At the helm of heritage

Juan-Carlos Torres is a case in point of discreet luxury. Clad in an impeccably tailored, albeit understated, suit with a Vacheron Constantin Overseas model peeking bashfully from under his cuff, he is a perfect example of how luxury needs to be felt and experienced, rather than displayed. The CEO of Swiss watchmaker Vacheron Constantin, Torres completes 35 years at the company this year and is happiest when talking luxury and haute horology.

Over morning espressos, the Spaniard says he is in India not only for the big launch of Vacheron’s much-talked-about Overseas collection but also to do a market recce. “I’m here to support my team in India, to introduce the new Overseas range to the Indian market, and to reinforce the close ties that exist between my house and India.”

A Spaniard by birth, Torres settled in Geneva in 1960 when he joined Camy Watch, before moving to Vacheron Constantin in 1981. In 2005, he was elevated to the position of head of the house in a company which happens to be the world’s oldest watch manufacturer and claims uninterrupted activity for over 260 years. How has the luxury watchmaking climate changed since 1981? “Things have changed a lot, except one thing, which is the spirit of watchmakers. When I started, we were only 55 employees in the company — 45 were watchmakers and 10 were in marketing. We had only one boutique in Geneva. Now we are 1,200 people worldwide with 50 boutiques. The spirit of the company, however, remains unchanged.” Torres was presented with the Chevalier de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres (Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters) by the French Minister of Culture and Communication for his commitment to the field of luxury and haute horology in 2012.

All eyes on India Another point on Torres’ agenda is to reach out to existing and potential customers in India, a booming and highly promising market for luxury horology. “Our brand is not known well enough in India yet, and I would like to address that. I have to say that the Indian luxury consumer is discerning enough for high-end watches. They know the value of hand-crafted products because India has such a long-standing heritage of craftsmanship.”

One very evident chink in the brand’s marketing armour is the absence of a brick-and-mortar boutique in India. “It is indeed a pity that we do not have a boutique where we can showcase our full range of products. After all, Vacheron Constantin is not limited to the Overseas collection, there is so much more on offer, from classic and understated to sporty and crazy. The absence of a boutique is definitely a challenge, but such is the economic climate. And we are not alone. Things are changing rapidly in India on the economic front and we are ready to be a big partner in the watch market here. Launching boutiques is part of our future plans. When we started marketing in China 20 years ago, it was the same situation, and now we have 30 boutiques. The fact remains that in India there are watch collectors who understand this level and are willing to go ahead and accept this price point.”

Global watch experts might point out that the overall aesthetic of the new Overseas collection has a sporty and more ‘youthful’ feel, perhaps appealing to a younger luxury consumer, an idea that Torres does not agree with in principle, “I fight everyday with my team when they use the term, ‘younger customer’. For me, they are just customers, age doesn’t matter. If the product suits somebody, and they can afford it, they’re a customer to us. In 2005, we sold a watch for 2 million euros to a 14-year-old.”

Watchmaking and sustainability Being a watchmaking house with 260 years of history behind it comes with its share of artistic and cultural responsibility. Vacheron Constantin has always taken it upon itself to keep alive certain art forms, les métiers d’art, which characterise their watches — guilloché work, enamelling and diamond setting among other forms. Another element of the brand’s DNA is the spirt of apprenticeship. During Torres’ tenure, he has seen the number of apprentices in the house go from 2 to 25. “On September 17, 1755, Jean-Marc Vacheron hired an apprentice and that created the brand,” says Torres, “Ever since, we have kept alive this idea of passing down savoir-faire over generations. We are not merely passing down watches over the years, but more importantly, the savoir-faire to create these watches. Dying art forms like guilloché, where there are perhaps only three people in the world to do this, or enamelling or engraving work, where there are no more than four and 10 people to do this respectively.” Today, Vacheron’s ateliers largely follow the one master-one apprentice format, with about five masters in total, each representing a different métier d’art. An apprentice evolves to become a master over the years and a master can even change his role, like the 55-year-old diamond setter, a specialist in baguette-cuts, who has now started enamelling.

The best of the best The most prestigious of all of Vacheron Constantin’s offerings is the Atelier Cabinotiers Special Order department, which Torres started in 2006. The Atelier Cabinotiers is a highly exclusive service of producing an entirely bespoke, unique timepiece, created on an individual commission basis. On September 17, 2015, the Atelier revealed its greatest technical achievement, the most complicated watch ever made. “The Atelier service is a perfect fit for Indian customers. Big collectors ask us to make entirely unique pieces for them. We keep these projects totally secret. Since they are largely high-profile individuals, nobody knows the name of the customer or product. There are many ways in which you can customise the watch such as changing the case, dial or engraving.”

The luxury consumer Understanding the mindset of the luxury consumer is part-and-parcel of his job. He offers an interesting perspective, “Imagine a new luxury consumer entering a watch boutique in Geneva, he says: ‘Here’s a million dollars, what can I buy with this?’. For his next purchase, he pulls out a credit card. And for the subsequent purchase, he goes up to the counter and says, ‘I’d like to buy a minute-repeater tourbillon’. As they evolve, they become better informed. They read magazines, browse the internet to increase their knowledge. That said, I have to give it to the Indian watch consumer, who is very discerning.”

Riaan Jacob George is a Mumbai-based luxury journalist

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