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1950 The immediate post-war period. Published primarily
“to spread information on the Horological,
Jewellery and kindred Trades and Industries”, our editions also
embrace a broader and more ambitious objective. In his text entitled
“To our readers and future friends”, the editorialist expresses
the conviction that “by the exchange of goods and services across
the seas and across the frontiers, men and women may help each
other and the Nations live together in peace and growing prosperity.”
With the return of calm, trade could resume its course.
1960 In the post-war reconstruction effort, the creation
of a European Common Market resonates
as an attractive prospect for the watch industry. “A new approach
is needed, both in respect of production and of distribution
methods, if full benefit is to be derived from the openings
offered by this greater-European market of some 300 million
consumers (…) Europe — as has been stated recently — is on the
verge of the greatest economic expansion in its history.” Hence
the name of our publication, Europa Star!
1970 The electronic watch arrives. And with this
technological revolution comes one of the industry’s
greatest transformative crises. “Those who only a few
years ago did not believe in the future of the electronic watch
had to come round and admit that in the watch industry as in
every other field, the wheel of progress cannot be halted.”
1980 A visual shock at first, with colour becoming
more and more prominent in publications.
There is clearly a firm belief that despite the “difficult situation
on the world markets for precious metals”, Swiss watchmaking
too can regain some colour. A significant increase in
the number of visitors was thus observed at the 1980 edition
of the Basel fair. “The latest news speaks of a complete internationalization
of the fair. Will we be seeing Japanese exhibitors
as early as 1981?” Switzerland is no longer the sole beating
heart of the world’s watchmaking.
1990 In his editorial, Valentin Philibert takes an interest
in a product that has somewhat fallen
off the radar: the good old clock. He underlines the growing
difference “between run-of-the-mill, downmarket clocks produced
by most foreign competitors, with a few exceptions, and
thoroughbred Swiss creations.” With the “rise in the standard
of living of most importing countries, these products, so long
as they remain real objects of art,” can justify “their relatively
high price”. Fewer and fewer volumes, more and more value:
the future of Swiss watchmaking is taking shape. This trend
continues today.
2000 A special millennium edition with a retrospective
of the most important watches of the 20th
century. An editorial by Pierre Maillard looks into the mysteries
of the very notion of Time, at the heart of the industry responsible
for measuring it: “As we enter the new millennium, we must
understand that the year 2000 is only an illusion, an invention
of a human calendar, an arbitrary line of demarcation.”
2010 “Watchmakers: haven’t they learned anything?”
wondered Pierre Maillard in his editorial opening
the decade just ended. At that time, the watchmaking
world was still bearing the brunt of the financial crisis. Are
watchmakers any more virtuous than the financiers? The risk
is indeed to pay “no regard to what is happening on the ground in the real world.”
The average price of the watches presented at the Geneva Watchmaking Grand Prix
that year provides scant grounds for optimism about a return to reality: CHF 236,800.
It was a prescient take on the reality check that the industry has gradually been coming
to terms with over the past five years.
2020
And now, as we enter this new decade, our message is simple: let’s build a global watch community based on quality, authentic passion and shared values. The industry is fragmenting. Visionaries are vanishing. The compass seems to have been lost. As the voices of my predecessors showed, short-term individualistic strategies cannot form a solid foundation for the future of a “common good” for so many people in Switzerland and around the world.
To gain instant access to 100,000 pages of Europa Star archives dating back to
1950, go to www.europastar.com/club.
