After 68 years of independence, followed by nearly 15 years of publishing adventures as part of several large media groups (United News & Media, Miller Freeman, Bill Communications, VNU) Europa Star has returned to its origins. Now once again in the hands of its founding family, it has regained its former independence.
After his buy-out of the company, my brother Philippe Maillard, already Managing Director of Europa Star for the last 20 years, takes over as head of the company. He is now following in the footsteps of our father Gilbert Maillard and our grandfather Hugo Buchser, who founded the company in 1927. At Philippe’s side, I will continue, as always, to assume the editorial direction of Europa Star.

This is a day that we have been waiting for—and preparing for—for a long time. The passing into the fold of the first large international media group in 1995 did, in fact, help us to join the electronic ‘revolution’ more easily since it offered a number of synergies that allowed us to evolve rapidly. As a result, Europa Star was able to start one of the very first international watch websites as early as 1997.

Following this initial acquisition, the large media groups, still managed by publishers and people in the press industry, began to be bought and sold back and forth. Press and media people finally ceded their place to pure corporate managers who were completely indifferent to their products. Their attention was riveted solely on obtaining the level of performance required by the investors who had become masters of the game. What counted now was not the content but rather the bottom line.

Europa Star has always been profitable; its bottom line has never been in the red. Our entire team has always had their positions reconfirmed every year, and has, in fact, remained the same for many years. But as positive as it was in the beginning, being a part of a large group began to weigh heavily on our adaptability. It started to hinder our natural development. We therefore wanted to remove ourselves from these restrictive ties and recover our total independence.
And now that we have it, Europa Star is ready to start on a new adventure. But we also realize that the current period is as perilous as it is passionate. Business models are changing all around us. And this change is particularly—and often painfully—felt in the media, which is seeking the right ‘formula’ that will let it pursue its import-ant work and play its essential role. We don’t have a fixed recipe but we deeply believe that, as the pressure to have everything ‘instantaneously’ becomes greater, the need for reflection, the importance of being able to step back to gain perspective, and the necessity of having a ‘bigger picture’ will become more and more crucial.

Electronic communication in all its forms will never replace the printed page. Of this, we are convinced. But the digital age has already transformed it enormously, and will continue to do so. Therefore, we are, and will continue to be, present on both fronts: that of the ‘instantaneous’ and that of the ‘bigger picture’.

In these two areas, we are already working to bring you a certain number of changes and improvements:

• On the electronic side, our site has been completely remodelled. While conserving its ‘look’, the sections have been changed to offer new editorial columns, complete archival retrieval, improvement in search tools, addition of the French versions of ES Première, and the use of video. Soon, you will even be able to enjoy Europa Star on your iPad.
  

• On the print side—or in other words the ‘bigger picture’—we are going to gradually strengthen our editorial content in terms of analyses, perspectives, historical articles, the economy and distribution. We also envision publishing thematic supplements. The first one will be a ‘Special World Watch Web Report’, coming out this autumn, that will describe and analyze the various electronic forms of communi-cation used by watch brands and distribution networks.
  

All of these initiatives have one goal, one objective, that guides our mission: to be a useful and effective tool for the Swiss and global watch industry while being an influential voice in the watchmaking concert—something that we have been up to now, thanks to your support, and will always strive for, as we continue our journey with you into the future.

Source: Europa Star June - July 2010 Magazine Issue