Movements at the top of the watchmaking food chain are closely observed so it surprised exactly no one when Julien Tornare was tapped for the top job at TAG Heuer. His replacement as CEO at Zenith was sure to elicit just as much interest, given that Tornare's accomplishments there had left big boots to fill.
For our part, we had been writing of the seemingly unending string of hits emerging from the manufacture at Le Locle for years. Ahead of Watches and Wonders Geneva (WWG), we were a little apprehensive about one of our favourite brands, and thus the narrative took a familiar turn.
Virtually every story about Benoit de Clerck taking on the top job at Zenith begins with references to his predecessors, and this is perhaps unfair. As a consummate professional and a true watch enthusiast, there is no need to wonder if de Clerck can slip into anyone's shoes. He has his own. Of course, one does not get the CEO role in an LVMH watch brand by answering a want ad so de Clerck does have rather impressive credentials, including a lifetime spent in the watch trade. The Belgian national worked the Middle East market for TAG Heuer back in 1999 before LVMH bought the brand. But as far as watchmaking goes, the story really begins with IWC...
Meeting new faces in this business always leads us down rabbit holes. How many times did we pass de Clerck in some watch fair or other before our first meeting at WWG this year? Did we ever notice that famous IWC on his wrist, perhaps at a Ronan Keating concert? Unlike many executives in this trade, de Clerck reportedly went all-in on the mechanical watch from an early age, with friends ribbing him for his interest in "grandfather watches."
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Denne historien er fra Issue 73-utgaven av WOW Singapore.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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Worth Its Weight
TAG Heuer scored an unexpected win with the Carrera Chronograph Skipper in the recent past, so the brand returned it to regular production in steel last year. For 2024, red gold marks the Skipper's triumph
When Imitation Is Criminal
In the second part of our special on the phenomenon of counterfeiting in watchmaking, we look at some surprising reasons behind consumer demand
The Conversation: Greater Expectations
With Geneva Watch Week behind us, the editors exchange views on the novelty showcases, the novelties themselves and all the watch news that is fit to print and some that is not)
GOLDEN HOURS
The first timekeepers may not have been cased in any precious metal but, given how precious time is, gold and silver soon made their marks here
FINE TIME
Precious metals promise to put the fine’ back into fine watchmaking, after years of being overshadowed by more prosaic materials. This special section continues the journey we began last issue, with a deep dive into that most desirable of all metals, gold. Of course, platinum is also back...
RED DAWN
Grand Seiko celebrates the 20th birthday of Spring Drive with a special edition Chronograph GMT SBGC275 with a unique dial
NEW DEPTHS
Breguet surprises with the gem-set Marine Chronograph 5529, opening up new vistas for the collection
NEW AND NOTED
As you might expect, we have been covering Watches and Wonders Geneva since it began as a physical fair in 2022 and of course when it was confined to the ether, from 2020.
OPEN SEASON
The world's biggest and most important watch fair gets a little bigger and a little better. As for the watches, they got more than a little precious...
GREAT LEAP FORWARD
With the Portugieser Eternal Calendar, WC demonstrates its mastery in the realms of the calendar and moon phase complications