could have made it.  But as I have often said it is simply a question of commitment.  If you want a quick fix, there will always be someone ready to throw money at a problem in the mad hopes that it will magically resolve itself.  But good things typically take time, and effort.  Whether or not the current ownership and management are ready to contribute either remains to be seen.  But friendships and memories win out in the end, and here's hoping that someone, eventually, will put the time and effort back into AR that has been sorely missing since 2017.

A Few Minutes With Fortis CEO Lorenz Aebischer

Courtesy of Fortis

Before we go too deep into this, it is important that I state clearly that the subject of the interview is someone I am very proud to call my friend.  I have worked with Lorenz in a former life when he was the CEO of Auguste Reymond.  

He is one of the most straightforward, honest and decent people that I have met in a business that is all too-often littered with con men, and bullshit artists.  And that is putting it kindly ; )  In a business where all too often the people who actually work for the brand are not valued, Lorenz and the team he is working with at Fortis have really turned around a brand that has a great deal of potential, and now will hopefully realize it.  I still remember the day that I found out he had been named the CEO of Fortis and I was so happy for him that I immediately stepped out of the office to call and congratulate him.  It is truly proof that sometimes, good guys finish first.

And now, a few minutes with Lorenz Aebischer -

James Henderson - With nearly a year under your belt as the CEO at Fortis, how are things looking?

Lorenz Aebischer - Well, with Jupp I have the chance to have not only a president of the board and shareholder but also an operational director in the daily business. Most of his time he is sitting in the office together with us and travelling to meet partners together with us. On the other side we have a great team with the sales manager, the marketing manager and the operational manager. In the management team we are 5 person and come most of the time to a common sense when we have decisions to take.

Very important is also the rest of the staff. I’m happy we have motivated people running in the same way to create the great FORTIS brand story for the next 100 years.

Last but not least, the international partners are also very important. Whatever we are doing, we need our partners to follow us.


So, TEAMWORK I guess is the main issue. And good partnerships. I guess we met a lot of interesting people and we will come within the next months/years with many nice good surprises.


JH - Moving from Auguste Reymond to Fortis was more than a simple move from Tramelan to Grenchen. What are some of the biggest differences between running a brand like Auguste Reymond and running Fortis?

LA - With Auguste Reymond I invested in a small brand with a nice history. My private finances were not enough and the Russian partner became main shareholder. It was very difficult for me to manage a Swiss brand with the Russian culture. Running a small brand with no budget is very difficult and everything you do in a short term view.  Today I already can say, the move from Auguste Reymond to Fortis was great luck.

Courtesy of Fortis

With Jupp as a shareholder we can think about the long term. This is crucial when you want to work with a great brand like Fortis. Amazing history as Fortis was the world first producer of automatic wrist watches, produced plastic watches before Swatch, was one of the first watch brands in the space, was the first Chronograph watch in the open space. So, talking about changes, Fortis has a great history and was a great brand. And I’m very proud to work in the original Fortis building. Fortis is one or the rare brands still in the original building built over 100 years ago. While the previous brand is a brand like others, Fortis has a character. Fortis brand is a good supplement brand in the portfolio of the retailers. The time pieces are robust and have their own unique character. We cooperate with professionals to create precise tools to measure the time.

Another big difference is the team. We have great watchmakers managing all the pieces of a mechanical alarm. All our watches are assembled in-house and we always look to cooperate with local suppliers. We have a great logistics team and a great administration team.


JH - What is the big release for Fortis this year?


LA - 8th of may we could launch the new PC-7 TEAM watch of the air base of the Swiss army in Dübendorf.  All the pilots of the PC-7 TEAM wear this new Fortis watch.  Together with many invited customers we watched the training of the squadron. Amazing to watch that. The PC-7 TEAM stands for dynamism, elegance and precision and fit perfectly to the values of Fortis.  It was a special pleasure for us to present this new watch to them and to the markets.  Especially as this year the squadron celebrates its 30th birthday.

Not a release but we had a big start in the development of the new Flieger collection. This new collection will be presented early next year.


JH - What are some of the biggest challenges that you and your team are facing?

LA - This I see in 2 chapters.  One is outside, and one is inside our house.  Outside, we are working with our partners to strengthen their position and focus on quality retailing and giving them more support with more pictures and videos, new displays and new catalogues.  Inside, we developed together with a big international agency our brand positioning.  Now we are starting to work on our communication channels.  The biggest challenge is to tell the people about what we are doing.  Nobody is waiting for us, but everybody who follows will realize the interesting potential of our brand.

JH - What is the strongest market for Fortis?

LA - Actually our main focus is Germany, USA and Japan.  As an independent brand you can’t drive a strong global campaign.  But we are working with all our other countries to develop them and intensify their activities together with us and cooperate straightly with the local retailers.


JH - Who are your key competitors?

LA - As mentioned Fortis has it own character. We do watches we love and we do it with passion.  Therefore we don’t see a key competitor but for sure our customers compare Fortis with IWC, Bell & Ross, Breitling.  We want to be seen and compared by them. We don’t call them competitors but purchase options for similar customers.


JH - What should we be on the look out for from Fortis?

LA - I guess watch fans, watch lovers and retailers have to follow our Instagram and Facebook but also in various print magazines and in some months our new internet site.  They will see step by step changes and interesting news.  In the last months we had so many contacts with various partners and exceptional personalities. We will create with passion new tools to measure the time and we will communicate more with all our actual and new ambassadors. Very soon, in August and in September, you will hear some news with our partners Castor Fantoba (who just became Spanish Champion some weeks ago) and Peter Balmer.

Stay tuned and follow our great evolution. We are FORTIS!

The New Team at Fortis

In the interest of full-disclosure, I have worked for and with one of the subjects of this announcement before, and am therefore a wee-bit biased ; )

Word reached Tempus Fugit HQ that Fortis has new ownership and a new CEO.  And while I am very happy on a personal level as Mr. Aebischer, the new CEO is a friend, I am happier still because he is someone who actually "gets it" and can help put Fortis back on the right track.

Now I am not here to paint a false, rosy picture.  Fortis has been pretty grossly mismanaged for quite some time prior to the new ownership coming in.  Moreover, it has been peddled like some cheap, throw away product by the company that previously represented it in the US.  A lot of damage was done.  Having said that, I honestly believe that this is a much deserved second chance for a brand that has so much to offer, and I for one am anxious to see how things progress.

Here is the press announcement, as it was received -

Jupp Philipp - Courtesy of Fortis

FORTIS WATCHES AG is pleased to announce that, from 1 September 2018, the traditional brand‘s continuing operation under a new leadership is secured and will also be expanded: Jupp Philipp, entrepreneur and passionate wearer of FORTIS watches, will take the reins.  

Lorenz Aebischer - Courtesy of Fortis

In order to put this vision into practice, Mr. Philipp will bring in experienced support from the industry: Mr. Lorenz Aebischer (previously working for renowned brands such as Auguste Reymond, Mido and Tissot) will manage FORTIS WATCHES AG.

The direction is clear. The first and foremost vision: "Every customer is entitled to value preservation and it is our duty to ensure this." (Jupp Philipp) This guiding principle describes succinctly – almost philosophically – the cornerstones of the future focus and shall forever constitute the creed for all strategic and operational decisions.

Initially a precise analysis and strategy development with all of its components will be in the foreground. "Of course, it should be clear to everyone that such a process will take its time. Nevertheless we will immediately get together on 1 September and start to work on the individual topics over the coming months as a team.  It will take some time to create the foundations, organize the FORTIS network and make everyone believe in the guiding principle.“ (Lorenz Aebischer)  

Auguste Reymond Follow-Up

And in a wonderful twist of fate, Lorenz Aebischer the CEO of Auguste Reymond offered me a pretty unique opportunity - 

A different Auguste Reymond watch to try for the first five days of BaselWorld!

So stay tuned, Wednesday's BaselWorld Auguste Reymond is revealed tomorrow!