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SCMP Reporter

Coralie Charriol

Charriol creative director

What does time mean to you? With watches and especially fashion, you design a year ahead. You are always living one year ahead. I don't like that. I like to live in the season, in the moment. When you're young you don't appreciate the time it takes to produce something and wonder why it can't be done right away. Now I've learned to budget my time. I travel immensely and am always upset that I can't be in both ends of the world at the same time. I'm always running out of time. There aren't enough days to do everything. But I love a busy day when there is not a spare moment.

Is accuracy important? It's very important. I work hard at being on time. We should have five to 10 minutes of flexibility, but in the real world we don't.  Being on time is a sign of character and integrity.

Are watches essential or an accessory? Definitely an accessory for me, but I like to know what time it is and I like to know how long I have spent on everything.  I like to time things. [That probably comes from the fact that] I race cars on ice with my father [Philippe Charriol, owner of the brand]. I like the pressure of time. It makes it more exciting.

Jean-Christophe Babin

Tag Heuer president and chief executive

What does time mean to you? Time is the essence of life. The more I can expand time, the more I enjoy life. I go to bed late and get up early. This makes me conscious of the beauty of life.

Is accuracy important? I'm Latin, so I tend to be easygoing. In 1997, as vice-president of a big German company, I learnt that time is time. When I took up the job with Tag in 2000, thanks to the German experience I learned to be accurate, give or take five minutes. Before, it was give or take half an hour.

Are watches essential or an accessory? They are always a luxury accessory, especially for men. People have watches for pleasure. They use them to tell time, but they were not essential to keep a measure of time in the old days. There were techniques like enamelling and decorative techniques to make then nice objects. It is still a pleasure to own a timepiece.

Francisco Herrera

Ball Watch chief executive

What does time mean to you? It is an important measurement of a very limited resource that life has to offer.

Some interesting concepts

One usually wants more time when one is happy, and perhaps less when one is feeling sad.

Time can also be very special as its passing is often subject to individual perception: one can feel time fly or, on the other hand, sense it frozen during particular moments.

Almost everyone wants to catch and control time regularly, but it is probably one of the most difficult things to catch and control.

Is accuracy important?

Time accuracy is very important.

Are watches essential or an accessory? A watch is  essential if you do not have any for time measurement. However if you have more than one, it can be a fun accessory to match your clothing, your character, your mood ...

Dimitri Gouten

Piaget Asia Pacific managing director

What does time mean to you? Time is a human invention. We can remember our past experiences or dream about the future but we are confined until the end of our life in a bubble called the present.

Is accuracy important? Accuracy is important as a gesture of politeness towards people who are expecting you. A slight level of inaccuracy is acceptable for mechanical watches because they are works of art, patiently made by professional artisans who dedicate long hours on each of their creations. I remain very young at heart and still believe that these high-end watches, like Pinocchio, end up with a soul of their own. If you want total accuracy in a watch, it is better to buy a quartz watch or use your mobile phone.

Are watches essential or an accessory? Both. A luxury watch is an essential accessory because luxury is vanity, and vanity is about transforming unnecessary accessories into must-haves.

Jean-Claude Biver

Hublot chief executive

What does time mean to you? It is the only thing in life which you cannot get back once you have wasted it.

Is accuracy important? No. Emotion, beauty, culture, art, tradition, fusion between tradition and vision are more important.

Are watches essential or an accessory? They are as essential as art, culture, patrimonies, tradition and roots.

Jerome Lambert

Jaeger-LeCoultre chief executive

What does time mean to you? Time means carpe diem. Each moment is important and you have to live it with intensity.

Is accuracy important to you? Working for a   Swiss company, you know that accuracy is important;

a component of  good organisation.

Are watches essential or an accessory? Watches have always been associated with important moments of my life.  They are much more than accessories and are already old friends with which I have shared great times.

Michel Nieto

Baume & Mercier chief executive

What does time mean to you? The notion of time signifies a miss ... a miss of time.

Is accuracy important? Accuracy is very important to me in all kinds of actions. It  provides the chance to succeed the first time around, rather than trying again and wasting time.

Are watches essential or an accessory? A watch is an accessory that has become essential. How could I possibly live without an object that I wear every day and that directly reflects  my personality?Fabian Krone

A. Lange & Sohne chief executive

What does time mean to you? Time is an extremely important and precious commodity. I always try

to use it in a sensible and efficient way. On the other hand, it's sometimes also necessary to forget time and  to relax without keeping an eye on your watch.

Is accuracy important to you? Today, everybody has only little time. I think it is quite important to treat each other with respect, which means not wasting anybody's time. Accuracy - especially of the timepiece you are wearing - is necessary to be punctual. From the A. Lange & Sohne point of view, accuracy is an essential component in the creation of exclusive timepieces. The more accurate a mechanical watch is, the more it represents the technical knowledge and steadiness of a watch manufactory.

Are watches essential or an accessory? A watch is surely not essential, but I think it would not live up to the watches of A. Lange & Sohne to describe them only as accessories. A Lange watch contains  hundreds of  tiny pieces - most of them painstakingly finished by specially trained craftsmen with years of  expertise. It combines such a big number of technological knowledge and innovation with tradition and craftsmanship in a perfect way. A Lange watch is like the fulfilment of a dream for each connoisseur - it is not really 'essential' for him, but makes his life even more worth living.

Georges Kern

IWC chief executive

What does time mean to you? 'Time increases the length for those who know how to use it,' said that great all-round genius Leonardo da Vinci. We at IWC take pleasure in innovative development and creative engineering, and put them to work on the timepieces of tomorrow. In the process, we underpin our reputation as a centre of watchmaking and technological excellence.

Is accuracy important? Yes, accuracy is very important to me. Not only in my role as a chief executive but also in my private life. I have many projects I want to achieve in my life. Paying attention to accuracy is important.

Are watches essential or an accessory? Both. A watch does perform the essential function of telling time. At the same time, a watch is perhaps the only legitimate form of jewellery for a man as it is the perfect icon for a man to express  his style and taste.

Angelo Bonati

Panerai chief executive

What does time mean to you? Time is the love of my life. It's too short and I have to use every moment well.

Is accuracy important? I'm a maniac  about punctuality because I think when I ask somebody to meet me and he has to wait, it wastes time. I have to aim at being on time. When I'm not able to do it, I suffer a great deal.

Are watches essential or an accessory? For ladies, a watch is an accessory  to match her shoes, her bags and her clothes. But  for men, it is an instrument to show who he is.

Roland Streule

Rado president

What does time mean to you? I can only quote Diogenes, with whom I completely agree: 'Time is the most valuable thing a man can spend.' Therefore it is important to try to spend it  on something that is truly worth it.

Is accuracy important to you? Yes. Like most Swiss people I am very accurate.  With our busy schedules, it is crucial to always be on time. There is nothing worse than running behind your personal schedule all the time.

Are watches essential or an accessory? That is the great thing about a watch - besides its essential functions, it is one of the best accessories available. A watch is as much a statement of one's personality as a car or a suit.

Jean-Michel Paray

Vacheron Constantin managing director

What does time mean to you? Time equals luxury. I never have enough of it.

Is accuracy important? Accuracy should be a state of mind. Let's learn it from  an early age, and the world will run better.

Are watches essential or an accessory? They've become an essential accessory  for women, and now for men.

Pierre Dubois

Pierre DeRoche chief executive

What does time mean to you? Time mirrors life. It almost always goes too quickly. Taking time means living in the present, doing what you love and what you have set your heart on.

Is accuracy important? Yes.  But the quest for accuracy is not a goal in itself; it must be in tune with the product. Precision is an essential value for a quartz movement, whereas a mechanical movement also conveys other values: renewable energy, the watchmaker's hand, the pursuit of aesthetic beauty -all representing factors that do not always imply accuracy at all costs.

Are watches essential or an accessory? Living without a watch would mean living without any reference to time and without a landmark. For me, that would be inconceivable, since my watch is part of me. It is therefore essential.

Wolfgang Sickenberg

Audemars Piguet chief executive

What does time mean to you? An element which is everywhere, that you cannot avoid, that you have to take care of but which should not control your life.

Is accuracy important to you? Technically yes, philosophically no.

Are watches essential or an accessory? Watches are an essential accessory, especially if they are linked with emotion and pleasure.

Philippe Dubois

Concord Asia president

What does time mean to you? Time has a very rational meaning - it starts with a day that has 24 hours.

Is accuracy important to you? Being punctual is important as it is a kind of respect  for people.

Is a timepiece essential or just an accessory? Having an accessory is nice as we can often change it. But it is also essential to a man as it is the only piece of jewellery that a man can wear.

Kevin Rollenhagen

Omega Hong Kong and China president

What does time mean to you? I tend to lose track of time. I can't say I am controlled by time, neither do I control time. I am always racing against it. I want more of it.

Is accuracy important? Accuracy is very important, not in reference to time. It is often a compromise with accuracy and being on time. To be absolutely perfect (accurate), is a luxury that time does not give us.

Are watches essential or an accessory? Timepieces are not essential. Food, lodgings or protection from the elements and love are essential. Other things are a luxury in one form or another. A watch in that sense is a luxury and therefore an accessory. But a watch can contribute to the essentials in life, for example, in showing love and understanding love.

Marc A. Hayek

Blancpain chief executive

What does time mean to you? Time is luxury. Time is cruel and beautiful at the same time, since it hurts and heals, and luckily it cannot be controlled.

Is accuracy important? If you need real accuracy, you need to have an atomic watch, and this is not the first purpose of a mechanical watch. A mechanical watch has to work properly with an acceptable accuracy. But these timepieces go much further; mechanical watches made by a master watchmaker with his innovative spirit respecting the traditional rules are art. Like a painting, these timepieces have an expression and a soul.

Are watches essential or an accessory? Some of our watches are accessories and some are essential. It depends on the model and the owner.

Roland Buser

Chopard managing director

What does time mean to you? Time is memorable and, due to that, very precious.

Is accuracy important? Yes, and the great thing is that it is an individual personal asset.

Are watches essential or an accessory? They are both, depending on your point of view. Watches are essential for those who cannot manage time and an accessory for those who don't care about time.

Michel Parmigiani

Parmigiani chief EXECUTIVE

What does time mean to you? Time is a relative concept. When you are bored, it seems that time never passes. On the other hand when you are enjoying yourself, it flies away. But it is totally elusive and one of the only things you cannot buy.

Is accuracy important? In the measure of time, accuracy is fundamental and it becomes a performance a watchmaker pursues his whole life. However, when not involved in the day-to-day work and as a human being, I'd rather live following my biological 'clock' and the rhythm of the seasons. I used to wear no watch at all for years.

Are watches essential or an accessory? A watch is an essential accessory. On one side, it's not really an accessory as wearing a watch is not as banal as one can imagine, and on the other side, it's not essential as time should not control your life.  A watch can tell a lot about your personality, sensitivity or even sensuality.



TIME concepts