In looking back at history, certain exceptionally flourishing periods were often labelled as a ‘Golden Age’. Yet, those who lived in these ‘Golden Ages’ did not realize it at the time. It was only after the fact, when comparing them to other eras, were these epochs awarded the term ‘Golden Age’. It is a safe bet that the period we are currently witnessing in watchmaking will also be considered a ‘Golden Age’ in a few decades. In fact, in comparison, there have been very few periods in the history of watchmaking that have been as flourishing as this one.
We are not living in a ‘revolutionary’ period, such as the relatively recent quartz era, which, of course, could be categorized as such since the quartz calibre shook the industry to its foundations. Today, because of the conjunction of the most advanced technologies and a return to the traditions of mechanical timekeeping, we live in a period that has produced a large quantity of mechanical watches, or, in other words, autonomous timepieces, which are the most sophisticated and complex that man has ever created.
This was seen during the watch shows this year, where more than 120 brands presented tourbillon models. This has never before been seen. More tourbillons have been created in this short span of time than have been created during the entire preceding two centuries.
But history’s lessons do not stop there. There is no point in simply being a smug optimist, because, as the saying goes, ‘a pessimist is simply an optimist that is more informed than the others’. And, what is going to happen as we move forwardı
Like the major forces at work in our global economy, the phenomenon of ‘delocalization’ (or we could call it ‘transfer of competence’) from the ‘developed’ world to the ‘emerging’ nations, and the phenomenon of the growing ‘gap’ between the rich and the poor, is now being seen in the watch industry, which is witnessing a large separation in product levels. On one side, we find more and more timepieces that are increasingly sophisticated with higher and higher prices. On the other side, we see mass produced watch production that is upsetting the apple cart everywhere (in Asia, a quartz movement costs only a dozen or so cents). And between these two extremes, what is happening in the middleı Well, the mid-range offer is becoming increasingly scarcer.
Proof of this phenomenon can be seen in the latest numbers of Swiss watch exports. For May 2005, they registered a decrease in volume of nearly one percent, within a context of generalized price increases. On the short term, this may be profitable for Swiss watchmakers, but what will happen in the medium to long termı
One thinks immediately of China, of course, and the question comes to mind: can the situation that is currently occurring in the European and American textile market happen one day to the watch industryı How strange it is, that, in a few months, China has gone from the promising ‘eldorado’ to a dangerous ‘threat’… (see our Editorial).
But, nothing is written in stone. Everything remains possible. For the time being, as the following pages and our Cover Story aptly demonstrate, the forces of research and development are leading the way to new discoveries in the world of timekeeping. After having been consolidated into a few hands, the watch offer is again diversifying. Here and there, we find a brand such as Parmigiani Fleurier that has acquired its autonomy in the “strategic heart of the watch” or a young Urwerk, radically innovating in the way time is displayed. Elsewhere, we discover a manufacture such as Ulysse Nardin, reborn and proposing unusual and encouraging solutions in the art of mechanical timekeeping.
Just take a look around you. There is certainly no lack of examples, which show real signs of vitality and originality in the following pages. No, the ‘High Mass’ has not been said, but it is important to be attentive, and keep the ‘gap’ from getting any wider.


Source: August -September 2005 Issue

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