Are You Into Watches Or Watchmaking?
On June 26th, the Fondation de la Haute Horlogerie (FHH) celebrated its 20th anniversary in Geneva. The non-profit organization started the celebrations with a press conference at the lakeside Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Geneva. To honor the FHH’s founding members, Audemars Piguet CEO Ilaria Resta, Girard-Perregaux Chairman and CEO Patrick Pruniaux, and Cartier Chairman of Culture and Philanthropy Cyrille Vigneron, representing Richemont, spoke a few words, and so did the foundation’s current vice presidents, Pascal Ravessoud and Aurélie Streit. In this anniversary year, the FHH will reaffirm its mission with a renewed emphasis on inclusion and universal access. The organization wants to bring watchmaking to a new audience — a noble cause, for sure. It also made me wonder how many people are into watches and how many are into watchmaking. There is a difference, but one thing can lead to the other.
Italian entrepreneur, author, watch industry luminary, and cultural authority Franco Cologni persuaded Audemars Piguet, Girard-Perregaux, and the Richemont Group in 2005 to collaborate on a foundation that would promote watchmaking culture and protect and conserve it for future generations. Two decades after its founding, the Fondation de la Haute Horlogerie presents a new strategy it hopes fits the current zeitgeist. Since its inception, the FHH has been the driving force behind watchmaking events and educational programs, such as Watches and Culture, the FHH Forum, and the FHH Academy, which has trained over 40,000 people and issued over 15,000 student certificates. Now, the FHH is ready to reach a new group of watch consumers under the motto “Watchmaking Knowledge For All.”
From left to right: Pascal Ravessoud of FHH, Patrick Pruniaux of Sowind, Ilaria Resta of Audemars Piguet, Aurélie Streit of FHH, Cyrille Vigneron of Cartier at the FHH’s 20th anniversary event in Geneva — Photo: Jordi Ruiz Cirera
Tell me truthfully, are you into watches or watchmaking?
The FHH’s strategy announced during the 20th-anniversary event aims to “bring the story of watchmaking to vibrant new audiences beyond the traditional watch industry through a wave of engaging initiatives and strategic partnerships, all designed to inspire the next generation of watchmakers and enthusiasts.” It’s an ambitious plan that provokes thought about the current situation of the world of watches from a consumer’s perspective. There are millions of people out there who are interested in watches. However, not all of them are interested in watchmaking. There’s a world of difference between watches and watchmaking. You can be into watches because you want to show your status, be like your peers, follow trends, etc. The interest in how the watch was made is not just about the technical aspects. It also includes the story behind the brand, the specific model, etc.
Do you see a complicated chronograph with a long history or a status symbol?
Desire and aspiration
The FHH is properly equipped to help people dive deep into watchmaking, but how many are willing to take the plunge? Social media has played a significant role in putting luxury watches on people’s radar. Instagram has proven to be the ultimate platform for watches, which are the product of historical artisanal traditions but are mainly viewed as objects of desire that represent a jet-set lifestyle that billions aspire to.
The internet has made watches famous. Indeed, more people than ever know what luxury watches are hot and happening. But does knowledge about the ins and outs of those watches match the same level? The answer is a definitive “no.” When a steel three-hand sports watch from a prestigious Genevan brand sells for the same price as a complicated reference in a gold case, it is clear that knowing about watches and understanding watchmaking are two completely separate things.
Assembling the 1,521-part movement inside the Vacheron Constantin Solaria
Hopeful developments
When the present representative founding members were asked if they recognized the difference between people who are into watches and those with an interest in watchmaking, Audemars Piguet CEO Ilaria Resta said that the number of requests to visit the brand’s watchmaking ateliers has never been higher. Manufacture visits only offer a limited number of people access to the heart of watchmaking. Brands realize the importance of opening up to clients. Still, the main focus is on production, and there’s only limited time and space to accommodate large numbers of visitors.
The J.N. Shapiro Infinity Series is an example of expertise in handmade watchmaking
For those who want to learn more about the mechanical workings of a watch, there’s also an online option. The FHH Boutique is an e-commerce platform that wants to inspire people to become professional watchmakers. But it’s also a great place to become an amateur expert. In the FHH Boutique, you can buy digital services to learn more about watchmaking and certify your knowledge. The FHH offers the only internationally recognized certification on theoretical watchmaking knowledge, and spreads it over three levels — Watch Advisor, Watch Specialist, and Watch Expert.
As you can read, this Duometre Quantieme Lunaire is made by “The watchmaker of watchmakers.”
Crossing the language barrier
The FHH also considered the possible language barrier, so the French-language video programs and courses have been dubbed in English and German. And if you don’t mind subtitles, these are available for speakers of Arabic, Spanish, Japanese, Cantonese, Mandarin, Korean, and Italian. The website and courses’ fresher look and feel need to appeal to a young and diverse audience. That’s an audience of people who know their way around the internet, where the FHH will speak to them and get them excited for its offerings. The FHH’s strategy is to continue celebrating watchmaking craftsmanship and savoir-faire and presenting it as a shared and universal heritage. As the foundation puts it, “Yesterday was about transmission. Today is about openness. Tomorrow is about inspiration.”
The FHH Watch Makers exhibition
Culture needs nurturing
At the event, former Cartier CEO and current Chairman of Culture and Philanthropy Cyrille Vigneron said, “Culture is something that constantly has to be nurtured and reinvented. But to do that, you have to be initiated, and that’s why you have to go deep to nourish the culture; otherwise, it could just disappear because it’s not part of necessity.” In other words, if people only see watches without historical context, like on social media, they will lose their meaning and cultural relevance. Watches will become shallow consumer goods and hollow out the centuries-old world of watchmaking. You can only continue to celebrate, enjoy, and further watchmaking if the culture behind it is thriving. It needs to be properly preserved, and the target audience needs to be taught well. That doesn’t happen on Instagram. It is up to the FHH to lure its target audience away from there.
If you want to discover the FHH’s new strategy in real life, you could check out the foundation’s new experiential Watch Makers exhibition at the foundation’s headquarters on Pont de la Machine in the heart of Geneva. There, you can experience an immersive, multisensory journey into watchmaking until September 7th of this year.
FHH’s headquarters on Pont de la Machine in the heart of Geneva
In case you’re interested in taking a course through the FHH, this is a good moment. For its anniversary, the FHH is offering a 20% discount on all of the FHH Boutique’s training and certification content.
So, which interests you more, watches or watchmaking, or are they equal for you? Please feel free to share your thoughts on this in the comments below.
