Cover Laurent Dordet, Hermès Horloger’s CEO (Photo: courtesy of Hermès)
Laurent Dordet, Hermès Horloger’s CEO (Photo: courtesy of Hermès)
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In Our 10 Minutes With … Laurent Dordet, Hermès Horloger’s CEO discusses how the prestigious French maison has emerged as a formidable player in the competitive world of watchmaking by blending French flair with Swiss technology
When Morgan Stanley’s Top 20 Swiss Watch Company Ranking 2022 was released earlier this year, one name stood out—the French luxury brand Hermès. While many others on the list are dedicated watchmakers with centuries of expertise, Hermès is a relatively young player in the space, with the brand’s watch division, Hermès Horloger, having started production in 1978. This, however, gives the brand a unique advantage: in the traditionally conservative world of Swiss haute horlogerie, the brand has stood out for its French flair and creativity.
Laurent Dordet, the CEO of Hermès Horloger, has been with Hermès since 1995 and took over the reins of the watch division in 2015. One of the reasons Hermès has emerged as a formidable force in the industry in such a short time, says Dordet, is because the maison is laser-focused on creating beautiful objects without being limited by the fickle demands of demographics or geography.
Tatler GMT sits down with Dordet to talk about Hermès’ meteoric rise and the values that guide its watchmaking.
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Congratulations on being featured on Morgan Stanley’s list of top 20 watchmakers of 2022. How does it feel?
We are extremely happy to be in the top 20. It’s the second time for us; it gives us a great deal of ambition for the coming years.
What was the strategy behind making it to the top 20, considering Hermès is not a pure watch brand? How do you plan to maintain and improve Hermès’s position in the coming years?
There are mostly pure [watch] players [on the list], we are one of the exceptions. This is an opportunity for Hermès, because it gives us a very specific advantage to [offer] something that’s quite different to the rest of the industry. We are French in terms of our creative [flair], but Swiss in terms of technique. We are playing with watches of all kinds—feminine, masculine, entry-price ones and high-end complications.
A good part of our success is due to [our unique] creativity. We bring a different style to the table. You may like it or you may not, but it’s different. We try to be as close to the pure players as possible in technique [and precision], but as different as possible in everything else: style, creativity, humour and lightness.
Above Hermès H08 Colours (Photo: courtesy of Joel Von Allmen / Hermès)
Hermès H08 Colours (Photo: courtesy of Joel Von Allmen / Hermès)
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Are there any new avenues that you are excited about exploring?
We have a team dedicated to exploring ideas, opportunities and techniques that are not [usually] used in the watchmaking industry. [We take inspiration from] other industries, such as automotive, marine and aerospace. For example, the glass fibre [used in the] Hermès H08 Colours watches is commonly used in the boating and aviation industries.
How do you balance the legacy of the brand with the need to innovate?
Hermès certainly has a rich heritage, but [we don’t] want to be a museum. Instead, we create contemporary objects, integrating traditional know-how. We believe that “everything changes, but not everything changes”. I’ve been with the company for 28 years, but the philosophy has not changed whatsoever [over the years]. However, [today] Hermès is at a level of creativity and innovation that has never been done before. We are definitely driven by the future, but we are nurtured by the know-how that [we have] accumulated.
What is your vision for the future of Hermès watches, in terms of the brand’s global reach? How do you appeal to a younger clientele?
We don’t work for generations, countries or continents. We never say we are going to make a watch for Asians or Americans. We don’t work for millennials, we don’t work for old people like me. We just try to make objects we are proud of. Up until now, this philosophy has worked quite well. We have a lot of success among young people, which means that when an object is nice, it can be interesting [across] generations. That’s the way we do it.
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.
