CEO Talks

Patek Philippe is taking things to a whole new level Swisswatches enjoyed a personal encounter with Patek Philippe owner Thierry Stern and Kim-Eva Wempe, managing partner of Gerhard D. Wempe GmbH & Co. KG, at the inauguration of the new Patek Philippe boutique in Hamburg. Patek Philippe operates only three salons across the globe: one…

Nicola Andreatta has a calm, collected persona, despite leading the most fast-paced and disruptive horology house in the industry: Roger Dubuis. Following on from our time spent together at Goodwood Festival of Speed last year and our catch-up during the extraordinary year of 2020, we sat down once more to chime in 2023 with lunch at Il Mirtillo,…

Benjamin Comar has been CEO of Piaget since 2021 and is responsible not only for a whole range of highly complex watches, but also for extravagant jewellery. For although the manufacture originally started out as a supplier of watch movements, by the mid-20th century the maison had a desire to extend its expertise to other…

Franz Linder has been president of the watch brand Mido, which is part of the Swatch Group, ever since 2002. In the watch industry, that’s a hell of a long time to stay at the helm of a single brand. His recipe for success? He simply has fun with Mido. The brand, founded in 1918,…

Guido Terreni has been at the helm of Parmigiani Fleurier since the beginning of last year. In this industry, which tends to refer to decades or even centuries of tradition and experience, this is ultimately only a blink of an eye in the history of watchmaking. But for Parmigiani Fleurier, it is one of the…

Niels Eggerding has been with Frederique Constant for almost ten years. He experienced the both time before and after the company’s takeover by the Japanese Citizen Group. As of 2018, he has been Managing Director of the Swiss watch brand, which was founded by Peter Stas and his wife Aletta in Hong Kong. Ever since…

When genius and madness come together in watchmaking, Greubel Forsey is the place to be. While some people feel satisfied once they have understood the fundamental principles of a mechanical three-hand watch, even the most complex complications cannot really challenge Robert Greubel and Stephen Forsey any longer. Their company logo reads: "Art of Invention" –…

Our conversation with Chabi Nouri took place back in January – so before COVID-19 and all that followed with it. Nouri’s optimistic views on watchmaking and the sector itself are remarkable. She speaks with passion and enthusiasm about the rich heritage of the company she inherited three years ago, when she became CEO of Piaget.…

Jaquet Droz is all about emotions. Almost 300 years ago, Pierre Jaquet-Droz already knew how to excite people around the world, from France to China, with his snuff boxes, pocket watches and automata. Today, it's up to Christian Lattmann and his team to respectfully maintain the horology house’s heritage. However, it was Nicolas G. Hayek…

Audemars Piguet's company hybrid Porsche takes us from Geneva airport to our meeting with François-Henry Bennahmias in the Vallée de Joux. But not to a fancy restaurant – our lunch takes place at his office desk. Later, he will suddenly interrupt in the middle of the conversation because he has thought of a little game…

50 years ago, Zenith made watch history. On January 10th, 1969, it introduced the first chronograph with an automatic movement, in the form of the ‘El Primero’. It was a tough race between a few Swiss watch brands, and Zenith was only just ahead in the end. At that time, now-CEO of the traditional manufacture,…

A conversation with Maximilian Büsser is (at least in a metaphorical sense) like a rollercoaster. Our talk over lunch was a wild journey through the human soul, shaped by euphoria and joy, which suddenly headed free fall into deep compassion and sympathy. Maximilian Büsser, a once creative little boy, got lost to an industry in…