Brands that set their sights high

All those familiar with Baselworld will immediately see that some major changes have been made this year, particularly the attribution of space in Hall 1 with the appearance of new stands, such as de Grisogono’s, bigger stands, such as Patek Philippe’s, or remodelling, such as at Rolex where one of the reception areas is now secluded from the rest of the space by a wall, imitation Sahara desert. All of which would be fine and dandy were it not that much of the front of Hublot’s stand is now hidden behind faux sand dunes. A year ago, the brand’s irascible CEO Jean-Claude Biver would have hit the roof, called a press conference and cried scandal, claiming unfair competition. This year… not a word! A cravatted Jean-Claude Biver, habitually more bang than whimper, remains unfazed. “When you’ve grown as fast as Hublot has over the past three years, you have to consolidate at every level, from sales and distribution networks to products and staff. You could say I’m in the process of consolidating too.”

Hublot consolidates

With sales expected to reach some CHF 250 million this year, three years ahead of objectives, Hublot’s start-up days are far behind it. Now, with its sights set on the half a billion mark, the company needs to summon up some new assets with which to conquer these new territories. The brand, led by Jean-Claude Biver, moved straight into the luxury segment and very much on its own terms: fusion of materials, imposing dimensions and technical mastery; three arguments that have proved more than convincing these past few years. The models shown at Baselworld 2008 are no exception to the rule, in particular the All Black King 48mm, Bullet Bang 44mm, which owes the fascinating colour of its case and bezel to Cermet, an extra-hard, scratchproof composite of ceramic and metal, and the Big Bang Classic 45mm. The tourbillon, Hublot’s leitmotiv for 2009, will be launched as a jewellery model this year, once the brand has caught up on deliveries.

“As I was saying, the 2008 collection is one of consolidation, aimed at firmly establishing the brand,” continues Jean-Claude Biver. “It isn’t meant to dazzle. This collection is about meaning and sobriety, which is infinitely more difficult to achieve as it is based on an eye for detail rather than the spectacular or the provocative. It’s important, during this consolidation phase, that we stand out for our substance, coherency, excellence and credibility. Something which the people who understand and love watches will appreciate.” He supports his statement by quoting the Big Bang Classic. “No one was expecting to see us in this register. A “classic” Big Bang would be heresy! Absolutely not. We could have contented ourselves with some visual alterations to one of our existing models but we didn’t go down this road. We have created a calmer, more classic version of the Big Bang but very much in the Hublot spirit, which for this model means Zirconium, a corrosion-resistant, scratchproof, anti-allergic alloy used by the aerospace and nuclear industries, and a genuine carbon dial which gives it all its depth. Let’s just say there will never be a Big Bang Classic in steel!”

Corum repositions itself

As Jean-Claude Biver willingly admits, Hublot’s 2008 collection will have required the most intense strategic thinking since he took over the reins. Not that he is alone in his ivory tower. Corum, a brand which in its own words has been delivering quality watches since 1955, also felt the pressing need to revive the brand’s core values with the intention of “creating long-term value.” A task that falls to Michael Wunderman, the son of Corum’s proprietor, and Antonio Calce who last year was appointed CEO. “In this sense, 2008 will be a very different year,” Antonio Calce explained at Baselworld. “We want to reposition Corum at the high end of the market and return to the brand’s roots. This means new strategic options, which we will be implementing over the coming months to achieve new standards of quality, develop exclusive movements, and further integrate the production and creation stages.”

A vast undertaking which has led Corum to refocus its collections on the brand’s four flagship lines of the Admiral’s Cup (sports), Romvlvs (classic), Golden Bridge (Fine Watches with an exclusive linear movement) and Specialities. To convince its public, this year Corum is launching the Admiral’s Cup Leap Second 48mm, and the Romvlvs in Chronograph, Large Date and Perpetual Calendar versions, the latter fitted with a movement developed in partnership with Vaucher Manufacture. For Corum, the only way is up.