And now a few minutes with Vincent Perriard – CEO of TechnoMarine
JH – What was your first watch? Was it a gift, is there a story behind it?
VP – As best I can remember… it was a Tissot. Then there was a Swatch.In Switzerland, when you are around 15 years old, this is the typical gift you will receive. Before that age, I was wearing watches from my dad!
JH. Tell me a bit about yourself please – while you have worked in the watch industry for some time, you also have a reputation as a brand builder. Following Concord you could have done any number of things. Why TechnoMarine?
VP. As a brand, TechnoMarine was in very bad shape. I love taking on challenges that no one else wants to put the time and energy into. I believe very strongly in the $300 – $3000 price segment, which has been virtually empty over the last 10 years. It seems that everybody has been willing to increase their price and their prestige, but this is a very important segment. The $300 – $3000 segment is attractive again due to the tough economy and the shift of mentalities towards luxury. Bringing the colors, the fun, the “joie de vivre” into a brand like TechnoMarine will make a big difference. You will be able to judge my predictions in 2011… that is when TechnoMarine will reveal its new collection (the one developed over 18 months with the new team on board).
JH. Will Technomarine remain only in retail (Brick and Mortar Stores), or is a TechnoMarine official online store in the future?
VP. We will go online in 2011… without a doubt. We are working (right now) on the structure of this website.
JH. When you were a boy – what did you want to be when you “grew up”?
VP. I wanted to be an architect. I never thought about watches! My dream was to become an architect because I loved – at that time – to draw. Finally, I did my studies and started to build a new radio station in Switzerland. Radio was my passion for a few year which led me to “communications and marketing”… My number two passion.
JH. Where did you go to school – what did you study?
VP. I went to school in Neuchâtel and in Lausanne (Switzerland). Neuchâtel was for what we call Commercial School. In Lausanne I took a Marketing degree.
JH. Who else is making watches that excite you?
VP. Audemars Piguet : my first “love” with watches. My first job in the watch industry was with Audemars Piguet. I am still very connected with friends and members of the board still working at AP. Apart from Audemars Pigeut, a lot of independent watch companies, such as Richard Mille, and Greubel Forsey come to mind.
JH. What would you be doing if you weren’t the CEO of TechnoMarine?
VP. My own company, of course. It will come one day.
JH. What do you like to do in your “down-time”?
VP. Taking care of my 3 little boys (4, 7 and 10 years-old). They are my ultimate passion, my “raison d’être”. Without them, nothing is worth it.
JH. TechnoMarine seems to be like some of the basketball teams here in the states with the BIG THREE – what brought you and your two colleagues together?
VP. We love challenges. We love watches. We love people. Every business is a new adventure. Without adventure and challenge, nothing is interesting. Therefore, we love the motto: “we will succeed BIG time or we will lose BIG time, nothing in between”. It puts a lot of pressure on our shoulders and this leads us to be smarter, to be more creative, to be more pro-active, etc… This is exactly what happened at Concord. Everybody was “shocked” to see me leading Concord. They said: “what the hell are you going to do there”… And 18 months later… Concord won the “GRAND PRIX DE GENEVE” with the best design Award for 2008! I love re-shaping brands. This is my greatest passion.
JH. So let’s talk a bit about Concord. What was that experience like?
VP. Working at Concord was a great experience! It was a dream experience because I was always dreaming about a brand that was almost gone that I could help bring back to life… Concord was the ONE! Everybody was laughing at Concord before we brought the brand a new energy, a new vision, a new path – a new life . By concentrating everything on one design (one model, the C1) and stretching the C1 with creative and innovative ideas made a big difference – it made THE difference.
JH. Why did you leave?
VP. I met with Christian Viros, the former President of LVMH horlogerie (TAG Heuer, Zenith, Dior, Louis Vuitton). He wanted me to help in the re-activation of TechnoMarine. After 3 years at Concord, I now had a second chance to re-energize a brand that was slowly disappearing from the market. I was happy at Concord. But discussing our vision of the watch making industry with Christian, I realized that we shared the same view, the same vision. Christian Viros is one of the top entrepreneurs in the world of watches. He re-invented TAG Heuer. He is a visionary of a different order – like only a few people in our industry.
JH. Any regrets?
VP. I would have loved to stay another 2 years at Concord but the TechnoMarine challenge was too good to pass up. So, no. No regrets.
JH. What do you view as your greatest achievement so far?
VP. The most obvious was the rebirth of Concord. But with my colleagues, back in the late 90’s, I was in charge of the Marketing of Audemars Piguet and with the leadership of Georges-Henry Meylan, we repositioned Audemars Piguet as one of the most luxurious, prestigious and respected brands ever. This was a great achievement by reinventing every level of the marketing within AP at that time, along with the birth of the best seller Royal Oak Offshore in 1995.
JH. Very often things don’t go right, can you remember an instance where things did not go well? How did you handle this?
VP. Many times! Through my work in the watch industry so far, the projects (as a whole) were successful. But in the details, we face daily challenges! One of the most important parts of my job is to communicate. Not only to the outside (like now) but internally; to share the vision; to convince the people; to unify them. This is where sometimes, things are not going right. You have to understand that it is really challenging sometime to share what you have in mind, what you feel in your guts…it is clear to you – but you have to share that vision, and help others not only to see it, but to share it with you.
JH. So what advice do you have for the next new wave of watch executives?
VP. Enjoy the ride! Don’t lead your company with fear. Believe in what you do!
You can check out TechnoMarine at:
www.technomarine.com