he new president of the Arc Horloger association, Richard Vaucher, has watchmaking in his veins: for how many generations has his family name contributed to a field that is at once an industry, a craft, and an art. A graduate of the Saint-Imier watchmaking school in the early 1980s, a particularly trying period for employment in Swiss horology, he was nevertheless recruited by the local giant, Longines.

Having weathered a “real crisis” like the quartz one allows him today, at the age of 62, to put into perspective the cyclical nature inherent to the watchmaking industry. He would go on to join Heuer, and then the watchmaking laboratories of the Richemont Group, before founding, together with his wife, the watch equipment company VOH, for which he is especially known.

“We initially took over a small workshop in La Chaux-de-Fonds, which we later relocated to Tramelan, in an old farmhouse,” he recounts. “At first, we were reselling hand-setting tools, but this market soon became too competitive as prices dropped due to Chinese manufacturing. So, we decided to develop our own tools and eventually gave up distribution altogether to focus entirely on our own production.”

Now employing 35 people, VOH has become a specialist manufacturer of watchmaking equipment. In 2023, the Vauchers, while retaining ownership, entrusted the operational management of the company to others. This has afforded them a cross-functional perspective on the industry, thanks to the breadth of their clientele. And it proves to be an asset as Vaucher himself takes up the presidency of Arc Horloger.

Europa Star: How did you come to be appointed president of Arc Horloger?

Richard Vaucher: I had followed the UNESCO recognition, but it was mainly through a mutual contact, Jacques Jacot, that I kept informed about the development of this project. At that time, I was preoccupied with the transition of my own company. But once that was completed, we resumed more substantive discussions. I am naturally attuned to the values championed by Arc Horloger, being descended from a long line of precision watchmakers. The whole family is in the trade!

What are your objectives and priorities?

On a personal level, my first priority is to get up to speed with the project and meet the key stakeholders. Until now, an industrial approach to watchmaking has predominated in Switzerland, even though artistic crafts have flourished and many lay claim to them, they are not necessarily on everyone’s radar. Having worked for major companies with an industrial focus, I believe we all need to learn to better understand and recognise the world of mechanical artistry. Decoration and hand-finishing have become critical challenges.

And at the association level?

The priority is to set up an observatory of expertise, as there is no comprehensive directory in this field. We must identify which skills are most at risk and the measures necessary to safeguard them. Our aim is to connect all this knowledge that exists from Cluses to Schaffhausen, and from Besançon to Neuchâtel, for we share a common culture of the small, the beautiful, the precise, and the handmade. We do not see ourselves as a replacement for anything already in place, but rather as a force to strengthen this already fertile ground and to foster greater awareness of what deserves to be valued. Today, it is important to embody this association, taking on the significant tasks of coordination, facilitation, and transmission, serving as a common denominator among the many actors and forms of expertise spread across the region.

Do you have deadlines to meet?

Our Forum will once again take place at the end of the year, and in the longer term, the renewal of UNESCO designation is scheduled for 2027. I am particularly pleased that leading figures from within the profession, such as Denis Flageollet and Jean-Paul Girardin, are now actively involved in a project that originated with the authorities. Transitioning from a state-run organisation to an association is no simple matter, especially when one considers the added complexity posed by the association’s Franco-Swiss nature.

The association’s annual budget is approximately 350,000 francs. How do you plan to finance it?

Clearly, we are still underfunded! We are finalising a membership fee system for individual and corporate members and launching a campaign. In parallel, we will undertake service mandates for public and quasi-public bodies in both Switzerland and France, focusing on targeted initiatives. We believe it should not fall to the private sector alone to fully finance an association that also serves a cultural purpose, and we are considering public-private partnerships in particular. For twelve years, until quite recently, I chaired the Grand Chasseral Foundation, a regional marketing organisation. Undoubtedly, it is this experience in the association sector that has led me to this position today!

You mentioned the cross-border nature of the association. How do you manage this aspect in your operations?

We are continually striving to maintain a statutory balance between Switzerland and France. However, our aim is not to bring together members simply because their positions require it, but rather to unite the right people, those genuinely motivated by the prospects of our mission! For example, Erich Fehr, former mayor of Biel/Bienne and a specialist in territorial marketing for the Jura Three Lakes region, has recently joined us and his cross-border experience will be invaluable. But, even as the committee expands, our organisation must remain lean in its operation. It will be my responsibility to ensure that this remains the case.