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1. What is the philosophy of Perrelet watches?
2. What is the heritage dimension of the work of Abraham-Louis Perrelet today?
The invention of the automatic movement by Abraham Louis Perrelet in 1777 left a legacy that is still very much a part of our DNA and will continue to be so.
Our philosophy is to produce and offer our customers and enthusiasts only self-winding watches.
Our brand has a long-established tradition that constantly fuels our vision towards the contemporary and the future. Our brand offers timepieces distinguished by an original and recognisable design of strong impact fitted with high-quality movements. Our watches are a successful combination of tradition and innovation.
The most recent example of this philosophy is the development of the Double Rotor. This original movement has been fitted in the house’s most iconic models since 1995, the year of its invention. The success of the Turbine model and all of its variations over the years is a prime example.
3. Perrelet’s CEO, Mr. Fausto Salvi, said that he wants it “to be a brand of speciality and not of complications”. What does this represent in terms of strategy?
This means that Perrelet puts the interests of their customers first. We focus our efforts on the production of watches with affordable prices and exclusive special features such as the Double Rotor as well as the Central Moon Phase or Regulator Retrograde.
4. What are the brand’s biggest markets?
The largest markets for us are literally the large nations such as the U.S.A, China and Russia. Our brand has been well received in these countries and has enjoyed great success and prospects for the near future are encouraging. In particular, we have worked with a new partner in Russia since last year and in China and Hong Kong we opened our first Perrelet store. All strong and important signals.
5. What are the brand’s main priorities?
Our priorities relate to the entire product: maintaining strong creativity in terms of product development, offering high-quality watches and providing good customer service. In terms of distribution, our goal is to extend our international network through collaboration with strong local partners.
6. Your catalogue contains many References. Is there a growing strategy in the number of articles?
The number of references is not the starting point from which the product strategy is defined. We need to offer our customers a sufficiently wide and complete range of products, without sacrificing brand coherence.
The collections are the expression of our designers’ creativity and the technical skill of the watchmaking engineers that make up our development team. Each year, the collections are renewed or enlarged with the aim of enhancing the product range with new colours, materials or sizes to meet the changing needs of our customers and attract them with the new additions. In the same way and with the same goal, we present models of a new design that are often also the result of the evolution of our technical know-how.
7. The Turbine and Double Rotor lines form the DNA of the brand. How are they going to evolve?
As I said, since Perrelet first patented the Double Rotor, this original and exclusive movement has been at the heart of the house’s most iconic watches.
At the next edition of Baselworld 2012, we will present new versions of the Turbine model and a new model based on further development of the double rotor concept: the Peripheral Double Rotor watch. In this new watch with a slightly retro feel, the upper rotor takes the form of a ring rotating around the perimeter of the movement. A high level of craftsmanship is successfully combined with technical finesse, resulting in a playful and unique appearance.
8. Is price very important for a watch?
Price is an important marketing tool, but should always be in line with the quality of the watch. Perrelet is a brand positioned at the lower end of Traditional Haute Horlogerie. We offer high quality, reliable products at an affordable price. This segment is often left open by other brands that choose to position themselves at a higher level. Our core business is focused on a price range of between 3,000 and 6,000 Euros. We believe we have found our proper place in the international market.
9. What are the new collections of the brand that you can reveal?
To date, as I mentioned previously, I can only anticipate one of the new developments that will be presented at Baselworld 2012, which is the Peripheral Double Rotor collection. A watch that we are particularly pleased with as it represents us completely, contains all of the brand codes and yet at the same time is fresh and new. A men’s model that is both sporty and elegant.
The "coussin" model case is 42 mm in diameter and will be available in steel, DLC-treated steel and gold.
Even the Double Rotor range will be improved and developed. The double rotor characterizes and distinguishes us in the world of watches.
10. The industry is seeing a consolidation. What is Perrelet’s position in that situation?
Perrelet is an independent, Swiss company owned by Miguel Rodriguez, the owner (of Spanish nationality) of the Festina group.
This means that our brand has the spirit and character of an independent brand but with the opportunity to benefit from the general support of a large group, a formula that is a must in today’s watch industry.
11. How is your production organized?
In 2012 we will be adding a new, internally produced movement to our collections, produced solely by our group. In general terms we source the components from various suppliers, each one a specialist in their own field. Our advantage is being able to manage several activities within the scope of the businesses belonging to M. Rodriguez and in particular the movements thanks to Soprod.
Working with associated companies allows us to be more flexible and responsive and gives us free choice.
However, the most important thing will be to make ample use of the new, internally produced movement that will be launched at the beginning of this year.
12. What challenges does the Swiss watch industry face today?
The challenges we face every day in the complex Swiss watch industry are, on the one hand, production, and on the other, distribution development.
Sourcing automatic movements is a very important issue for us. That is why the collaboration with Soprod offers us a competitive advantage.
The ability to expand the business into new markets is another strong issue. Brands that are not present in the new markets or do not have the tools and skills to approach them and understand them, will suffer considerably.
13. What do you expect from the world market in 2012?
We know that 2012 will be particularly difficult, as it has been for the last two years. Despite the economic downturn of recent times, our work has been rewarded with good growth in 2010 (+49% worldwide) and 2011 (+28%). We move with caution but always with determination, pursuing the strategy in which we believe. Our desire is to collaborate in the various markets with high quality and highly motivated partners who are enthusiastic about the brand. Partners who fully understand and share our goals. In this way, I think we can work well and continue to achieve good results during 2012.