I was fortunate to interview Shinji Hattori, the President of Seiko Watch Corp and Seiko Holdings, late last year. Mr Hattori’s great- great grandfather founded Seiko 130 years ago.         Mr Hattori is not a colour corporate leader. Beyond the family business, Mr Hattori's hobbies include an Elvis band, for which he is the lead singer. I am eagerly awaiting his CD.   Reading between the lines one can surmise Grand Seiko and Credor will gradually be sold ... more

Previously on PuristSPro, we had articles about Danish Design click the link: home.watchprosite.com and Conversations with Morten Linde – part 1 click the link: home.watchprosite.com Conversations with Morten Linde – part 2 ML=Morten LindePP=PuristSPro PP: Before we talk about the new SpidoSpeed Chronograph, how does a design story start at Linde Werdelin? Is it from Jorn Werdelin and the marketing department or do the designers set out the ‘story’... more

Jaeger-LeCoultre Grande Reverso 976 Ceniceros Edition by Edmund Woophotos: Dr. Ming Woo  The Duality of Art and the JLC Reverso: These two concepts started as an idea that turned into a unique match to celebrate the 80th anniversary of the iconic Jaeger LeCoultre Reverso and the grand opening of the Jaeger LeCoultre Boutique in Mexico City. Under the direction of Mr. Jerome Lambert, CEO of Jaeger LeCoultre, a limited edition Reverso was created to commemorate these two events. But what e... more

Lionel Favre, a young and very energetic man responsible for the product design at MRD.   Having joined the firm about 3 years ago, Lionel came from Chopard where he was responsible for design of pieces such as Mille Miglia, Happy Diamond as well as technological marvel like the Tech Regulator.    As one can imagine, he was longing for a chance to take his inspiration to the next level, a level that proved a bit too bold for Chopard.  As such, when the opportunity to work for a you... more

Conversations with Morten Linde – part 1     ML=Morten LindePP=PuristSPro (Dr M. Teillol-Foo) PP: When I first heard about you and Linde Werdelin, I was already a fan of the Bang & Olufsen hi-fi that you helped design; I have both the Beosound 9000 and the Beosound Century. How did your design journey bring you to Linde Werdelin? ML: I owned my own design studio for about 15 years before forming Linde Werdelin. I designed everything from stereos to telephones to watches, for other ... more

In this tenth anniversary year of PuristS, and just a few days away from the start of the IGOTT, it is fitting that we interview Thomas Mao, the founder and Chief Purist. While Thomas understandably wanted the focus to be on the ThePuristS and PuristSPro, I know you will want to hear a little bit more about the man himself and what makes him ‘tick’. And yes, if I had a stethoscope handy I would not have been at all surprised if there was a ticking to be heard in Thomas’ chest. ... more

Interview: IKEPOD CEO Mr. Alexandre David www.PuristSPro.com Westime Beverly HillsBeverly Hills, California Team PuristSPro had the pleasure to spend some time with Ikepod CEO Alexandre David during the Westime preview of a unique Ikepod Hourglass created for the ONLY Watch 2011 charity benefiting research, treatment, awareness, and hope for children affected by Muscular Dystrophy.AD: Mr. Alexandre David, CEO IkepodPPro: PuristSProPPro: Good morning Mr. David, welcome to Los Angeles!AD: ... more

Last week, I had a pleasure to attend two events of JLC in one day and I would like to report both.The Part 1 is the interview with Mr. Jerome Lambert and the Part 2 is the dinner for the clients with Mr. Lambert.  This is the Part 1 of the series.  KIH ("PPro"): How did you feel about turning to CEO from CFO – it is rare, at least in the US, for CFOs to be promoted to CEO.  What do you think made the board decide to promote you?  Were you surprised or somehow expected? ... more

The star is rising againPictorial essay and in-depth interview with Zenith CEO Jean-Frédéric Dufour A chimney towering over Le Locle From almost everywhere in Le Locle one can spot a huge brick chimney that seems to tower over the whole town. This chimney has been standing there for more than a 100 years and belongs to the Zenith Manufacture. Pondering the beauty of this industrial monument one would hardly guess how eventful the past century was for the people working under the roofs of the numer... more

Christophe Claret is one of the pioneering complications specialists in Swiss watchmaking. Claret started his career in 1986 when Rolf Schnyder of Ulysse-Nardin commissioned the now famous San Marco repeater with automaton. Since then he has gone on to create over 60 different calibres, all of them complications, for dozens of brands including Bovet, Breguet, Cartier, Chopard, Corum, Girard Perregaux, Harry Winston (including more than just the Opus 4), Jorg Hysek and Parmigiani.   His manufacture i... more

Peter Speake-Marin October 8, 2010, Melbourne, Australia.   I was fortunate enough to spend several hours with Peter and his watches during a one-day visit to Melbourne as part of his world tour showcasing the SM2 movement and the new Thalassa.   I am not the first person to say this, but Peter is a really great guy; someone who puts you immediately at ease. Of course it helps that we can connect over watches, but in a very short period of time we felt like old friends, chatting a... more

At a recent event at Westime Beverly Hills, Team PuristSPro had the opportunity to speak with Mr. Jean-Frederic Dufour, global CEO of Zenith.  Founded in 1865 by Georges Favre-Jacot in the Swiss mountains of Neuchatel, the manufacturer has had a noted history of innovation, precision, and reliability.  Most known for the El Primero self winding movement, Zenith produced a high frequency chronograph which resulted in accurate timing.  Mr. Jean-Frederic Dufour took the reigns of Zenith on June... more

Matthias Schuler took over as CEO of Manufacture Roger Dubuis two years ago, after Richemont acquired the brand from founder Carlos Dias. Formerly the COO of IWC, Schuler is a serious, methodical manager, appointed to bring about order to what used to be an unruly brand.     Matthias Schuler    In the two years since, Schuler and his team of five managers from other Richemont brands, have turned around Roger Dubuis. Products and quality control are now up to par. The next task is ... more

"URWERK was born from a meeting in 1995 between two brothers, Felix and Thomas Baumgartner, both gifted watchmakers, and friend Martin Frei, a talented artist and designer.These young men were united by their common passion for measuring and portraying time. A long discussion, a sharing of philosophies and dreams, culminated in a decision to create their own vision of time. Martin Frei sketched and honed the design of the timepiece while the Baumgartners spent the next two years developing the technical asp... more

Stephen Urquhart has been the President of Omega since June 1999.  Prior to that, he was Director of Blancpain, on the Board of Directors of Jaeger LeCoultre, President and CEO of Audemars Piguet, and began his career with Omega in 1964 as a Manager of Marketing. A Candid Chat With Stephen Urquhart, CEO of Omega     By Art Dakessian  © September 2010   I got the call to interview him when he visited Los Angeles in late June for an event commemorating the Con... more

[George Daniels and Roger Smith at work in Daniel's workshop]At the time of the tea salons of London being the hive of business and academic endeavour, the area around Fleet Street in London resembled the watch industry that is Switzerland today. Components for watches were manufactured in separate workshops (plates, pinions, cogs, and hands) then assembled by a watchmaker. The names of Tompion, Graham, Mudge, were both held in scientific and artistic acclaim. England produced watches that were the envy o... more