De Grisogono Watchmaking Transformation Overview

Foversta's 2010 report on de Grisogono offers an exclusive look into the brand's strategic shift to elevate its watchmaking division. This article details the internal changes and ambitions, providing a crucial snapshot of de Grisogono's journey to match its jewelry success with haute horlogerie innovation.

The story of de Grisogono started in 1993 and it became in a very few years a successful brand in the jewellery world thanks to the creativity and the audacity of his founder, Fawaz Gruosi: the use of the black and the « icy » milky diamonds were two examples of the original approach of this young brand.

2000 is an important year for de Grisogono with the birth of the watch collection through the release of the Instrumento n° Uno which quickly met success.

But, despite this first success and the succeeding watches (FG One, Fuso Quadrato, the different Instrumento), Fawaz Gruosi made the observation that a new ambition was required to be able to build a strong watch pole within de Grisogono.

The Meccanico dG was unveiled in 2008 in the context of this ambition and to celebrate the 15th anniversary of de Grisogono. This fascinating watch combined two time displays, an analogue and a digital one with a 100% mechanic caliber.

But it is not possible to base an ambition on a single watch even if the whole industry was impressed by its technical features. The Meccanico dG is more than a flagship timepiece (limited to 177 pieces) than a base of collection.

It is the reason why Gerald Roden joined de Grisogono a few months ago. Gerald Roden's role is to lead the watchmaking department to the same level of quality, of standards, of creativity than the jewellery's one.

It is not an easy task because the processes have to be rethought to be compatible with the strategy: the watchmaking work is changing inside the de Grisogono premises, the requirements to the providers are becoming more demanding, the quality control is increasing.

We believed, with Gerald Roden's arrival, that it was the right period to visit de Grisogono and to see and feel the current changes of the brand.

We started the visit of the de Grisogono premises, like a symbol, with the R&D department. This department is currently composed by 5 persons:

• two outer-componet builders
• one designer
• one mouvement construction supervisor
• one industrial-process supervisor

An impressive movement in on the way but... I can't tell you more!

Mr Roden speaking with the designer:

The designer working on the Meccanico dG:

This team is essential for the future projects of the brand: all together, they invent the next timepieces which will be part of the collection. The presence of the mouvement construction supervisor combined with the designer allows de Grisogono to imagine more innovative watches.

Then, we visited the prototype workshop: the main machine is a five-axis numerically controlled machine which gives to de Grisogono the ability to produce prototypes, short series and special tooling.

The impressive machine:

The main department is the assembly workshop: the watchmakers team assembles the watches and the complication modules. One of the main changes was the decision to build the modules in the assembly workshop and to ask to the providers to stop delivering them assembled. It is a way to better control the quality and to propose a more interesting job to the skilled watchmakers. Two of them assemble the most complicated watches: the Meccanico dG which caliber was developped in a close partnership with de Grisogono by Jean-François Mojon (Chronode), the father of the Harry Winston Opus 10 and the Occhio Ripetizione Minuti which caliber comes from Claret.

The workshop:

The watchmaker is working on the diaphragm of the Occhio Ripetizione Minuti:

You will notice the special finishing of the ETA 2892 caliber:

The watchmakers dedicated to the most complicated watches:

The Meccanico dG caliber:

The Meccanico dG digital display:

Claret's caliber of the Occhio Ripetizione Minuti:

Two versions of the Meccanico dG (titanium or pink gold):

The watches are prepared to be delivered:

After the visit of the premises, we joined Fawaz Gruosi's office to chat with him. Fawaz is a very available person. He explained us his strategy: he knows perfectly that building a credible watchmaking department requires time, skills and energy. It is the reason why the great experience of Gerald Roden in these different fields will be very helpful.

Mr Roden and Mr Gruosi:

To sum up the ambition in a few words:

to breathe the same energy and creativity into the watchmaking department than into the jewellery one
• to be able to assemble all the movements and to move upmarket

The target is to be able to control each step in order to check the quality in each step of the process. The most complicated watches will be in the future totally developped, built and assembled by de Grisogono. Of course, the decision from Swatch Group to stop the delivery of ebauches will have an impact on de Grisogono.

The projects are ambitious but when we see what were the achievements in the jewellery field, we can be optimistic about the future success of the watchmaking strategy. Before the two events between de Grisogono and PuristSPro in NY and Tokyo, we wished to explain you why de Grisogono is a brand we would need to closely follow in the future.

We would like to thank a lot Mr Gruosi, Mr Roden and the whole de Grisogono staff for their availability and their warm welcome. We wish them the best for the coming years and we hope to see the first concrete expressions of this new strategy at the next Basel fair.

Please note that I will come back to the Meccanico dG a bit later... this is definitively a watch which deserves its own thread!

Fr.Xavier