Guillaume Tétu (Hautlence) : “There are always opportunities when you have exceptional and innovative products, on the one hand because clients wishing to stand out from the crowd are actually faced with a rather limited choice of genuinely new products; and also because there are many markets still to be explored. That doesn’t mean it’s easy, but determination, passion and work lead to tangible results !”

Laurent Lecamp (Cyrus) : “Do you plan to drive the same car or to keep the same job, the same circle of friends and the same tastes throughout your lifetime? Probably not. The world is constantly changing and there are numerous opportunities. But we have to look for them in places where certain brands do not venture, and then focus our attention on cultivating a close relationship with customers. Such is the daily challenge for a young brand. A really exciting challenge. A youthful brand must be consistently grounded on three key aspects : innovation, exclusivity and a strong identity.”

Pim Koeslag (Ateliers deMonaco) : “I definitely think that there are lots of great opportunities for a young brand such as Ateliers DeMonaco I think watch collectors are always looking for new brands with fresh ideas regarding design and technical innovation and there is still so much to be discovered. Look for example at our patented Perpetual Calendar with the EaZy adjust system, the complication perpetual calendar has been around for a couple of hundred years, yet nobody had previously thought about solving the problems the client encounters when setting the functions: with our system, the right date, day, month, week and leap year can be set within a minute !”

Which are the main obstacles to development facing such brands ?  

Guillaume Tétu : “Since the end of 2008, some retailers have opted to concentrate on the 10 market “leaders” which represent the majority of their turnover (generally around 80%). It is thus tougher for them to choose niche brands in which they have to invest – and there are lots of them emerging, with many not lasting more than five years. They are legitimately concerned about the longevity of young brands and they attempt to evaluate on behalf of their customers the risks in terms of long-term after-sales service, etc… That is the only real obstacle to the healthy development of a brand such as Hautlence, and this lack of commercial visibility has led us to restructure our sales network which is now currently focused on maintaining close ties with retailers. We are replacing an opportunist approach by a quest for long-term cooperation.”

Laurent Lecamp : “Let’s look at it in terms of challenges rather than obstacles. First of all, it’s a matter of changing the way of perceiving the watchmaking world. At Cyrus, we are not looking for consumers, but rather brand enthusiasts, an attitude that implies a strategy completely different from that used by most brands. Within such a context it is vital to concentrate on establishing differences, identity and proximity, which involves keeping in close touch with retailers and end customers via private events, dinners with collectors and highly specific sponsoring operations. These encounters take up a great deal of our time, but enable us to explain the unique nature of our patented case designs moulding the shape of the wrist as well as the equally patented functions of the Klepcys model.”

Pim Koeslag : “I wouldn’t call it obstacles, but more challenges or even opportunities. Within the current economic situation for example, people think it’s the worst time to start a high-end watch brand, whereas we think it is rather a good time because we want Ateliers deMonaco to be a brand for a long run. Thanks to our sales, and the sales achieved by our retailers, we clearly see that we can succeed in this economic climate. This makes us even more confident, and we aim to continue this success in the future as well.”

What will 2012 mean for your brand? 

Guillaume Tétu : “Hautlence is entering a new phase, with the completion of the sale network restructuring process and the launch of an innovative and spectacular new product – a year after the commercialisation of HL2 which heralded a watershed in contemporary creative conceptual horology. Soon to be unveiled at Baselworld 2010, this new release proves that the HAUTLENCE Workshop of Contemporary Horology is capable of perpetual renewal on all levels. 2010 will also demonstrate the company’s determination to structure its operations in such a way as to give the brand the visibility it now deserves, by considerably increasing communication and presence in the field. So all the ingredients are there to enable us to face the future with confidence.”

Laurent Lecamp : “Based on innovation, exclusivity and products with a strong identity, Cyrus will present six new Kuros models at the GTE show, followed by two new series of complication  models in the spring and autumn. Moreover, we will accentuate our sponsoring operations around the world, particularly by becoming main sponsor of the media-friendly Star Team for Children in Monaco, held two days before the F1 Grand Prix, and which will be marked by the launch of a 99-piece limited series delivered with a very special accessory.”

Pim Koeslag : “We have some surprises in store! In our almost 4^th year since Ateliers deMonaco exists, we have already introduced four in-house movements, and some pretty complicated ones at that, equipped with Tourbillon, Tourbillon Minute Repeater, Perpetual Calendar and Automatic movements.
We worked on these calibres long before the brand came on the market, and I think we have shown to the world that we are serious players in the world of Haute Horlogerie – and will continue to be so in 2012.”