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Sadry Keiser has one of the vital unusually authored biographies of any watch trade govt. To be truthful, the Chief Advertising Officer of Roger Dubuis in all probability shares this function with a few of his colleagues as a result of it’s so very Roger Dubuis. The corporate calls itself the “dangerous boy of the Geneva watch trade,” and it’s not troublesome to see why. Simply have a look at the watches, and Keiser’s official portrait. In Keiser’s personal official biography, which fits out to anybody who interviews him, Roger Dubuis can be described because the Richemont Group’s “maverick” whereas Keiser is described as a person with an “unexplained attraction to watchmaking.” Keiser himself described Roger Dubuis because the “wild baby” of Richemont in an interview with the retailer Watches of Switzerland within the UK. Properly, the watches definitely elevate the decibel stage, generally fairly actually.
In case your first encounter with Roger Dubuis is at a watch truthful, comparable to Watches and Wonders Geneva, you would possibly really uncover the model if you hear a racket of some type someplace across the Van Cleef & Arpels and IWC cubicles. Otherwise you may be having a gathering over at A. Lange & Söhne solely to seek out your self speaking over a cacophony of what completely can’t be something associated to Swiss watchmaking. Besides after all that’s, and it’s all performed on function. Keiser tells us, under no circumstances sheepishly, that Roger Dubuis creates a spectacle on the truthful to attract a crowd; “I can inform you that 80 % of the individuals we see…in our boutiques aren’t solely new to Roger Dubuis, they’re new to watchmaking!” Keiser met with us on the Singapore ION boutique late final yr (2023) to have interaction in a free-ranging dialog concerning the novelties of 2023; Roger Dubuis additionally inaugurated a brand new retailer at Marina Bay Sands late final yr however that may be a story for one more time.
The youthful Keiser – his official info doesn’t listing his age however that’s as anticipated of Roger Dubuis as a result of age is nothing however a quantity right here – likes to think about himself as a bridge between the technical aspect of the story and the design crew. In his position as Chief Advertising Officer, he’s additionally a bridge between the model and the media, and by extension, the general public. Keiser reduce his enamel within the technical enviornment of watchmaking at TAG Heuer’s manufacturing finish, and that model’s analysis and improvement division. This expertise would show useful to his later stint as Head of Product Advertising at Roger Dubuis the place he was “overcome by a wild need to return to advertising – and inject it along with his personal inflammatory watchmaking ardour…”
It was this promise of inflammatory rhetoric that drew our curiosity to partaking in a prolonged chat with Keiser, who was on the town to introduce the Excalibur Spider Flyback Chronograph particularly. Fortunately, neither he nor the watch disenchanted us!
Earlier than we get into issues correctly, inform us if the Spider Flyback Chronograph is the primary manufacturing chronograph because the Sympathy assortment?
No, there was a chronograph with a plain dial round 2011 or 2012, and it was the piece celebrating the a hundred and twenty fifth anniversary of the Poincon de Geneve <this was a restricted version of eight – Ed>. It’s much less attribute than (our now signature model) with modern skeletonizing (though it did have a tourbillon). The crew at the moment thought it was good to grasp the varied issues however recognised that there are additionally different gamers doing the identical, perhaps higher than us or extra recognized than us. So, we wanted to carry extra worth…we centered on the tourbillon for easy causes: there are fewer elements so there may be extra space to have transparency and to discover completely different types. Then we went with automatics, then double tourbillons, and so forth. It took time to get again on monitor with chronograph issues, and to return to the roots of Roger Dubuis <in relation to the well-known Sympathy case chronographs that the founder created – Ed>. It’s a completely different type of recreation enjoying with a skeletonized strategy on the chronograph complication. There was little doubt for us on bringing again that complication however only a query of discovering the precise technique to do it. Now’s the precise time to launch the Flyback Chronograph, as a result of you’ve by no means seen this type of watch earlier than!
No, after all not, so let’s dive proper into it!
For me, the Flyback Chronograph is an attention-grabbing strategy as a result of I feel we hold the philosophy of the corporate – placing the mechanics first (and utterly seen). Evidently, having an built-in calibre for us, that was completely obligatory. Additionally, enjoying with the structure of the calibre, preserving the liberty of aesthetics that we like, whereas being respectful of custom…and preserving the Poincon de Geneve in play.
What I imply by enjoying with the structure whereas preserving components of custom is that the column wheel (should be current) for positive, however we put this on the entrance of the calibre <this distinctive factor is often bridge-side – Ed>. So, as soon as once more reengineering the structure of the calibre to carry (and ship) particular signatures on the best way that individuals are seeing it.
And final however not least, we speak concerning the vertical clutch, after all, as a result of as soon as once more, it’s following the great thing about, and respect for, custom. However on the finish of the day, throughout the very (modern) type of design that follows the spirit of the Excalibur Spider, there may be additionally an apparent to hyperlink to motorsport actions, paying tribute to our Italian associates (that’s to say Lamborghini, a long- time period associate to Roger Dubuis – Ed).
Why wait until later within the yr to debut the Flyback Chronograph if you had the possibility to pair it with the Monovortex Break up-Seconds Chronograph at Watches and Wonders?
A part of my reply must do with the Monovortex… (as a result of) it speaks to the philosophy of the corporate: to showcase the experience of the watchmaking trade and to incubate a fraction of our improvements in a single single piece. However if you put every part in a single single watch – I’m speaking a few new regulator a brand new winding system, alongside a brand new show system as nicely…after which a split-second chronograph complication (a excessive complication that’s arguably extra advanced than the tourbillon – Ed) – the bar is ready fairly excessive. To be frank with you, we wanted to go to the true and tangible world, to see if every part works because it ought to. However a minimum of at the moment (through the present in Geneva), we bought to reveal to the world and positively to the connoisseur, as a result of each single individual attending Watches and Wonders is delicate to high quality watchmaking, who Roger Dubuis is and what we’re about. You possibly can see that Roger Dubuis is a critical participant.
Then once more, Roger Dubuis is just not a basis so all of us anticipated a business providing in some unspecified time in the future…
That’s proper! And we determined that the Goodwood Pageant of Pace was a superb philosophical match with the Spider Flyback Chronograph; motorsports on the whole are a superb match for the chronograph. We additionally didn’t need to fireplace all our (advertising) bullets at one time…as a substitute we wished to create a dialog with the neighborhood that helped everybody perceive the sequence that we bear in mind, from idea to commercially obtainable piece. As a result of (each the Monovortex and the Flyback Chronograph) are new ideas, in a manner. You possibly can see from the Flyback Chronograph if we’ve captured nicely that actuality behind (a few of) the ideas within the Monovortex.
How do you strategy Watches and Wonders, or any truthful actually, from the attitude of introducing watches to the general public, or introducing it to companions? Is it gross sales first? Presentation first?
It’s a excellent query. I feel these reveals are shifting, allow us to say from enterprise to enterprise to client to develop into extra enterprise to client. For a few years now, we see the content material of such reveals shifting on this path as nicely. As one of many operators at Watches and Wonders, we’re additionally following this pattern to (orientate) extra in the direction of being enterprise to client. You recognize, we’re in that place the place we should be seen by a big viewers, however speak solely to a couple, if you understand what I imply. From a advertising perspective, (the query is) how I can you’ll want to attain a bigger viewers, the place that bigger viewers can perceive the explanation why Roger Dubuis exists. What’s our distinctive proposition and does my viewers get it? You recognize, if everybody understands that we’re a pure participant doing modern skeletonised issues with Poincon de Geneve, then I’m in heaven!
However, there are just a few individuals the place we have to go a bit additional and dig into our personal worlds and convey extra stuff to the desk. This implies explanations on the watches in a manner that we are able to make sure that we nourish and we domesticate the exceptional expertise (of Roger Dubuis). We all know that we’re not the primary model throughout the collections of these individuals…and but there are these newcomers who’re very curious, not solely about Roger Dubuis however about watchmaking.
This can be a reference to what we spoke about: the individuals you draw with spectacle, just like the robotic canine that was the spotlight of Watches and Wonders? How do you talk the values of the model correctly as a result of these individuals might know what a skeletonised motion is, as a result of they’ll see it, however they definitely is not going to know what the Poincon de Geneve is…
As soon as once more, one other good query! To be clear with you, I feel half is construction (the communications technique together with all means from promoting to partnerships) and the opposite half is way more spontaneous. There’s a technique to talk the truth that we’re a unbelievable various to the classical operators. At Roger Dubuis, we’re a bit schizophrenic. A fraction of what we’re doing is, allow us to say, very Swiss; the opposite half is ultra-contemporary (and that is the place conversations like this one are available in). From my perspective, that is the great thing about a model of our measurement: we’ve the posh of getting the time to converse with our purchasers and associates. We aren’t all the time in pushing mode in a market the place we’re speaking about line extensions and every part is transactional. As we mentioned, Roger Dubuis is just not a basis however we nonetheless have to construct (particular person) conversations to begin relationships!
This text first appeared on WOW’s Festive 2024 subject.
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