Thirty years after he founded the company that bears his name in Morteau, near the Swiss border, and carved out a niche among the major watch names, Emile Péquignet decided to retire and looked for someone to take over the company.

A native of Morteau where his family owned a watch manufacture, Didier Leibundgut was dreaming of buying a young, beautiful brand that had a promising future ahead of it.



With 30 years of experience in watches, first as the CEO of Slava Précision and then General Manager of the French subsidiary of the Swiss brand Zenith (bought in 1999 by the LVMH group), Didier Leibundgut recently became the main shareholder and Chairman of Montres Péquignet.

A combination of creativity, originality and French elegance, the collections are mainly geared at women and are positioned in the top-of-the-range, with prices starting from 1000 euros.

The company, which employs 47 people posted a turnover of nearly 10 million euros in 2003 and manufactures small quantities of watches or even single watches and jewellery in France and Switzerland. Emile Péquignet added jewellery collections, in the 1990s, which already accounted for 30% of turnover.

One of the targets of the new Chairman is to firmly establish the brand in the world of luxury and to develop its reputation in France and overseas. Péquignet is already well-placed, ranking alongside the leading Swiss brands in the most prestigious jewellery and watch showcases in France and in the airports of Orly and Charles de Gaulle. It is preparing to do the same in other countries, based on a very selective distribution, either by working directly with retailers or through subsidiaries that are managed directly by the head office. The company will also reinforce its communication, export and marketing services.

Mr Leibundgut has started to refocus the collection around 5 or 6 flagship lines – Moorea, Cameleone, Sorella, Lady, Massaï – which have been largely renewed. The latest creations were presented during the last Basel fair, where the new range of jewels that have been designed as a follow-up to the Massaï watches were launched.


Photos:
1- M. Didier Leibundgut, new CEO of Montres Péquignet
2- Watch and jewellery from the Massaï line


Source: C.F.H.B.J.O./C.P.D.H.B.J.O.

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(Please Credit europastar.com)