What inspired you to launch a new brand in the Fine Watch jungle ? Pablo Dana, founder of I&MT : Initially, we wanted to produce a small number of watches, each custom-made for personalities and friends such as David Halliday or François Fillon. As a collector of watches, like my father and grandfather before me, I’m always eager to acquire new models, yet what I see doesn’t always correspond to what I’m looking for. As a competitor in the world-famous Mille Miglia race, I had the chance to meet Christophe Golay. I asked him to make a chronograph that I could clip to the dashboard of my car or wear around my neck. From there, I was thinking about ordering my first watch from him, only to realise that some of my friends were also interested. And so we imagined a series of 22 watches, 22 being my lucky number, named "Scuderiaventidue" after my own stable of cars and that lucky number 22. We unveiled them at a Mercedes exhibition in Lausanne in 2005, and within a few hours every single one had been reserved. It wouldn’t have made sense to stop there.

So you decided to move up a gear ? Absolutely. Seeing how successful the first series had been, we launched a second series of 222 watches… which is when we ran into the first problems with production, particularly for our chronograph cases and pushbuttons. This led us to contract the services of UEG in Geneva, a specialist in electrical discharge machining that also works for companies such as Audemars Piguet, Stern Creation and Bovet, and was willing to produce small series for us. Sadly, the head of the company died and we had to completely reconsider our position. Christophe Golay and I stepped up to propose our help. In the end, we made a personal offer to buy the company, which was accepted. For us, this was clearly a first step towards the full integration required of a watch Manufacture. The next step will be to develop our own precision-turning capacities.

In the mean time, each of the 222 watches in this second series had found a taker, and we were beginning to extend our collections, still with the same emphasis on personalisation and originality. This can be seen, for example, in "Black Skull", which we initially launched as a one-off for Halloween. The "W" watch is another new model, this time a sports watch with an outsized 50mm case that can be transformed by fitting a glass reinforcement which both protects and acts as a kind of diving bell. When worn as a diving watch, water flows freely between this "armour" and the crystal to create a magnifying-glass effect. This is a world-first and the first watch we have produced in larger quantities. That Antiquorum chose us for the "Only Watch 07" charity auction further convinced us that we were on the right track. Thirty-four brands donated a one-off or the N°1 in a limited edition for auction. We donated a split-seconds, column-wheel chronograph.

Which movements do you use for your watches ? We work with Christophe Golay, and through him with Golay-Spierer in Geneva, on Valjoux, Soprod, Jaquet and Technotime movements which we modify to specifications that we develop in-house. This enables us to personalise our watches, in particular the dials. Hunters, for example, can choose a "Scuderiaventidue" model with a buffalo leather strap, damask bezel, balance in the shape of a buffalo horn, and green dial. As far as customisation is concerned, there is no other limit than cost. Hence why we are concentrating on our means of production, so we might fully warrant our ambition to make Instruments & Mesures du Temps as much a brand as a manufacturer of watches. This is what prompted us to take a 20% stake in Golay-Spierer, our partners and associates. It’s also why we intend cutting our production costs by a third come 2010, thanks to full machine resources developed via our financial partners. Our objective isn’t to increase production but to gain in profitability. We hope one day to bring everyone under the same roof.

You’re also using I&MT to promote "The Race." How are the two linked ? Instruments & Mesures du Temps created "The Race" in the first instance to raise funds for charities such as the Hope Foundation, which helps underprivileged children, but also as a communication tool for I&MT and a means of reaching out to our customers. Time is synonymous with life, and life is about adventures and exploits. We wanted to convey this idea by organising travel and competitions inspired by each of the four elements of life : earth, water, fire and air. The principle is quite simple. We tell participants where we will meet and the equipment they will need to embark on an adventure-rally. Nothing more. The first race/expedition travelled through Swiss mountain roads. The second took place on the waters around Sardinia. This year we are heading for the Frozen North and next year to volcanic terrain. We have Luxe TV and Yacht Capital as media partners, and Blancpain has also joined in as a sponsor. Our customers are our greatest ambassadors, so it would be wrong for us not to make every effort to pamper and, most importantly, surprise them, something I&MT is committed to doing.

What are your immediate projects ? In early September, we opened our Manufacture d’Atelier at I&MT for all our "haute couture" activities, meaning special orders such as the "Morgenstern" (alarm watch), the "IPWT" (first aquatic tourbillon) or the "Montre des Temps" which we will produce as a limited edition of six, at over one million euros each. Built on a Technotime base, it will include each of the complications of the Prague astronomical clock. We are also working on the "One Kay" which should earn a place in the Guinness Book of Records. At the same time we continue to support exceptional individuals such as Xavier Rosset, who is going to spend 300 days alone on a remote island with only a Swiss army knife and an I&MT watch, which he will symbolically bury while there, Joël Volluz, a talented young racing driver who leads the field in the Formule Lista European championships, and Ange Barde, four times European champion in the Ferrari Challenge, for whom we have created a watch. Last but not least, we are also busy organising our "Time Floats" fair that will take place at the same time as the next SIHH. Last year I&MT exhibited alongside HD3. This year, we’re expecting other young companies to join us. ■

Pablo Dana was talking to Christophe Roulet

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