Photographs by Okuda Takafumi, Yu Mitamura
Hiroyuki Suzuki, Masamasa Hirota (this magazine), Yukiya Suzuki (this magazine): Interviews and writing
Text by Hiroyuki Suzuki, Masayuki Hirota (Chronos-Japan), Yukiya Suzuki (Chronos-Japan)
The most significant change since 2000 has been the marked increase in the involvement of the marketing department in product development. New product development has become heavily influenced by management and the group's headquarters, which change almost every year, and as a result, many new products have had to follow a similar direction. Dominique Frechon points out that this tendency exists even in the Métiers d'Art used in high-end models.
The situation of new products becoming similar is even more pronounced in the mid-range and below. The introduction of 3D printers has dramatically reduced the speed of product development. However, rather than strengthening each manufacturer's creativity, it has accelerated each manufacturer's pursuit of trends.
At the 2016 SIHH, I saw a number of new products that were beautifully crafted. However, it was also true that they were similar in some ways. Creations in the watch industry are being pushed into a corner amidst ever-increasing restrictions. Of course, there were also some disruptive movements. The astute Franco Coloni invited small manufacturers to SIHH in an attempt to inspire them.
Considering this, the diversity of the new products I saw at Basel was nothing short of surprising: colorful dials, mid-range watches with a high level of quality, complications with practical applications, etc. One might say that this is to be expected since independent manufacturers are participating, but what I want to emphasize is that this diverse creativity was, to a greater or lesser extent, supported by a strong entrepreneurial spirit.
For example, Jean-Claude Biver, who leads LVMH's watch division, has not forgotten the feelings he had when he founded Blancpain, even now that he is the head of a large group. He speaks of wanting to lower TAG Heuer prices and stimulate consumer demand, resembling the founding president of a new manufacturer. This drive to turn around a sluggish market with high-quality products is even more pronounced among smaller manufacturers than among LVMH, the Swatch Group, or Kering. There are countless examples of such new releases, including Angelus and Arnold & Son, which launched modern skeleton watches at strategic prices; HYT, which further evolved the uniqueness of its displays; and H. Moser & Cie., which found a new outlet through dial expression. Of course, there's no guarantee that these attempts will be successful, and if the economy improves, they may once again become more conservative.
However, at this point, we can say this: "They prepared. That is why they were able to save their species and move on to new developments. We know this. So let us prepare." (Hermann Hesse, Demian). Indeed, diversity is preparation for the future. (Masamasa Hirota, this magazine)
