Maison De Greef Magazine — Issue #3

The traveller’s timepiece

The Heure Universelle by Patek Philippe, also known to collectors as the ‘Worldtime’ has been one of the most coveted complications for nearly 80 years.

In our globalised, interconnected world, the Heure Universelle watches are more useful than ever. We travel all over the planet, we trade on all continents and communicate online with people from all over the world: that is why it is so important to know what time it is there. Heure Universelle watches by Patek Philippe show all 24 different time zones at once, in an efficient, very readable way. 

Complex and yet so simple

The Heure Universelle 5230 owes its precise timekeeping and comfort of use to the Patek Philippe 240 HU calibre – an extra-flat automatic winding mechanism that has changed the world of watchmaking. The sophisticated time zone mechanism and the automatic winding system are completed with a mini rotor, integrated in the bridges. The finish is also to the highest standards of the Poinçon Patek Philippe. The bridges are angled and embellished with Côtes de Genève; the golden mini rotor is also enriched with Côtes de Genève. The platinum is decorated with a pearl pattern, the spokes of the wheels in gilded brass are moulded and angled and the rhodium-plated bridges have gold-coloured engravings. A beautiful example of mechanical knowhow, visible through sapphire blue glass on the reverse. 

Discover our other Patek Philippe models here.

One market, two strategies

When two large groups - Richemont and Swatch Group – appeared in the 1990s-2000, the players in the market feared that this would lead to large production centres where various watch brands would be made.... and that is exactly what happened, but two different strategies were followed. On the one hand, Swiss Nick Hayek built his empire on Swatch and developed his group on the entry-level market. It became a great commercial success, which allowed him to buy Omega and Longines, two mid-priced brands that he treated exactly like Swatch. Which was to their advantage, because they didn’t have a manufacturer. Nick Hayek created production centres that made the same mechanism for the different brands, but with different cases. This was good for these brands and their positioning in the market. It was a different story when he wanted to apply this strategy to high-end brands like Bréguet and Lemania: collectors and fans quickly caught on and didn’t want anything to do with the brands anymore.

At the same time the Richemont group, led by South African businessman Johann Rupert who has a real vision for the high-end market, was clever enough to give each of its brands its own manufacturer, its independence, and most of all the chance to continue to compete with each other. Thus Cartier, A.Lange&Söhne, IWC and Jaeger-LeCoultre continue to challenge each other, leading to wonderful technical and aesthetic feats.

Most important is still transparency: for example, at Panerai, the mechanisms are not made by a manufacturer but ‘in house’. They are 100% designed, produced and checked by the brand, which is very clear about this. To me, that is the limit of what is acceptable in terms of industrialisation, and it is a good compromise, combining quality and trust. 

Invest or love: the choice is yours

Of course Maison De Greef does not blindly follow the Richemont group: we still retain our critical mind and a strong need for independence, as we do with all our brands. Therefore, we are very sensitive to the independence of the watch brands we sell: Patek Philippe, Tudor, Ressence, Zenith… And of course we are not totally against industrialisation, because it has its good sides: it guarantees long-term reliability. For instance, Rolex is a very reliable brand because its mechanism has been completely industrialised for a long time. We do not hanker for the past, we need to go with the times and see the advantages of industrialisation: the pleasure of a beautiful watch for which you pay a certain amount, is also that you can give it to your son or daughter and know that they will be able to have it serviced in the future.

Aesthetics and the pleasure of wearing the watch are also important: if you have a technically sublime mechanism in a casing that isn’t very beautiful, it will be hard to find a buyer, while a beautiful casing housing a reliable mechanism, even if it isn’t manufactured, will always be a good buy. Investment and resale value are no longer so important these days: people buy a beautiful watch because it is a beautiful watch, that’s all. It’s a bit like a work of art: there are no longer collectors in heart and soul, but investors... I think that in the end, this will destroy art itself. In the 20s and 30s, collectors were real aesthetes, not investors.

Niche brands, inspiring challenges

Of course there are still people who really love artisan watchmaking. The few high-end artisanal brands are protected by the fact that these days, it would be almost impossible to launch another of these brands. There are some exceptions: the genius Benoît Mintiens proves this with Ressence in Belgium. And there is the Swiss Romain Gauthier, who produces 30 to 40 watches a year, of a very high technical standard that would be impossible to achieve if made in larger quantities. This is niche work, almost from another world! We follow these small players, who, as in all sectors, challenge the big players, and sometimes show us the way: think, for example, of organic food. In the 70s and 80s this was a very small market, now every supermarket has its organic department. Therefore, we meet with these exclusive brands and encourage them.

This taste for the exceptional seems to also inspire the big brands: this year at the SIHH and Base World fairs Patek Philippe showed two small collections, one of them the very revolutionary Nautilus in grey gold with perpetual calendar, which reassured the collectors of the expertise of the brand. Panerai dared to go against what the ‘panaristi’ wanted and produced a 38 mm ladies’ watch, a real Panerai with a strong DNA. A.Lange&Söhne chose to produce something exceptional: a triple chronograph in a limited edition of 100. A highly sophisticated and complex mechanism, and an astonishing technical feat. Admittedly, it is not very useful in daily life, but this model shows the knowhow of the brand, and its fascinating technical prowess!

Discover our selection of timepieces here.

Exceptional craftsmanship for exceptional jewellery

For the production of his exquisite jewellery, Arnaud Wittmann relies on Atelier Sansen&Gangi in Liège. Cédric Sansen and Olivier Connus are known for their knowledge of forgotten or particularly complex jewellery-making techniques, and they collaborate with Maison De Greef on specific projects. Together, they create unique pieces, and The Fire Spark collection is exceptional in more than one sense.    

A long collaboration
The preparatory work is always done by the two Houses together, and this time, it was a particularly long process. For this particular creative project, they wanted to make as few concessions to technical limitations as possible. Every tiny stage required meetings, discussions and decisions. Cédric Sansen, head of the atelier, was well aware of the extremely high level of perfection that was expected, and he talks about ‘artistic micro sculpture’. 

An interview with designer Arnaud Wittmann

In the beginning was the gemstone...?
When I discover a gem for the first time, I feel a deep emotion. Sometimes, something irrational happens between the gemstone and me, as if it is calling me! I have very high standards when it comes to selection. For The Fire Spark collection, I wanted something exceptional: mandarin garnets of the spessarite variety are very rare and have a specific very deep, strong orange colour. Like a spark that signifies the beginning of a flamboyant era for our jewellery creations. Soon, the collection will be available with gemstones in other colours.