Cover Hautlence’s brand manager Samuel Hoffmann (Photo: courtesy of Nathalie Cobos)
Hautlence’s brand manager Samuel Hoffmann (Photo: courtesy of Nathalie Cobos)
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Samuel Hoffmann shares with Tatler what’s important to the brand and what’s next for Hautlence
In less than two decades, independent watchmaker Hautlence has created a name for itself in the world of horology with its signature TV-shaped dials and innovative ways to display time. And its success story has a history as colourful as some of its designs.
The brand was founded in 2004 by Renaud de Retz and Guillaume Tetu in the picturesque town of Neuchâtel in Switzerland, and born from the duo’s desire to bring a fresh interpretation of watchmaking to the industry. However, changes in leadership and vision resulted in a wavering brand strategy in 2009 before Hautlence was acquired by Melb Holding Group in 2012, an organisation that was founded in the same year by the Meylan family to acquire Hautlence and another independent watchmaker, H Moser & Cie.
In 2022, Melb appointed 31-year-old Samuel Hoffmann, who has a background in marketing and sales for luxury watchmakers such as Ulysse Nardin and Tag Heuer, as brand manager for Hautlence. Since then, the watchmaker has been steering the brand towards more sporty timepieces, while stressing the need to be true to the founding principles of product innovation.
Hoffmann recently talked to Tatler, and here is what he has to say about the latest novelties launched by the brand at Watches and Wonders 2023.
See also: Bertrand Meylan on Hautlence’s Stunning Timepieces—And How Asian Collectors Stand Out
Above Photo: Nathalie Cobos
Photo: Nathalie Cobos
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We’ve seen more sporty timepieces since you became the brand manager of Hautlence. How did that come about?
We are seeing a shift in the industry to sportier watches altogether, and by sportier I mean it’s something you can wear everyday. We wanted to create something which can be worn for all occasions—from a swimsuit to a tux. What used to happen is that people would buy these luxury watches and put them in their safe, but that’s not the idea behind buying a watch. [Previously] at Hautlence, wearable sporty watches were a missed opportunity. There were a couple of sporty watches, like the Hautlence Invictus, but it’s not something that the brand went into. And now we see a lot of independent [watchmakers], like MB&F, with products that are sporty, wearable [and for] everyday. Of course, you’re not going to go diving with it, but it’s ergonomic and your everyday companion.
Can you tell us a little bit about this year’s novelties?
For a better understanding of this year’s, we must first discuss Hautlence’s novelties from last year. What’s important with the Linear [series launched last year] is that it was a kind of a crowning piece that represented the shift in Hautlence’s strategies. [That launch showed] not only that we’re back, but also that we’re turning the page as we steer in a new direction. [This series was] the first time we had a steel case with an integrated rubber strap, a sportier look, water resistance of up to 200m and with a new way of telling time: the linear hours display with a drop in retrograde hours along with a multifaceted dial. I think this was a rare piece and we are excited to evolve the product further. So with the watch this year, we decided to do something timeless, which is why we launched the all-black linear. We chose a PVD coating instead of DLC because I love the deeper blackness of a PVD instead of the greyish tones of DLC.
In case you missed it: Watches & Wonders 2023: All the celebrities spotted at the international watch fair
Above Photo: Nathalie Cobos
Above Photo: Nathalie Cobos
Photo: Nathalie Cobos
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How do you counter your competition?
The most important thing, in my opinion, is to innovate. Because the moment you stop moving, you are no longer leading. You have to be the one innovating, the one who has knowledge, the one who pounces in and reacts the fastest or the loudest, or you’re the one who does better marketing and so on.
We can’t be second to anyone. We can’t just follow a trend—I think that will kill the brand. The advantage we have is that many companies try to innovate, and they do this by working on the mechanism that tells the time. For Hautlence, [we focus on] the unique spectacle that shows the time. So we’re actually approaching the competition very differently. For instance, Urwerk is very technical, and then you have MB&F, whose products are more design oriented. So we are really in the middle of that.
What is your vision for the brand in the next ten years?
We definitely want to expand. The goal is always to get ahead. For me, it’s vital to have different collections, and I believe that’s where we’ll expand [to show] something we haven’t seen before. We have this kind of old school TV-case, and maybe plasma TV [is next]; that could be another collection, and we can really get a foothold. So that when a buyer thinks about watches and they think of independents, the first thing that comes to mind is Hautlence.
Your all-time-favourite watch?
[Ulysse Nardin] Freak. I love the freak.
As the Regional Editor for Watches and Jewellery and Editorial Content Lead for Tatler GMT, Amrita Katara specialises in luxury watch and jewellery coverage across Asia, with expertise in editorial strategy, feature writing and interviews with industry leaders. Her past roles span luxury lifestyle media and client partnerships. Based in Mumbai, Amrita’s work bridges global trends and Asian market insights.
