With the 2015 vintage of the Tradition collection, Breguet reveals historical, technological and functional elements of watchmaking and its complications. This is in some ways a new, more visible means of explaining our passion. As far as I am concerned, luxury incorporates a notion of satisfaction that is not just personal, but also mutual in terms of the shared pleasure that is experienced. This sharing involves enthusiasts, naturally, as well as people who are simply drawn to the design of our pieces. If I were to take the example of the Chronographe Indépendant 7077, my favorite piece this year, this philosophy is perfectly demonstrated : an observer starts by taking an interest in a double balance wheel, then questions the functioning and origin of the chronograph, and the discussion has begun. We had already tried this approach with the Tourbillon Fusée model, whose small chain created a surprise and thus provided a chance to explain the principle of constant force. I regard the visual trigger leading to questions regarding the horological substance as of capital importance. In this respect, the radical aesthetic interpretation of watchmaking tradition, which may for example take the form of a very modern bridge, appears to be a crucial factor.

What other big events does Breguet have planned for this year ?

If we were only to mention the two main ones on two different continents, I would essentially refer to Waterloo in June and San Francisco in September. All the crowned heads on the planet will be attending the commemoration of the Battle of Waterloo, with which Breguet is associated through the renovation of a historic building, because Breguet always makes a material commitment, while preferring to celebrate the ensuing peace. In the United States, in collaboration with the San Francisco Fine Art Museum, from September to January 2015, we are organizing an exhibition of antique pieces, some of which have never been seen by the public because we only acquired them very recently.

What do you see as Breguet’s challenges for the next decade ?

Ideally extending the work of Abraham-Louis Breguet. Even though these past years have been very intense in terms of innovation and state-of-the-art technology, for example with the introduction of the magnetic pivot and silicon, I hope that we will be able to raise the bar higher and higher. I would like to pay tribute to the men and women behind these advances, to reflect human know-how in our creations and behind the scenes of high-tech achivements. We are also going to focus on the artistic crafts.

In your capacity as president of Blancpain, which new release are you most proud of ?

With the Bathyscape chronograph in the Fifty Fathoms collection, there is more than just a watch involved; it is accompanied by the Blancpain Ocean Commitment project that will help double the protected areas of water on the planet. Over and above beautiful mechanics, the history of Blancpain comes to the fore once again in this piece, from which sales contribute directly to the preservation of the planet. This aspect touches me personally. In parallel, from a purely watchmaking perspective, the Tourbillon Carrousel is particularly significant. It represents the achievement of our very first L-evolution piece, whose first version left me longing for more. Now the high-tech, resolutely horological finish of the product perfectly corresponds to the concept and spirit I initially had in mind.

And as regards Jaquet Droz, for which you are also responsible ?

I would say the Lady 8 Flower automatic watch, which stirs emotional reactions in both ladies and men. Indeed, while Blancpain and Breguet create feminine horological complications in so far as as the latter reflect their DNA, I think that one must always remain close to the brand’s own spirit and functionality, and in this respect, Jaquet Droz is best defined by the automaton. In my opinion, automatic winding represents the total purity of the automaton concept, and reactions to this piece are universally positive.

How do you manage your commitment to these three brands all at once on an ongoing basis ?

I am indeed frequently pulled in all directions and it would be unbearable without the amazing teams that work alongside me! Naturally Blancpain and Breguet require more energy because Jaquet Droz isn’t yet as big. At Blancpain and Breguet, I sometimes get excited about a specific project which then becomes very time-consuming, but the teams from the other brand bring me to heel and we re-establish the balance. We discuss things a lot and specifically with regard to Breguet, I feel the need to be involved personally even more than I am already.

Where do you see the greatest development potential overall ?

For the three brands, I think that we still have enormous growth potential in the USA where we are not yet at the same level we have reached in the rest of the world in relation to the usual competition. Then in certain markets like India, Breguet is very well-established but Blancpain has not yet found its ‘open sesame’ product, whereas the latter brand has the benefit of a considerable advance in China, where Breguet is still going to develop. This being said, who can currently predict the overall evolution of the markets and the geo-political phenomena across the world ?