GETTING DESIGN RIGHT
Design is inherent in the brand as well, influenced by Mr. Spinedi himself as he points the direction the design of the company’s produce takes.
“I give a brief to the designers. I tell them we buy this movement, use a skeleton... we discuss; do we use steel, or blue screws, or a gray or a black dial? And they do the rest,” he said, noting he has only rejected one watch design so far.
“It was a little bit of a crisis,” he recalled. “But a couple of years later they said I was right.”
Mr. Spinedi bared he also prefers working with a small team, bringing with him only three people “on the table” to discuss a new product, and dealing with a sole designer for a project. “I tried once to work with two designers. It was a disaster.”
Recent discussions have led to the introduction of a new model intended to expand Louis Erard’s appeal to younger buyers — the Sportive Sport Chrono collection. Aimed at people 35 years old or younger, the pieces go against the traditionally classical designs for which Louis Erard has been known since its 2003 resurrection. The Sport Chrono mixes together elements that make chronographs popular (a threesubdial layout and black bezel on a substantial 44-millimeter case) with a legendary movement — the ETA Valjoux 7750. This means the watch looks back at tradition but is also contemporary enough.
“Classic design is always a part of our strategy. But the Sport Chrono has [ the kind of ] classic design that’s also modern, not old- looking,” according to Mr. Spinedi.
What is also a part of the company’s plans is to keep its watches’ prices reasonable; Mr. Spinedi said he restarted Louis Erard because of the dearth of mechanical timepieces on offer that cost between $600 and $2,000. Though some models are now priced markedly higher over the range — the result of a stronger Swiss franc and the supply crimp in ETA movements — Mr. Spinedi argued these watches still represent good value.
“We have lost a little bit of our USP of extremely affordable watches. But it’s very difficult to find this kind of quality product from other brands,” he said.
In its return to the Philippines, Louis Erard is banking on the merits of its higher-end models, positioning these as more affordable but equally competent alternatives to the established European brands. Plus, it is also keen on offering value rather than focusing on volume.
“It is true that Louis Erard has very little brand awareness in the Philippines today,” Mr. Spinedi admitted. “So we need to communicate the value [inherent] in our watches.
“I believe the end users of Louis Erard in this country do not want mass-produced products. Our buyers are people who will say ‘I want to be unique.’”