With only a dream, a luxurious background and late nights on the hill, two young men are setting a new tempo, With Wong King Wai ticking along to see what goes inside
Picture this: Basel fair 2001, the centre of the horological universe. A slender man named Renaud de Retz and a powerfully-built man called Guillaume Tetu are venting and sloshing lyrically over mugs of beer about the dearth of innovative watches on display. What they would like to see and achieve, is taking imaginative shape above the froth.
This unlikely setting eventually becomes the origin of the two French men's self-made path to chronometrical discovery and unorthodoxy.
Both men had worked for big names in the luxury watch industry. Renaud was attached to historic Longines and esteemed Jaeger-LeCoultre in France, before moving to Neuchâtel in Switzerland to work with luxury giant LVMH (Louis Vuitton Moët Hennessy). Guillaume on the other hand, was already used to bracing Swiss air, having been based at the lake- and mountain-bound city, first with Rolex and then with TAG Heuer.Such illustrious positioning inevitably brought on cries or thoughts of “are you mad!?” from family and friends when the two got on their mental hiking gear to begin their climb to own-company individualism. “In September 2004 we launched HAUTLENCE with some private partners and investors, who had no link with any other watch group.”“We decided to call the brand HAUTLENCE, as it is an anagram of Neuchâtel. The reason for the name was that we don't have a big ego to call the brand ‘Tetu and de Retz' or ‘Guillaume and Renaud',” says Guillaume with a loud laugh. “It was also important that the brand name reflected the geographic city of Neuchâtel, which is the first historical, I would say, capital of the watch industry,” adds Renaud.The awesome twosome started with drawings of an HAUTLENCE movement. Then they created 3D-simulations before proceeding to prototype. “We took inspiration from other industries that have shown much innovation over the decades or centuries,” credits Guillaume. Their latest collection is inspired by the railway industry, with a long bar across the dial that resembles the connecting rod of a steam locomotive.
This curious design was a breath of fresh Neuchâtel air to the bustling and blasé luxury timepiece market. “What is exciting is to be able to show people, who think that everything has been done in the watch industry and in watches, that you can still innovate; that you can still think a different way,” injects Renaud. Strangely, the two never imagined that they would be catalysts finely honing the cusp of change in the horological landscape.
Renaud dreamt of being a rock star. Uncannily resembling Chris Martin from melancholy band Coldplay, he could still give it a try on looks alone. However, thanks to a serendipitous slump in the music industry he tumbled accidentally into horology, and the rest is rapidly becoming watch circle buzz. “After graduating from school and completing my military service in France, I wanted to travel. Before I left, I sent out a few cvs and one of them was to Longines,” goes his story.Guillaume on the other hand, had his movement in place almost from day one. By the age of 12, his sights were trained on design. He accordingly specialised in Computer Aided Design or C.A.D., and while working as a designer was sent to help a Rolex supplier in Switzerland. “I discovered the watch industry met my liking for technical and aesthetic design and so grew fascinated with the creation of watches,” he muses in hindsight. It seems that the two knuckled down to building their watch company, with little thought of rewarding returns for utmost efforts. However, recognition and opportunity called. “After two or three months we had set up a website. Soon after, Mr Hew from Yafriro called me. After introducing himself, he said he liked our watch and wanted to work with us. So the Yafriro team came and soon after we signed up with them,” recounts Renaud.Iwan Hew, founder and figurehead of Yafriro, a Singapore-based luxury watch business with outlets in Jakarta, Kuala Lumpur and Bangkok – was the key in enabling the young brand to penetrate the South-East Asian market in a relatively short period of time. HAUTLENCE's Asian blooming could also be attributed to the auspiciousness of its logo – the Möbius strip. “It makes you think of the figure ‘8', and we know here [in Asia], it's a lucky number,” explains Guillaume.“There is no such thing as chance; you just have to work hard with passion” The Asian perspective might suggest that Lady Luck breathed some air beneath the wings of this fledgling company, but Renaud and Guillaume Frenchly pooh-pooh all idea that luck had anything to do with it. “There is no such thing as chance, you just have to work hard with passion,” states Guillaume matter-of-factly. Renaud nods in agreement and adds, “It's a lot of week-ends and nights where you're working in order to make sure your company is still around the next month.” Such a well-designed mechanism, consisting of putting the weight of one's shoulder behind an impossible dream, has calibrated a watch company that tells time differently.
Fittingly, only time will tell if HAUTLENCE's innovations and late nights at the bench or the computer will continue to captivate. But it seems safe to say that the pair behind the many faces has captured the adventurous spirit of watch making in the moment. The HAUTLENCE differenceThe design of the HAUTLENCE timepiece emerged from simple drawings which took shape beside mugs of frothy beer. These basic drawings led Renaud and Guillaume to their ‘Eureka' moment of creating something that was about “beautiful mechanism and mechanics.” from the rudimentary drawings came more detailed sketches that were then inputted to a computer to produce 3D images. They then designed the movement before creating a special casing that would allow collectors and enthusiasts to see the internal workings of the watch. At this moment, the HAUTLENCE collection comprises two variants, the HL and HLS ranges, with 88 pieces to each. For diehard fans who hardly need more convincing, here's a special never-before-mentioned scoop: the HAUTLENCE duo's coming collection has been inspired by heavy industry - we hear slick whispers of ‘oil' - so be sure to keep a firm grasp on when the premiere will be. And remember, you heard it here first.By Wong King Wai - "Article courtesy of Malaysia Tatler"
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Both men had worked for big names in the luxury watch industry. Renaud was attached to historic Longines and esteemed Jaeger-LeCoultre in France, before moving to Neuchâtel in Switzerland to work with luxury giant LVMH (Louis Vuitton Moët Hennessy). Guillaume on the other hand, was already used to bracing Swiss air, having been based at the lake- and mountain-bound city, first with Rolex and then with TAG Heuer.Such illustrious positioning inevitably brought on cries or thoughts of “are you mad!?” from family and friends when the two got on their mental hiking gear to begin their climb to own-company individualism. “In September 2004 we launched HAUTLENCE with some private partners and investors, who had no link with any other watch group.”“We decided to call the brand HAUTLENCE, as it is an anagram of Neuchâtel. The reason for the name was that we don't have a big ego to call the brand ‘Tetu and de Retz' or ‘Guillaume and Renaud',” says Guillaume with a loud laugh. “It was also important that the brand name reflected the geographic city of Neuchâtel, which is the first historical, I would say, capital of the watch industry,” adds Renaud.The awesome twosome started with drawings of an HAUTLENCE movement. Then they created 3D-simulations before proceeding to prototype. “We took inspiration from other industries that have shown much innovation over the decades or centuries,” credits Guillaume. Their latest collection is inspired by the railway industry, with a long bar across the dial that resembles the connecting rod of a steam locomotive.
This curious design was a breath of fresh Neuchâtel air to the bustling and blasé luxury timepiece market. “What is exciting is to be able to show people, who think that everything has been done in the watch industry and in watches, that you can still innovate; that you can still think a different way,” injects Renaud. Strangely, the two never imagined that they would be catalysts finely honing the cusp of change in the horological landscape.
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Fittingly, only time will tell if HAUTLENCE's innovations and late nights at the bench or the computer will continue to captivate. But it seems safe to say that the pair behind the many faces has captured the adventurous spirit of watch making in the moment. The HAUTLENCE differenceThe design of the HAUTLENCE timepiece emerged from simple drawings which took shape beside mugs of frothy beer. These basic drawings led Renaud and Guillaume to their ‘Eureka' moment of creating something that was about “beautiful mechanism and mechanics.” from the rudimentary drawings came more detailed sketches that were then inputted to a computer to produce 3D images. They then designed the movement before creating a special casing that would allow collectors and enthusiasts to see the internal workings of the watch. At this moment, the HAUTLENCE collection comprises two variants, the HL and HLS ranges, with 88 pieces to each. For diehard fans who hardly need more convincing, here's a special never-before-mentioned scoop: the HAUTLENCE duo's coming collection has been inspired by heavy industry - we hear slick whispers of ‘oil' - so be sure to keep a firm grasp on when the premiere will be. And remember, you heard it here first.By Wong King Wai - "Article courtesy of Malaysia Tatler"
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