Category: Interviews

Interview – Valtteri Bottas talks Formula 1, (IWC) Watches and what may be Next

Following yesterday’s interview with Lewis Hamilton, it is now time to have some time with his team-mate, also a driver for Mercedes AMG Petronas Motorsport: Valtteri Bottas. As a Finnish, I had the idea that this interview would turn different than with super-star Lewis. And unsurprisingly, it did. Same questions as for Lewis, same focus on racing, style, (IWC) watches – as Valtteri also wears driving gloves with the Big Pilot’s Watch printed on them – and about what may be next for him. Here we are with the second part of this interview where Valtteri Bottas talks to MONOCHROME.

6 years ago

Interview – Lewis Hamilton talks Formula 1, (IWC) Watches and what may be next

Just ahead of the French Grand Prix last weekend, I had the chance to sit down with two of the best drivers currently racing in Formula 1, both behind the wheel of the Mercedes AMG Petronas Motorsport W09: Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas. IWC is a major sponsor of team Mercedes, and both drivers wear gloves with the well-known Big Pilot’s Watch printed on them. So, as you can imagine, the interview steered onto the watch track and we can even tell you what watches both gentlemen might be designing one day with the brand… First part, Lewis talks to MONOCHROME.

6 years ago

Interview – Patrick Pruniaux, CEO of Ulysse Nardin, on the Future of the Brand

Replacing another Patrick (Hoffmann, CEO of the brand from 2011 to 2017), Patrick Pruniaux could easily be qualified as a luxury expert – watch expert, of course, but not only. He certainly is part of the new generation of CEOs who know about the watchmaking industry but who also spent some years outside of this microcosm. From the Wine and Spirit division of LVMH, followed by several positions at TAG Heuer, Patrick will later cross the Atlantic in 2014, as he was hired by Apple, in Cupertino, to prepare the launch of the Apple Watch as a member of the Special Projects team. He was then promoted to the position of Managing Director for UK & Ireland in 2015, and was also a member of Apple EMEA Executive Committee. He finally joined Kering Group in September 2017 as Chief Executive Officer of Ulysse Nardin. Today, we have this 2.0 luxury CEO talking to us about the future of Ulysse Nardin.

7 years ago

Interview – Peter Speake-Marin on Making Watches, Developing Movements and his Latest Venture, the Naked Watchmaker

I can clearly remember my very first Baselworld and meeting Peter Speake-Marin. I didn’t know the “industry” as well as I know it today and I had no real conception of the entire industry and where Peter fit in. Today, some ten years later, I’m still in touch with Peter and I feel honoured to call him a friend. Over this past decade, I’ve followed Peter’s wanderings through the industry, and since Peter recently started a new venture (the Naked Watchmaker) I wanted to give you an overview of who Mr Peter Speake-Marin actually is. Soon, we’ll focus on him deconstructing movements, but first, an interview with the man himself.

7 years ago

Interview – Talking about the Oscars of Watchmaking and new Developments for the GPHG

As of January 1st, 2018, the Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève, or short GPHG, has a new president: Mr Raymond Loretan. He took over the helm from his predecessor Carlo Lamprecht, who, together with Mrs Carine Maillard, director of the GPHG foundation, has built the GPHG to what it is today. What they achieved in only seventeen years is very impressive! Besides a new president, there are two more prize categories that we wanted to know more about. MONOCHROME sat down with Raymond Loretan and Carine Maillard to talk about the GPHG’s past and future. 

7 years ago

Interview – In Conversation With Nick Harris, Founder of Orion and Watches By Nick

A somewhat surprising, yet very encouraging trend seems to be emerging in our tiny watch ecosystem. Young people from around the world, millennials who aren’t supposed to even care about traditional (‘outdated’) technology, are discovering a passion for mechanical wristwatches. And what’s more, they are finding interesting ways to explore and develop their own ideas, leveraging the boom in crowdfunding to help them create their own products and brands, many of which offer genuinely interesting additions to an already crowded market.

This seems all the more remarkable when you consider that none of these young creators has ever even had the need to wear a wristwatch, thanks largely to the advent of things like smartphones. Still, they are making the active choice to be a part of this world and to try and make a living from mechanical wristwatches. Today, we’re speaking to one such individual, a young man from the USA by the name of Nick Harris. The Seiko fans among you might recognise Nick’s name from his first watch-related project, Watches by Nick, which focused on modifying Seiko watches. Now, he’s studying full-time at watchmaking school and has launched his own brand, Orion, to help fund his studies.

7 years ago

3 Questions to Guillaume Tetu, COO of Ralph Lauren Watch and Jewelry Co

We caught up with Guillaume Tetu, COO of Ralph Lauren Watch and Jewelry Co (RLWJ) in Geneva a couple of weeks ahead of Watches and Wonders Miami 2018. He shares his vision for RLWJ’s future as the brand will celebrate its 50th anniversary this year, including a sneak preview of the new Ralph Lauren RL Automotive Skeleton Steel presented at Watches and Wonders.

7 years ago

VIDEO – The Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Double Balance Wheel Openworked Fully Explained (and the fun story on how it came to life, by the CEO)

At the SIHH 2016, Audemars Piguet introduced a new version of its Royal Oak Openworked, and this time, it featured a Double Balance Wheel… Why replacing this superb model? And why having two balances? We all know that images are better than words in order to understand, so let’s turn the floor over to the CEO of Audemars Piguet, François-Henry Bennahmias (and you’ll see, there’s a fun story behind the creation of this watch) and Gilles Pellet, Head of Product Quality Department at Audemars Piguet, to discover the superb and technically-advanced Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Double Balance Wheel Openworked 15407.

7 years ago

VIDEO – Aurel Bacs Talks Paul Newman’s Rolex Daytona & Highlights From Phillips New York Auction

While Aurel Bacs’ reputation as an auctioneer was not to be done anymore, he recently managed to impress the watch-collecting community again, by being entrusted with the sale of no less than Paul Newman’s Paul Newman Rolex Daytona. So to say, a Holy-Grail in watch collecting. However, that’s not all. Phillips, in Association with Bacs & Russo, managed to create around this watch an entire and fascinating catalogue, which inaugurates the New York auctions for the Maison. Today, we’re pleased to receive Aurel, to talk Paul Newman’s Paul Newman Rolex Daytona and other highlights from the “Winning Icons, Legendary Watches of the 20th Century” that will take place in New York, on 26 October 2017.

7 years ago

Handwerkskunst according to A. Lange & Söhne – Interview with CEO Wilhelm Schmid

The other day I had the distinct pleasure of spending a few days with A. Lange & Söhne in Florence, Italy. The main purpose was the launch of the Lange 1815 Rattrapante Perpetual Calendar Handwerkskunst and four new blue dial version (Lange 1, Lange 1 Daymatic, Saxonia and Saxonia handwound), all of which we already showed you last weekend. The team at Lange organized several ‘field trips’ to various handcrafts, like lithography, fabric weaving and printing, among others, and we visited one of the most prestigious winemakers from Tuscany (the region in which Florence is located.) Wilhelm Schmid, the brand’s CEO, tells us more about Handwerkskunst and handcrafts, plus I’ll share wrist shots of a group of Lange collectors whom I accidentally ran into. Be warned… LOTS of photos!

7 years ago