Watch certifications
Watchmaking brands tend to be self-validated. Calling upon either history, craft or technique, they rely on their reputation, claiming it is sufficient proof that their products are of value. And we are expected to take their word for it. But there is a logic to having certain aspects certified by third parties. Three institutions are known to certify the broader and finer points of watchmaking quality. Many brands pick just one of these. But only one of them uses all three, sometimes in combination: Chopard.
The Geneva-based brand has manufacturing facilities in Fleurier. This double nationality so to speak gives it access to the two most sophisticated certification processes the watch industry has to offer. The first is the Hallmark of Geneva. It is a quality control process aimed at making sure that both case and movement are of superior quality. The criteria include aesthetics, finishes, technical demands such as the shape of springs and the accuracy of the encased movement. Chopard assembles and regulates some of its finer L.U.C timepieces, for which is masters the development and manufacturing process in-house, in its Geneva workshops. And for nearly twenty years, the L.U.C collection has been of the utmost refinement. These three facts combined make Chopard an avid and worthy user of the Hallmark of Geneva.
Only a handful of brands are based in Fleurier, and they are united in creating and running the Fondation Qualité Fleurier (or FQF). It is the most demanding certification a watch can obtain. This difficulty comes from the fact that the Qualité Fleurier label is only awarded after an encased movement has gone through a process that recreates the reality of being worn on one's wrist among other ordeals. As a founder and promoter of the FQF, Chopard regularly offers watches that have proved worthy of that certification too. Actually, it is the brand that uses it the most.
As for the third certification available, Chopard is by far not its biggest user, although most of its mechanical timepieces are certified to be chronometers by the COSC. A very Swiss institution, the COSC is the largest certification body in watchmaking. It certifies that a movement stays within a certain margin of accuracy even when fully or half wound, in 5 different positions and 3 temperatures over 15 days. For example, all of Chopard's Mille Miglia watches are certified chronometers.
Chopard is the only brand to use all three certifications. They sometimes even use several together for the same watch. They went as far as using all three in the L.U.C. Triple Certification. More recently, the L.U.C 1963 Tourbillon was both stamped with the Geneva Seal and the COSC.
The question remains as to why Chopard behaves that way. Its president Karl-Friedrich Scheufele answers thus: "The external certifications our watches or movements undergo confirm and guarantee the credibility of our manufacturing process. They bring an outside and independent look on our production. They guarantee our clients the great care that went into the movement finishes (Geneva Hallmark and QF), as well as the chronometric precision (COSC) or the overall reliability of our products (QF)". No need to take their word for it, someone else guarantees that Chopard's watches are of superior quality, even if your eyes or experience tell you so anyway. There is an added benefit to submitting timepieces to such judgement. "Doing so has largely contributed to making our products better and more reliable over the years, and has helped our R&D, for instance with the results from the FQF's simulated wearing tests," adds Mr. Scheufele.
Yet, that still wasn't enough for Chopard. So in late 2014, the brand released its first Fairmined gold watch, the L.U.C Tourbillon Qualité Fleurier Fairmined. One of their new watches for 2015 is the L.U.C XPS Fairmined. Its case is made of Colombian gold mined according to a specific set of rules regarding the living conditions of the miners, environmental demands and fair-trade conditions. That gold is also used for jewellery purposes, but more and more Chopard watches will have an added ethical benefit on top of their proof of watchmaking quality.
Backes & Strauss - An autumn full of new launches
The Biennale des Antiquaires in Paris (see our separate coverage by David Chokron) also made waves across the Channel in London. For the first time, the famous London department store Harrods held its own Biennale des Antiquaires exhibition to coincide with the Paris event.
Backes & Strauss took advantage of this event to present a unique piece developed specifically for this occasion. The “Harrods Princess” model is the first timepiece to use emeralds from Gemfields’ own mine in Zambia. The stones are used as baguette hour markers on the mother-of-pearl dial, along with 144 ideal-cut diamonds. A further 68 emeralds are used in the handcrafted links of the bracelet, together with 68 diamonds, for a total weight of 23.5 carats (of which the bracelet alone accounts for 18.6 carats).
“Coloured stones have had a chequered history,” Backes & Strauss CEO Vartkess Knadjian told Worldtempus, which is why it was important for the brand to find a partner for its coloured gemstones that is as discerning as Backes & Strauss (the company uses only the finest natural, conflict-free diamonds). Gemfields fits this role perfectly, as the leading supplier of responsibly sourced coloured gemstones.
But the unique Harrods Princess timepiece is just one of a series of new timepieces to be launched by the brand before the end of the year. As Mr Knadjian revealed to Worldtempus on a visit to the Backes & Strauss headquarters, it will be followed by a new collection to be named after the last major emperor in the Mauryan dynasty of India that will feature a proprietary diamond cut and will be launched at the WPHH Japan at the end of this month.
Another undoubtedly masculine new launch will see a timepiece inspired by George Bryan “Beau” Brummell (1778-1840). Widely considered as the original “dandy”, Beau Brummell is credited with establishing the modern men’s suit, worn with a necktie, as fashion. This new timepiece will, quite fittingly, be accompanied by a bespoke Savile Row suit.
Even before we discover these new watches on the wrist, the variety and the cuts of the precious stones seen in the collections that have already been presented this year, as well as the innovative stone-setting found on the Royal Colours collection launched earlier this year, illustrate the unparalleled expertise of Backes & Strauss in precious stones.
“It is not just a question of sourcing the stones, but also about not being afraid of the stones,” explains Mr Knadjian, who admits to being “100% hands-on in the vision of what I want to do. You can have experts but not with the same level of expertise as we have – we know how far to push the boundaries.”
According to Vartkess Knadjian, Backes & Strauss is also set to add new bespoke complications to its considerable expertise in jewellery watches. “We want to be talking to discerning clients who are looking for something special… People who love watches to whom we can offer the opportunity to buy a watch with diamonds on it that will allow them to see diamonds in a different light,” he explains.
Rado Golden Horse Limited Edition 40 (R32978112)
US$ 259.00
Hublot Big Bang King Power Red Magic Automatic Men's Watch 701.CI.1123.GR
US$ 258.00
Panerai Radiomir 1940 Chronograph Brown Dial Brown Strap Men's Watch PAM00519
US$ 259.00
Chopard Imperiale Mother of Pearl Dial Automatic Ladies Watch 388531-6002
US$ 239.00
Breitling Chronomat Blackbird Big Date Polished Black (A4435912.B811)
Longines La Grande Classique Tonneau 35 Diamond (L4.789.0.09.4)
Cartier Santos Demoiselle Silver Dial 18kt Yellow Gold Diamond Watch WF9002Y7
Invicta Gold-tone Dial Rose Gold-tone PVD Men's Watch 13930
Piaget Limelight Gala Diamond Dial Black Satin Strap Ladies Watch G0A38162
