The Smart & the Mechanical
Patrick Pruniaux, the new Ulysse Nardin CEO, initially cuts a serious, intense figure, but in conversation he is surprisingly relaxed and talkative, though in a conservative manner. He is also fond of deadpan humour. “A watch, you’re going to wear for the rest of your life, 18 hours a day. It’s a much better investment,” he intones with a straight face, comparing it to a car or apartment. It is difficult to tell if he is joking.
He is, at least, in the right line of work, having been appointed CEO of Ulysse Nardin in late 2017. He helms a watchmaker that occupies a curious niche—on the one hand, having a rich heritage that dates back to 1846, and on the other, being known today for one of the most distinct examples of modern horology in the Freak. Possessing a unique carousel tourbillon movement that doubles as an oversized minute hand, that Freak has managed to distinguish itself, mechanically and aesthetically, amongst the 21st century landscape of large and eye-catching watches.
Pruniaux has had his eye on the watch since its initial release in 2001. “The movement first, but also the design,” he explains about what he why it caught his attention. “It’s so striking, and yet could almost go unnoticed except by people who pay attention. On top of that, it’s the whole idea around it. The name, the branding, it’s super strong. And that’s why in the future you can expect to see the Freak becoming more than a small collection.” Ulysse Nardin continues to be invested in the Freak as its most recognisable icon—in fact, Pruniaux was recently in Kuala Lumpur for a party that showcased the Freak Collection at the St Regis Kuala Lumpur.
Pruniaux is a bit of a freak himself. Before joining Ulysse Nardin, the watch he was selling was quite removed from that of luxury mechanicals—it was the Apple Watch. In 2014, Pruniaux moved to the electronics giant to be part of the Special Projects team that would prepare for the launch of the first Apple Watch, before going on to be the Managing Director for UK & Ireland. His watch experience does go back further, as he was with TAG Heuer prior to Apple.
Famously, Pruniaux did not know what he was going to be doing at Apple. “True story!” he confirms. “I signed the contract without knowing what I would be doing, they told me the day after. I suspected I would be working on a watch, but I didn’t really know. I signed based on a vague title, a contract, and the fact that it’s Apple.” It was a move that meshed well his personal philosophy. “I take adventure where it comes. Sometimes it can be in an industry you know, sometimes it could be in another industry,” he espouses. “We tend to like comfort, I think. The great thing is when there is a disruption.”
‘Disruptive’ certainly describes the Apple Watch’s effect on the Swiss watch industry, but Pruniaux does not feel it is stealing customers away, as such. “The Apple Watch is recruiting people that will one day buy a luxury watch,” he believes, as these consumers will eventually want to move from something which is a purely useful to something that carries more emotional weight. Furthermore, it gets people used to the idea of wearing something on their wrist. “Millions of people, I’m sure, were not wearing watches until they bought an Apple Watch,” he points out. After all, his move back to the mechanical watch industry signifies his belief in its potential.
Ulysse Nardin is part of that potential, Pruniaux thinks, though he believes the brand is somewhat under-appreciated and undermarketed. Not that there were any major flaws in the company—“I feel I inherited a good situation,” he says—but given the brand’s heritage as well as world-class technical expertise, he feels the it can look forward to bigger things. “We tend to overpromise and underdeliver,” he explains. “We could maybe sell it a bit more about what we’re doing.” So far with Ulysse Nardin, Pruniaux has mainly been fine-tuning the brand’s overall strategy, being more proactive in communicating the brand’s story and desirability.
“It’s about desirability and excitement, and that goes beyond the watch industry,” he explains. “For example, for 7,000 US dollars, you could buy one of our entry-level watches, the Torpilleur. Or you could go on a vacation in the Maldives, or buy a Hermes bag or two Macbook Pros. So it’s not just us versus another watch brand, it’s about the trade-off and the excitement. And I believe that our products, like the Freak, are a good reason for a trade-off.”
