Richemont to open its Campus Genevois de Haute Horlogerie

Repeated reference was made to transmission of knowledge at the press conference which Richemont held earlier in the week in Geneva. As Richard Lepeu, Deputy Chief Executive Officer of Richemont, reminded the audience, the professions of fine watchmaking are “demanding so that they might evolve within an exceptional but also rigorous environment.” This clearly stated concern is behind the group’s initiative to found its Campus Genevois de Haute Horlogerie.

“This is an ambitious project whose aim is to anchor the professions of watchmaking and the métiers d’art in Geneva, through training that will lead to recognised qualifications,” Richard Lepeu continued. His thoughts were seconded by Claude Vuillemez from Stern Créations. “The professions of fine watchmaking stand apart. They demand unlimited creativity and suffer from a lack of new blood. Put simply, human resources are stretched to the limit and, globally speaking, there is a shortage of specialists.”

Three new buildings

Richemont’s response to the issue comes on a characteristically grand scale. Its Campus is part of a much wider, long-term project involving several of the group’s brands. Three buildings covering 30,000 square metres will be erected on a site in Meyrin, close to Roger Dubuis, for a global investment of CHF 100 million (USD 110 millions / EUR 83 millions). As well as doubling the size of its production facility in Plan-les-Ouates, a stone’s throw from the centre of Geneva, and the planned extension in La Vallée-de-Joux, Vacheron Constantin will locate new workshops inside the Roger Dubuis building. In fact Vacheron Constantin will set the ball rolling for the new training programme, when it opens ten new apprenticeships in September.

These sites will be joined by an administrative building for the Richemont group, whose Bellevue headquarters are becoming too tight a squeeze, a second for the future Geneva workshops of Van Cleef & Arpels, and a third for Manufacture Stern Genève 1898, future merger of Stern Créations (high-end dials) and Manufacture Genevoise de Haute Horlogerie (100% Poinçon de Genève movement parts). The same building will house the learning and apprenticeship centre, in tandem with a research centre for watchmaking for the group. Richemont plans to invest CHF 60 million (USD 66 millions / EUR 50 millions) in training and research over ten years. Ultimately, 900 people will work on the Campus, compared with the current 400. Construction is slated to begin in September 2012.

Training hand-in-hand with research

Training is an ambitious part of the project, which aims for an intake of 45 students shortly after its launch. Compare this with the current 186 watchmaking apprenticeships for the entire canton. Initially, students will study for a vocational training certificate as an opérateur en horlogerie. This will be followed by additional modules focusing on the métiers d’art, now a cornerstone of fine watchmaking, and even ancillary subjects such as IT and sales. The project’s strength of course lies in the proximity of the four Richemont brands’ workshops, thereby facilitating the concept of dual training which combines apprenticeships with classroom time. Partnerships with other firms are on the cards, as with the Geneva School of Watchmaking. Training will be as flexible as possible, making it easier to incorporate new concepts as fine watchmaking continues to progress.

“Knowing that Jean-Marc Vacheron hired his first apprentice in 1755, it was only natural that Vacheron Constantin should commit to a project that will fire young people’s enthusiasm for watchmaking inside Richemont’s future nerve centre,” declared Chief Executive Juan-Carlos Torres. Similar thoughts were voiced at Roger Dubuis: “Our location is of course one reason why we are joining the group’s project, but beyond this is the need to clearly identify the challenges that face us, namely innovation based on research and development, and training,” commented Roger Dubuis CEO Jean-Marc Pontroué. “This new centre will certainly be part of the solution.”

Not forgetting the Poinçon de Genève

Underlying this project is Richemont’s growing capacity to meet Poinçon de Genève standards. This is still the ultimate hallmark of excellence for a fine watch, particularly since the enactment of the new criteria which will come into effect in summer 2012. Remember that Roger Dubuis’ entire production is Poinçon de Genève-certified, a feat unequalled by any other manufacturer. State Councillor Charles Beer, who heads the Department of Public Instruction, Culture and Sport, praised the initiative, which has important implications for a canton whose watchmaking sector is in such fine health. The initiative was also welcomed by the Fondation de la Haute Horlogerie which has several years’ activity in the field of training to its credit.