Portraits

Portraits

THE WATCH FILES

Portraits

A selection of Europa Star portraits of widely known or widely unknown personalities of the watch industry.

Christophe Hoppé, watchmaking as a lifestyle

Christophe Hoppé, watchmaking as a lifestyle

After honing his skills at Technomarine and later supplying watch hands, the entrepreneur left it all behind in 2010 to start a new life in Australia. Yet (...)

Caran d'Ache draws a line between generations

Caran d’Ache draws a line between generations

Headed by the fourth generation of the Hubscher family, the Geneva-based pencil and writing instrument manufacturer shares many traits with its watchmaking (...)

Dubois Dépraz: keep it in the family

Dubois Dépraz: keep it in the family

GENERATIONS

Dubois Dépraz is a family enterprise and an exception in a contemporary landscape which, in the company’s almost 125 years, has been significantly reshaped (...)

An afternoon with the Preziusos

An afternoon with the Preziusos

GENERATIONS

Antoine, the father, May, the mother, Laura, the daughter and Florian, the son. The watchmaking flame burns bright among the Preziuosos and has been passed (...)

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Jean-Claude and Pierre Biver: “If youth knew, if age could”

Jean-Claude and Pierre Biver: “If youth knew, if age could”

GENERATIONS

Having revived mechanical watchmaking with Blancpain, boosted Omega’s global presence, put Hublot on the map, restructured TAG Heuer and shaken up Zenith, (...)

The Scheufeles happy dynasty

The Scheufeles happy dynasty

GENERATIONS

Karl III, Karin, Karl-Friedrich, Christine, Caroline, Caroline-Marie, Karl-Fritz and Katarina Scheufele: a Chopard watch or jewel can be conceived of and (...)

“When you join a family business, you're on the front line”

“When you join a family business, you’re on the front line”

GENERATIONS REPORT

Three generations have so far taken turns at the head of Raymond Weil in its half-century existence, and already Elie Bernheim – born in 1980 – is (...)

Franck Muller, mystery and exuberance

Franck Muller, mystery and exuberance

Established in 1991, the brand multiplies new releases and customisation options in a market that seeks to rationalise production. It continues to put its (...)

Speake Marin, reaching maturity

Speake Marin, reaching maturity

The Genevan brand is now 23 years old. Europa Star met with Christelle Rosnoblet, who has been at the helm of the company for over a decade. She shares how (...)

Epos, against the grain

Epos, against the grain

As the quartz crisis raged, Epos was founded as a brand making only mechanical watches. Today, in a luxury-dominated space, it refuses to move upmarket, (...)

Edox: “We built the brand back from almost nothing”

GENERATIONS REPORT

Founded in 1884, Edox was a thriving concern that fell victim to the quartz crisis. The family that bought the brand, a century after it was established, (...)

Atelier du Bracelet Parisien, the Parisian watch strap emporium

Atelier du Bracelet Parisien, the Parisian watch strap emporium

Tucked along the side of Place du Marché Saint-Honoré, a stone’s throw from Place Vendôme, Atelier du Bracelet Parisien is the place to go for a watch strap (...)

Eric Coudray, the movement constructor who “can't stand watches”

Eric Coudray, the movement constructor who “can’t stand watches”

GAÏA PRIZE

Impossible to classify, mad about mechanisms, for a long time this hot-headed ex-rugby player was known for his fiery personality. Nineteen years at (...)

Jean Rousseau: the true worth of watch straps

Jean Rousseau: the true worth of watch straps

Compared with cases or movements, watch straps are still the “poor relation” of watch parts, often dismissed as simple accessories, ordered from third-party (...)

100-year-old Grovana holds its own in the entry-level segment

100-year-old Grovana holds its own in the entry-level segment

In the Swiss watchmaking world, dominated by Haute Horlogerie titans with their long-standing traditions, not many hundred-year-old brands operate in the (...)

Draw me a dial!

Draw me a dial!

Whether admired or misunderstood, the watch designer is a key figure in any new project. Collectors often see them as artists, with a strong personality (...)

The multiple talents of enamellist Anita Porchet

The multiple talents of enamellist Anita Porchet

A master of the time-honoured techniques of cloisonné, champlevé, paillonné and miniature painting, enamellist Anita Porchet’s years of practice and experience (...)

André Martinez: the dial as canvas

André Martinez: the dial as canvas

Miniaturist André Martinez was instrumental in developing this decorative art in haute horology and has trained an entire next generation of artists. His (...)

A tribute to Peter Baumberger (1939-2010)

A tribute to Peter Baumberger (1939-2010)

HOMAGE

This year marks the 10th anniversary of the passing of Peter Baumberger (Koppingen, 1939-Bienne, 2010), a brilliant watchmaker who invested his passion in (...)

Anne Biéler

Anne Biéler

THE CULTURE OF ENCOUNTERS

Aside from her early fascination for craftsmanship, there was nothing to suggest that Anne Biéler would become a key figure in the world of Haute (...)

Jean-Claude Biver: past, present, future

Jean-Claude Biver: past, present, future

A GIANT THROUGH OUR ARCHIVES

As everybody knows, Jean-Claude Biver has stepped down from day-to-day operational responsibilities. An ideal opportunity for us – we have just digitised (...)

Georges Dubois - The oldest watchmaker in the world

Georges Dubois - The oldest watchmaker in the world

PARAPHERNALIA

Born in 1921, Georges Dubois still lives in the small house bought by his father in 1923. Around the age of 15, not knowing what do in life but needing to (...)

Balthasar de Pury : watches with a soul

Balthasar de Pury : watches with a soul

PARAPHERNALIA

It all started with his passion for insects, then it was the skateboard, and only later the watch. On his way home from school, he would gaze at the (...)

Pascal Raffy

Pascal Raffy

BOVET

Pascal Raffy was born and brought up a long way from the watch world, in Lebanon. He’s cosmopolitan; he has his head in the stars, but his roots go deep. (...)