Audemars Piguet

I tried to arrange interviews with as many senior management of Audemars Piguet as possible, and was able to interview those gentlemen: 1. Francois-Henry Bennahmias - CEO 2. Octavio Garcia - Chief Artistic Director / Lucas Gopp - Senior Designer 3. Tim Sa...  

Mr. Francois-Henry Bennahmias was born in Paris and his first career was “pro golfer”. He went up to 25 th ranked in France, and then he started the new career in the luxury goods. He first was in the high-end apparel industry before joining the high-end ...  

Thanks KIH. I've learned a lot from FHB just from his answers. 1) Well he's no JC Biver that's for sure and that's a real shame. 2) Some of his answers were flippant and bordered on the offensive. 'No tower went down.' Can't believe a CEO would even say s... 

.. he just said that the economic turbulence, which is now represented by the rise of Swiss Franc, is not something we should make a big deal of. It is part of life and there is not much we can do, so we just go on doing what we can. That is what he said.... 

Sure KIH. It's the arrogant way he comes across-'it's only money and things like no tower went down.' Well to some customers who have to save for their watches money is a factor and when he mentions that no tower went down is a clear referral to the twin ... 

Why do you always mention JC Biver as an example?I am not saying he is not but I wonder...just curious.. What Francoise Bennahmias stated seems ok to me,perhaps not in line with prefabricated press answers we are used to ,perhaps little direct but God Ble... 

The key message is that whatever the Swiss National Bank did to the foreign exchange cap is just about money. It's not a Life or Death issue. This pays respect to those alive or dead by raising them above 'mere money'. Reading things that are not there an... 

Thanks for your input and reply but I have to respectfully disagree. I can only extrapolate imagery if it is presented to me. Mr. B first made mention of 'tower'-did he not? From that statement how can one not immediately conjur up certain 'feelings' or t... 

Hi Moc, I use JC Biver because that's my only point of reference in regard to 'higher end' watches (well higher end to me anyway). Anytime I've had an issue with my Hublot timepieces he always intervenes and bends over backwards to help me resolve the iss... 

mo

Francois Bennahmias lived in NY many years and perhaps was there when the tragedy occurred. He LOVES the United States. As an American, I take no offense whatsoever with his remark. You need to re-read what Ken wrote about Francois' answers being quick an... 

I have no doubt that there was no malice or ill will involved whatsoever. I'm not questioning his integrity-all I'm saying is that he could have made a more articulate statement without mentioning a 'tower falling' that is all. No one is questioning motiv... 

FHB is blunt and no bullshit. he has always stood behind his words and his products; when AP screws up, he takes it like a man and deals with it fairly and directly. Always. is he brusque at times? yes. do I want to kick his ass at times? yes. but I respe... 

Yeah TM, I can understand that. That's why I like JC Biver so much. Stands behind the product with no bull. Cheers Speedwing

I don't know how he feels about me, but I know I respect the heck out of his business sense and execution, voting for him as watch exec of the year more times than I ever thought I would... cheers, TM

Yeah Mr. Biver is quite the character and CEO. The funny thing is I'm more like Mr. Bennahmias than JC in my field. Take care Thomas and BTW I hope you still have the Legacy which is one of my favourite watches out there. Take care Speedwing

I had a chance to meet him when my MBA class visited the AP manufacture in Le Brassus. He is a breath of fresh air in an industry full of know-it-all stuck-ups. For people who do not know him and read only this interview he comes off as very daredevil, bu... 

Wish I could have had him visit my MBA class as well-guess UK is too far. I know JC Biver also went to give a talk at IMD in Lausanne (maybe there's where you went as well) and was a hit. Best interview/interesting story has to be when he went to talk to ... 

Thanks very much for taking the time to conduct the interviews during a very busy week Ken. I hope the following comments of mine are taken as genuine comments from a big fan of the brand, and an AP owner. Not being argumentative at all, but I feel this i... 

like hublot instead of MDM. how can a maison forget one of his two founders? edward piguet's line is still missing.... what a shame!

This subject has been considered for many years. Of course, in some ways, this is a good problem for AP, and in others, certainly not. I firmly believe you could take away both RO lines and Audemars Piguet could still thrive. But it certainly would be a v...  

And yes, I agree regarding the octagons, and its funny you mentioned it, but it was when I first tried the 15202 that I had that feeling. I have the 26300 ROC, but the 15202.... wow, they are actually quite different watches! ...  

hi, sometimes a model line can become so iconic and so successful it seems to overshadow everything else. until it doesn't. don't despair, there is no question AP HQ and their Board remember their heritage pre-1972. they have even created a full time glob... 

I guess I will just take consolation in the fact that the JA line will be done in a few years as mentioned above.... for which I will interpret the fact that it will not be hasty procedure, but one in which they have taken their time, and done properly, w... 

It will be a few years before the Jules Audemars range will be re-positioned as cutting edge and new icon of Audemars Piguet portfolio. So, it is not surprising that you are seeing the "lull before the storm" in the press release waffle. Hang in there....... 

for the JA TC hehehe..... I posted a wristshot pic above of it, its is such a well executed design!

Mr. Octavio Garcia was born in Chicago, USA. His passion for drawing was nurtured by the habit of copying his favorite heroes on paper, while helping his father repairing old American muscle car sparked his interest in mechanics and industrial designs. He...  

Mr. Tim Sayler was born in Munich, came to Switzerland to study at Saint-Gull University for the first time. The he went on to study at HEC in Paris as well as New York University Stern School of Business. Earned Master’s degree in Economics and Managemen...  

Thank you Ken and the Audemars Piguet gentlemen for the interviews. Indeed, Audemars Piguet is the oldest brand forum on PuristSPro and thus, the oldest brand-sanctioned forum. At the same time, based on the confidence that AP now has with a constancy of ...  

Mo

To secure and the environment is so fast paced. Thanks for getting us some inside information direct from these gentlemen!

Thank you Ken for your effort and thank you AP for your openness. My opinion is that the most interesting interview was the one with Mr. Tim Sayler (Chief Marketing Officer), while I think Mr. Octavio Garcia (Chief Artistic Director) and Mr. Lucas Gopp (S... 

Well put, heartbreaker. One of Tim's most notable lines is how AP can speak to a "new generation of collectors". I think we see this with the watches and the marketing.

They are closing doors AFAIK, and scaling back on franchise locations. In other words they are reducing the number of sale locations and improving the existing ones. Seems to be a general trend lately within the luxury industry.