Not long after my previous report a few weeks ago, I joined several other RedBar team members on a trip overseas to bring the gospel to the good people of London and Antwerp. We also found time to spend a couple of days with Maurice Lacroix in Zurich and at their manufacture in the Jura region, where we were fortunate enough to catch a glimpse of both their future, and ours.
Our first stop on what has since been dubbed the RedBar European Tour was in merry old Londontown, which plays host to not only the Queen and a thousand years of history, but also to a sizable community of serious watch collectors
If we’re to establish a beachhead in Europe, this is where it begins. For those who are unaware, London is most definitely a “watch town.” That is to say, there are boutiques, ADs and vintage sellers galore, most of which are situated on or around Bond Street.
In a rather serendipitous turn we not only ran into Danny Govberg of Govberg Jewelers (and iW) fame while strolling down the block, but also Philippe Bonay, Jaeger-LeCoultre’s President for North America (who later we also bumped into in Jaeger-LeCoultre’s new London Flagship boutique, which, it must be said is pretty much a mandatory stop for any WIS visiting the city). Small world, indeed!
It was thanks to a repatriated former member of our NYC chapter that the stage was set for the first RedBar London, which went off brilliantly. Present were modified Rolexes, F.P. Journes, vintage Heuers and a bevy of rare hardware from the likes of Omega, Jaeger-LeCoultre and IWC. Naturally, hometown favorites Bremont and Speake-Marin made their presence known, with the latter notable for a visit their founder made to RedBar NYC earlier in the month.
Of course, it goes without saying that a couple of gin & tonics and perhaps a pint or two were consumed during the course of the evening, but then it wouldn’t be RedBar if they weren’t. All in all, the London chapter is off to an excellent start, and we look forward to watching it grow in the coming months.
Antwerp
As much fun as London was, duty called on the Continent, and so it was that our COO, Kathleen McGivney, cracked the whip early the following morning and herded our photographer Atom Moore and myself onto the EuroStar at Paddington Station. Next stop? Antwerp.
As much fun as London was, duty called on the Continent, and so it was that our COO, Kathleen McGivney, cracked the whip early the following morning and herded our photographer Atom Moore and myself onto the EuroStar at Paddington Station. Next stop? Antwerp.
As old cities in Europe go, Antwerp ranks near the top. The history is deep, the architecture is beautiful, the people are fantastic and guess what else? — they love watches. Okay, so that latter bit applies to most of Belgium, but hey, I’ve gotta stick with what I see with my own two eyes, and let me tell you, Antwerp gets it.
Our mission here was two-fold: First, we were going to visit with Belgian-based independent watchmaker Ressence, and second, we were going to throw down with our Belgian analog, the Belgium Watch Club.
With respect to Ressence, we were fortunate enough to catch them on a day when they were preparing their limited edition Type 3 American watches for shipping, which afforded us plenty of hands-on time before they were sent off to the States to their lucky owners. Company founder Benoit Mintiens couldn’t have been more gracious with his time or more forthcoming about his brand. Indeed, we kept wondering when he was going to kick us out, but that moment never came. I firmly believe that if we didn’t have dinner scheduled with the Belgium Watch Club that evening, we probably would’ve ordered in and spent the remainder of the night talking watches with Benoit.
But dinner called, though not until after we paid a quick visit to Slaets, one of Antwerp’s oldest and most prestigious authorized retailers (they’ve been in business for more than 110 years). Dinner was held near the river in an old townhouse, and frankly speaking, the experience couldn’t have been more Belgian. From the Flemish architecture — inside and out — to the warm hospitality experienced at every turn, to say that we were impressed would be to understate the situation rather severely.
Our hosts, who numbered thirty strong, were as enthusiastic and knowledgeable as we’ve come to expect from our own members, and we look forward to visiting with them again. But as with London, the time came for us to bundle off to the train station and set our sights on Switzerland and Maurice Lacroix.
Zurich
We arrived in Zurich at a somewhat odd time for the young manufacture. Just one day prior, it was announced that their parent company, DKSH, was in the process of shopping around for a buyer, a fact that had every chance of making conversation ‘round the dinner table a tad bit awkward. But nothing could have been further from the truth. Managing Director Stephane Wasser was extremely forthcoming about the situation, and indeed, our manufacture tour showed us in no uncertain terms that ML is operating strictly Business As Usual.
We arrived in Zurich at a somewhat odd time for the young manufacture. Just one day prior, it was announced that their parent company, DKSH, was in the process of shopping around for a buyer, a fact that had every chance of making conversation ‘round the dinner table a tad bit awkward. But nothing could have been further from the truth. Managing Director Stephane Wasser was extremely forthcoming about the situation, and indeed, our manufacture tour showed us in no uncertain terms that ML is operating strictly Business As Usual.
Maurice Lacroix’s manufacture — and let’s be clear on this, they are a true manufacture — is located approximately two hours drive from Zurich in the Jura region in the small town of Saignelégier. In addition to an all-access tour of their production facility, we were also treated to a presentation by their director of communications and got to spend time with their chief designer, who showed us future pieces (shhhh) and a slew or prototypes that never made it to production, but that just might make it to auction (keep your ears to the ground).
We also got updated on a special project that’s near and dear to RedBar, but I think we’ll keep that under wraps for just a little bit longer…
We had dinner later on that evening in Zurich with Stephane and Paul Erhardt, Maurice Lacroix’s brand director for North America, and after a late night of scotch and cigars, we hit the road the following morning, this time back to London for one last day, where we stopped by Selfridge’s watch department — another must-see for WISes visiting London — and then hopped a plane to NYC.
So, what did we learn?
1. London is every bit the watch town that NYC is.
2. Antwerp is gorgeous; Ressence is amazing; and the Belgium Watch Club is our perfect proxy in the Flemish-speaking world.
3. Maurice Lacroix has more layers than an onion and punches far above its weight.
4. That our foray into Europe was a smashing success and marks the beginning of our expansion overseas. Next stop: Paris.
2. Antwerp is gorgeous; Ressence is amazing; and the Belgium Watch Club is our perfect proxy in the Flemish-speaking world.
3. Maurice Lacroix has more layers than an onion and punches far above its weight.
4. That our foray into Europe was a smashing success and marks the beginning of our expansion overseas. Next stop: Paris.
Of course, when all is said and done, it’s nice to be back home, never mind that there’s no time to catch our breath. To this end, we look forward to hosting Maximilian Büsser and MB&F, Arnold & Son, Glashütte Original, Tiffany & Co. and more in the coming weeks. And then there’s our official website, which will be launching soon.
Yes, it’s tough work, but somebody has to do it.
Photos by Atom Moore
http://iwmagazine.com/2015/08/redbar-report-european-tour/
