Exclusive Interview with Mr. Laurent Dordet, CEO of La Montre Hermès By Arabian Watches & Jewellery
fiogf49gjkf0d What is your vision for La Montre Hermès?
“La Montre Hermès” is our company’s name; our “métier” is “Hermès watchmaker”.
As for every “métier” Hermès is running, our target is first to master this craftsmanship at the highest degree of requirement, and then to express Hermès singular style and creativity through this know how, in all our products.
This “métier” has a great potential, weather for men or for women lines. The challenge is to make it a growth driver for our group, with a qualitative growth in harmony with Hermès universe.
What's your definition of Fine Watchmaking?
I would say the combination of the most innovative industry with the most traditional craftsmanship, plus the selection of the finest materials, at the service of an elegant, simple and functional object.
These qualities apply to the object itself, to its aesthetics and functionality, but also and equally to the way in which it is designed and manufactured.
Where do you see Hermes fitting in the timepieces market segment?
Hermès has already a strong position in the ladies’ watch industry that we definitely will try to expand again.
Next to it, our strategy since a few years is to develop high end mens’ watches, developed and almost totally manufactured internally, with Vaucher Manufacture Fleurier movements – of which we are the second shareholder-, our own dials, cases and straps.
Hermès is now a manufacture watchmaker, and our will is clearly to step up towards the best qualitative established brands, humbly but ambitiously. Our new products will have to prove that we are on the right path.
How do you see 2015, a year of challenges or continuality?
For the mid-term, we have many assets which have not yet been completely exploited. So at this point in my discovery, I think we have solid foundations and need to make a bit of effort to go a lot further.
This being said, 2015 is still a challenging year full of economic and political uncertainties : some markets are booming, some others, like Hong Kong, are still more difficult.
What are Hermes “star” novelties for the Baselworld 2015?
We are presenting a new full collection named Slim d’Hermès. We were looking for an elegant, classic but also contemporary piece that speaks to the essential codes of the brand. It should appeal to men and women looking for a piece that reflects Hermès values, high quality, simplicity and creativity.
It is important to highlight that the new Slim d'Hermès showcases Hermès’ vertical integration: the extra flat movement comes from Vaucher (the 3rd caliber we developed with our partner), all the other key elements are manufactured internally.
The launch of this new line is key to achieve our objectives of growth and of credibility. And apparently many specialists consider that this will be one of our reference watch.
Among the new Hermes watch releases which one is your favorite?
The Slim d’Hermès 39.5mm, for its classic but contemporary look, which gathers the Hermès values with a very elegant touch and well-crafted manufacture movement. I would probably chose the perpetual calendar version, also well received by Baselworld buzz.
But I’m also very impressed by the “exceptional pieces” we present again this year : especially the painting on Sèvres porcelain, which showcases the traditional Japanese hand painting craftsmanship called aka-e.
What watch do you wear daily?
Now as from Basel on, the new Slim d’Hermès in the 39.5 mm rose gold version.
How many watches Hermes produces a year? And what is your largest market?
We are not speaking about number of watches per year, which is not representative of our growth which is linked to values.
France, China, Japan and the USA are our largest markets at this point.
Can you elaborate more on the Hermes Caliber manufacturing -current position and future plans?
Up to 2014, our mechanical offer was not exclusively achieved on the basis of manufacture movements. From 2015 onwards, we will focus heavily on manufacture movements, provided by our partner Vaucher.
This will enable us to develop products and tell tales that are exclusively Hermès.
What is the percentage of Hermes women watches produced when compared to the masculine watches introduced?
With regards to the masculine collections, we have implemented collections in the past few years that we hope will become our next classics for men: Arceau, Cape Cod, Dressage, and now Slim d’Hermès in 2015.
In terms of offer, we will complement this offer with proposals that will be manufacture-based, always privileging innovative and non-conventional complications: such as “time to dream” saga, which will continue after the Arceau Le temps suspendu and Dressage L’heure masquée.
With regards to our feminine offer, we will be bringing in new lines. We have a certain number of pillars which still work very well, but we will up the game somewhat with the rhythm of our proposals.
The overall mix is about 70% feminine and 30% masculine, and we think this should be more balanced in the future.
How does Hermes cope with the uprising competition in the region’s watch markets?
This market has always been very competitive. We try to focus on the path we have to follow : invest in craftsmanship and industry to understand and master the know how better each year, and thanks to this, develop innovative and creative Hermès models to enrich our collections.
How is Hermes watches faring in the Middle Eastern market?
Hermès is about elegance and sobriety, creativity, quality and craftsmanship. The Hermès watch business in the Middle East is growing very fast since few years, responding to a demand for high end mechanical watches and beautiful objects. So I think our values are meeting in many ways Middle Eastern people aspirations.
What are your priorities for 2015?
The main priority is to succeed what has been undertaken in the recent years. We have successfully incorporated many skills internally: now we need to acquire greater watchmaking legitimacy from a larger clientele. This cannot be imposed by decree: it is a long-term effort and we are aware of that and ready for it.
The day that all clients unhesitatingly compare Hermès with the best established watchmaking brands, we will have fully succeeded. Each year we make big improvements into this direction.
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