We will go into more details of each criteria later on. It addresses where the brand comes from and where it wants to go. This is a very good range of internal and external elements that qualify a brand and its products. R&D, Production and technical expertise.The brands are measured in seven different areas of expertise: Of course, some of them now regret that they haven’t been more active or… less arrogant.
So finally, 86 of them underwent the process, and 64 of them were selected to enter the “champion’s league” of watchmaking. Some of the brands didn’t dare to reply, and some were not selected in the final evaluation. This brings me to the side remark that, at the start of the project three years ago, the steering committee selected 105 brands which received a survey on how they were manufacturing their timepieces, etc. On the positive side, the panel is cross-cultural and diversified in terms of expertise. My only criticism in this respect is the fact that no one from the manufacturing side (cases, dials, hands, etc.) is represented on any board, and that some names I saw on the list are more self-proclaimed than real experts. It was decided at an early stage that the panel of independent experts had to be large enough ( 46 members) and as independent as possible from the brands. Now, we come to the quintessential point of the process, which is: who is deciding what fine watchmaking is, and how are the brands being evaluated? Even though Kari Voutilainen produces fewer than 50 watches per year, he is crafting timepieces which are to be measured with the same quality criteria as a maison such as Patek Philippe which manufactures 1,000 times more watches each year.īoth pursue, in their own manner, a quest to perpetuate a tradition of fine watchmaking.īut one was born a few years ago, and the other one continues a tradition of more than 150 years. So the remark that I dare to make – and it’s in the interest of the consumers – is that the initial thought was to adapt the selection criteria to players with fundamentally different backgrounds, in terms of size, history, and clients’ focus.
Luxury brands manufacturing products in different categories.Contemporary brands such as Richard Mille, FP Journe, or Parmigiani.Historic Maisons where you will find, for example, Patek Phillipe and Omega.The first criteria chosen to differentiate the brands is the market segment or natural territories of the brands: So, the first thing to know is that the FHH is not restricting the access to its label of haute horlogerie by quantities, but by quality criteria mainly.
Haute horology brands full#
Not all of them, of course, because – and this is especially true for watches – the industry is still full of mysteries, and sales figures on a brand level do not exist. In times of transparency, traceability, and genuine values, the luxury industry overall, including the watch industry, is challenged by their existing and their aspirational customers to lay down some of their cards. The FHH is today funded by as many as 25 brands (a 26th is to be announced soon, and it is coming from the independents’ corner…), and of course, historically and factually, the Richemont Group is still a predominant partner… In a positive way, by providing, for instance, the facilities for the FHH.įine, but what is the added value for the clientele of fine watchmaking to know exactly what the criteria are that make you a member or not of this elite league? Using the FHH as the think tank to become the jury of this challenging task is a legitimate way of saying that the project is not being driven by the interests of only a few brands or luxury groups. Cologni wanted to set a benchmark to finally lay down a clear line between the elite of watchmaking and everyone else. In other words, the FHH is acting as the guardian of the temple, as other official bodies such as the Federation of the Swiss Watch Industry FH are not in such a position – or at least not willing – to define what differentiates fine watchmaking from the rest.
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