Innovate and Integrate
Laurent Pin, Le Cercle des Horlogers’ incoming Chief Executive Officer, summarizes his lofty plans for the future of Speake Marin’s exclusive movement workshop
“The movement is everything” says Laurent Pin, CEO of Le Cercle des Horlogers located in La Chaux-de-Fonds. Laurent Pin, who joined the atelier earlier this year, was born in the Arve Valley, an area in the Haute Savoie region of France that he describes as the birthplace of precision mechanical parts. “So I’ve always worked in the machining and assembly sector,” he says, “including 17 years in the automotive industry, and now 10 years in watchmaking. During those 10 years, I’ve worked more specifically on crown, push-button, case and bracelet trimmings, but I’ve always found that the most interesting part of watchmaking is the movement. I’m happy to be able to do that today at Le Cercle Des Horlogers. What’s more, I’m always looking for technical projects that can be executed on a human scale.”
“I’ve Always Found that the Most Interesting Part of Watchmaking is the Movement”
His regard for the human factor in watchmaking extends to his management style, which is inclusive and team oriented. “Together we have described our charter and our values based on respect, transparency and mutual support. It’s important that we’re all united around these values,” he says.
With these values in place, Laurent Pin has the power to move Le Cercle des Horlogers into the future, which he feels lies in the realm of creating high-quality, highly complex and highly reliable movements. His plan for ensuring that goal involves further strengthening and integrating the human and technical aspects of production. “We want to integrate finishing to improve component quality,” he explains, “but also to simplify our flow and be less dependent on fluctuating lead times from suppliers. We are striving for continuous improvement, particularly when it comes to improving the reliability of our movements.”
Innovation and Resilience
It’s a commitment that positions Speake Marin at the top end of the watch market, where it is insulated from the vagaries of economic ups and downs. At a time when both new and pre-owned watch sales are in a slump, Laurent Pin says Speake Marin is less exposed than those in more vulnerable segments. “Very often, the crises are more severe for mid-range and low-range brands. Our positioning at the very top end means we are a little less affected.”
But watchmaking is a constantly evolving sector, and the key to flourishing is to innovate, and to ultimately offer something that sets you apart from your competitors. That something for Le Cercle des Horlogers, states Laurent Pin, is “innovation and customization, including complete watch concepts.”
100% Swiss Made
That goal extends to innovation in Le Cercle des Horlogers’ supply chain, with an eye to traceability and eco-responsibility. “It’s important for us to become more transparent about this chain, which will enable us to highlight our 100% Swiss manufacturing status,” says Laurent Pin. “In the long term, we will be able to measure the impact of our value chain in both social and environmental terms.”
One of Le Cercle des Horlogers’ collaborators within that chain, for example, is CSEM, the Swiss Center for Electronics and Microtechnology, with whom Laurent Pin is working on some new concepts. Although he prefers to stay mum for now about what’s in the pipeline, he doesn’t deny harboring some lofty ambitions for the atelier. When asked what would be the result if he could realize one big dream or specific objective for the workshop, he replies: “to invent something revolutionary that would be the envy of the world.” Stay tuned.