Raymond Weil, the Swiss timepieces for men and ladies, have became a byword for luxury in new niche markets due to their elegant design and comfortable feel on the wrist. Though relatively young as compared with the other renowned Swiss watches, being established only in 1976, Raymond Weil is put on a pedestal because of the technology, creativity, passion, quality, originality and attention to detail in making Raymond Weil watches. In an interview, Mathieu Linossier, area sales manager, Middle East Raymond Weil, shared his thoughts and views on what makes Raymond Weil watches a timepiece to possess. Following are excerpts: What is the main purpose and objective of participating in the Jewelry Fair? The Bahrain Jewelry Fair is the most important fair in the Middle East that represents a very historical and successful area for our independent, family-owned company. It is essential for our brand to get visibility and to generate business through this fair. Do you target the entire Middle Eastern area by participating in the jewelry fair? Raymond Weil is more than ever committed to expanding in this region where our brand has been sustaining a continuous growth over the last 30 years. Our aim is to continue to increase brand awareness and our presence in many distinctive and selective points of sale, carefully selected for their quality and reputation, and to be present with exclusive Raymond Weil boutiques. Since you deal in luxury segment of watches, how do you position Raymond Weil when compared to other brands in the market - in particular Arab markets - GCC, Levant and MENA? As one of the last independently owned Swiss family companies, Raymond Weil enjoys a special place in the exclusive world of luxury watchmaking. Raymond Weil should be considered as a generalist watch brand positioned on the horological segment. How do you evaluate Arab market in terms of market share to Raymond Weil compared to European and Far East markets? As already explained in the previous answers, the Middle East is a significant market for our brand which represents approximately 15-20 of our worldwide sales. Your brand serves both genders. Is it more popular with men or with ladies? Currently, the ratio is about 65 percent of the watches sold by Raymond Weil worldwide are gents' models, about 35 percent are ladies' watches. You have years of association with local agents and distributors in the region. How do you see these partnerships - is it rewarding in terms of sales, market info, customer preferences, product/brand enhancement, etc. Do they influence your decision when it comes to launching new models or a particular design? Trust is the basis of the relationships that we have with all our professional partners. It is reciprocal between Raymond Weil and the brand's network. The brand has always regarded them as favored partners. The bonds created with our distribution network are extremely solid and strengthened by the familial nature of our respective companies. So, during troubled times such as we are seeing now, we thus offer them major advantages-proximity, sincerity and reactivity. How often Raymond Weil does introduce new models? And what is the logic/strategy behind introducing new models? Raymond Weil new collections are launched once a year at Baselworld fair (the next is in March 2010). Raymond Weil has an internal R&D department which helps us enjoy full control of the watch-design process. By embracing the latest technological innovations, R&D plays a major role in Raymond Weil's innovations. A market analysis is certainly the initial point for the strategy and design process for new collections. Between the initial memo from the board and marketing department, and the first manufactured timepieces, it takes six months to design the dial and hands; 12 months to modify an existing collection; and twenty-four months to create a model for a new collection - a time-lapse reflecting the need for extensive research, both on the aesthetic front and with regard to new procedures, suppliers, materials, testing, etc. What is Raymond Weil's unique selling proposition? Is it technology or design? It is a combination of both. Generally speaking, Raymond Weil timepieces stand out for their high quality, precious materials (diamonds, gold, alligator-skin, precious stones) and their emphasis on aesthetic appeal. They reflect a modern, diversified brand which has also chosen to position its watches in an attractively-priced sector of the market. Who or which other brands do you consider as your closest competitor/s? Our main competitors are Longines, Tag Heuer, and Omega. What conclusions did you reach after this year's Basel Fair considering the world present crisis? Are you more optimistic about the market evolution for watches in the near future? Recent figures show that the global meltdown had an impact on the watch industry just like most of the industries - in the UAE and all over the world (US, Spain, Iceland...). Raymond Weil's action plan has always been built on a long-term basis. Our vision for the upcoming years is to stay independent, dynamic and to consolidate our place in the exclusive world of luxury watchmaking. Our new products, which are very well adapted to the end consumers' needs (e.g. the Noemia collection), and our very solid relationships with our business partners are important advantages that will help us to deal with the new market situation. What marketing tactics do you apply to reach your target customers in this difficult time? Thanks to intuition, Raymond Weil took steps more than 18 months ago and has thus considerably developed its product line-up around the ‘entry-level' range. The arrival of the ladies' collection Noemia as well as our new Tradition pieces, is the perfect illustration of advance planning that only a family business can undertake Jewelry Arabia (Bahrain) is an annual fair. Would you consider a similar fair in Saudi Arabia to be more attractive? If such a project happened, it would be considered as Saudi market is significant for our brand. Shopping malls are hot and happening throughout the Arab world. Do you have any plans to increase the number of boutiques in 2010? What is your plan/strategy for Saudi market? Everywhere our brand is strong, we want to be present via our own stores. Today, about 20 stores are a driving force in our distribution. The role of these boutiques is important in the sense that they allow our clientele to enter into the heart itself of the Raymond Weil universe and to receive personalized services. After inaugurating a new outlet in Dubai last May (the brand now has four boutiques in the United Arab Emirates), further openings in the months ahead will expand the family firm's distribution network in such key markets as Saudi Arabia (Al-Khobar) in February 2010, and India (Mumbai & New Delhi). There are other luxury brands such Cartier, Piaget, Ebel, etc. How do you differentiate these brands? Are they targeting the same social class? As a generalist brand, we do not target the same customers of the mentioned brands. We are concentrating on the new upcoming active executive directors, doctors, lawyers, etc. with an average age of 30+ years. Our desire is to appeal to a young, confident, elegantly self-aware clientele both male and female. How many watches do you sell annually? I mean worldwide? Sorry but we do not communicate any figures. Counterfeit or fake products are among the major issues for brands (especially fashion related). Markets are flooded with fake items. e.g: Raymond Veil (V). How do you tackle this situation with counterfeiters? Do you work with any anti-piracy/anti-counterfeiting agency in the Middle East? A worldwide monitoring is held by our legal department and all our partners to track all the counterfeits and fake products. Can you describe your brand in two words? I would need 4 words to describe Raymond Weil: Independence, attractive pricing, watch-making know-how and creativity.
