How respecting the archive is creating generations of innovative watches
With over a century of heritage to protect, how can a luxury watch brand stay innovative while respecting its roots?
Staying relevant and desirable in a world of infinite choices is a problem in many areas, of life, not least of all in the high stake’s world of luxury watches.
Fans and collectors clamor for more – new designs, exciting features, and never-before-seen elements. But walking the line between innovation and honoring the heritage of a beloved brand (and everything that entails) is a difficult path and not one for the faint of heart.
For Sascha Moeri, CEO of Carl F. Bucherer and leading the brand Bucherer Fine Jewellery, the key to successfully navigating these conflicting states comes down to respect.
“We respect our heritage and our 133-year history, and we create watches that reflect our DNA. But we aren’t stuck in the past,” says Moeri. “Our innovations are always integrated with our customers in mind – we want to deliver groundbreaking timepieces that are thrilling aesthetically and technologically.”
One area of innovation and distinction for the brand has been around peripheral technology, which created new functionality within the chassis of the watch and unlocked new avenues of design.
In short, with peripheral technology, the parts are not mounted centrally on their axes but rotate around their peripheries on ceramic ball bearings. This allows for thinner watches and an unobstructed view of the corresponding elements, a feature that is very attractive to watch enthusiasts
Sascha Moeri, CEO of Carl F. Bucherer
The watch in the Heritage collection line are a marriage of aesthetic traditions and state-of-the-art industry-leading technology. Timepieces such as the Heritage BiCompax Annual and the Heritage Tourbillon Double Peripheral are, in the words of Moeri, “dedicated in equal parts to our tradition and the innovations that define the brand as it is today.”
This merging of the old and the new means the brand archive is regularly called into play. A piece from the 1950s directly inspired the Heritage BiCompax Annual. “It was the perfect blend of vintage flair with contemporary features. It beautifully expresses how our new timepieces are inspired by the great watches of the brand, made before most of us were born,” says Moeri.
This sense of continuity comes into play in more than just aesthetics. Carl F. Bucherer has been in the same family since 1888, now in the third generation with Jörg G. Bucherer, 100% sole owner and Chairman of the Bucherer Group. Even Moeri, a watch industry veteran, was born and raised in Biel, close to the epicenter of Switzerland’s famed timepiece industry. He was raised around the passion and respect of watch aficionados, which inspired a move into the industry and how he operates within it. A love of craft, heritage, and technology helps keep the business moving forward.
The next timepiece to launch to eager fans of the brand is the Manero Peripheral BigDate. Peripheral Technology which the watch manufacturer is known for, such as the clever combination of aesthetics and features, has made it destined for acclaim.
“We’ve made it clear that this is a watch designed to appeal equally to men and women – to anyone who will appreciate its eye-catching dial with its small-seconds sub dial at six o’clock, the power reserve indicator at three o’clock, a day-of-the-week aperture at nine o’clock, and, finally, the feature that gives the watch its name: the big date window at ten o’clock,” says Moeri. “We’ve created a luxury watch with breakthrough technology and a dial design that offers the wearer an incredible amount of information at a glance.”
Aesthetically, the Manero Peripheral BigDate is inspired by two iconic watches: the Manero PowerReserve Mr. Blue and Mr. Green. People were attracted to the colorful dials and distinctive features combined in one dial without appearing overly busy. And that, says Moeri, is how the BigDate came to be.
“It gave us a chance to reinterpret that great dial in a contemporary watch equipped with our CFB A2011 manufacture caliber. The movement will absolutely excite the watch geeks. I know that people like me have a tendency to point to the technology first, but it really is very special,” says Moeri.
“As we did with the Mr. Blue and Mr. Green watches, we played with the colors, but the new timepieces offer a nice twist with sub dials that contrast very appealingly with the main dial color. The pure Carl F. Bucherer aesthetics will generate a lot of enthusiasm. Part of what we have taken from the Mr. Blue and Mr. Green watches is our ‘hey, check this out’ attitude.”
After well over a century of watchmaking, the respect and desire to keep creating has ensured that every timepiece Carl F. Bucherer puts out adds another facet to a rich heritage that will undoubtedly inspire future generations of timepieces.
