Since we last caught up with Vincent Perriard, he’s moved on from TechnoMarine and is now at the helm of HYT.
James Henderson – So here you are now with HYT, but the last time we spoke you were leading TechnoMarine. Can you share a bit of what has been happening between now and then?
Vincent Perriard – Well, that seems like really a long time ago for me now… almost 2.5 years. A lot has happened since then! At TechnoMarine we had a different view on how to position the brand. It is quite unfortunate since under my assignment, we had opened 200 points of sales and increased our turnover by +34%…
JH – Where did the idea for HYT come from?
VP – In 2008 – at Concord – we had this idea to mix things which are not supposed to be together. Liquid is the enemy of mechanics. And because of that, we created the C1 Quantum Gravity where you would see the Power Reserve indicated by sort of glass (filled with a great liquid) moving up and down, according to the Power Reserve. This watch was unique and Concord had a tremendous amount of success with its series of unconventional pieces (including the Best Watch of the Year at the Grand Prix of Geneva in 2008).
In 2011, I met (via a mutual friend) Lucien Vouillamoz who is the inventor of the HYT technology. He explained to me that he can bring my initial dream to a higher level with a real liquid system indicator. The liquid is actually moving around the watch to display time… I fell in love with the idea, with the people involved and finally we decided to launch HYT (which stands for HYdro Technologies). The sky is the limit since this technology can be multiplied and we could imagine a watch with the hour indication as well as a date indicator, a Power Reserve indicator, a count down indicator …
JH – How have things been going for HYT so far?
VP – The best answer to that is to Google “HYT watches” to see how we have hit the web and the watch community! Our business model is quite powerful : we have pre sold watches 3 months before BaselWorld 2012 with key partners who believed in the project, in the watch and in the people. Therefore, we can say that all 2013 watches are pre sold (sold in and sold out). So to get a H1 from HYT is becoming a difficult thing!
JH – What’s in store for this year? Any surprises up your sleeve for BaselWorld?
VP – We are delivering the H1 while I speak and we are soon introducing the H2 which is a joint creative effort with Audemars Piguet (led by Giulio Papi). This special piece will be presented at BaselWorld 2013 in April.
