Cartier Ballon Bleu de Cartier Men's Watch W6900551

L.A Magazine Les Ambassadeurs - # 07

The history of horology's conquest of the Middle Kingdom undoubtedly stretches back over more than eight centuries. Which means that Switzerland as such did not even exist at the time, and that the nation's artisans had not yet acquired this distinctive expertise, transcending it and excelling in a manner that is now famed the world over. According to the account of the journey of the Franciscan monk Wilhelm Rubroek in the mid-13 th century, we owe the creation of the first known animated scene for an eminent Chinese personality to a watchmaker from Lyon.

Time measurement and proselytism have indeed often gone hand in hand, and this was definitely the case in China, where horology made an effective contribution towards the spread of Christianity within the Empire. These joint accomplishments are related in a book entitled Peking and written three centuries after the facts by Monsignor Favier, a French missionary who settled in Peking in 1862. He speaks in particular of the role of the Jesuit priest Father Matteo Ricci, who travelled from Nanking to Peking in 1599 and evokes "beautiful and richly decorated objects intended for the emperor: clocks, watches, a large clock, a clavichord and other curiosities." The presents were apparently warmly welcomed by the Emperor, who was delighted. As Monsignor Favier explains: "Such things had never before been seen in China. The Priests had to enter the second area of the palace in order to set the clocks in operation and to explain to the eunuchs how to wind them; as for the large clock, the ministry of public works was ordered to build a very high and elegant wooden tower to house it in one of the palace gardens." And when at a later date there were plans to banish foreigners, the Jesuit priest and his companions were saved from this fate by the eunuchs who were afraid of no longer being able to keep the clocks running after their departure. Or how horology served to help propagate religious beliefs…

China via London
Romans, Indians and Arabs have all been interested since time immemorial in commercial exchanges with China. But the intensification of truly organised and substantial trading between the West and China was accomplished by the Portuguese. Working from their base in Macao which they build in the mid-16 th century - having been forbidden access to Canton - they developed trade relations with the Middle Kingdom, in which they were later joined by the Dutch, the English and then by all nations with maritime potential. From 1685, Canton was chosen by the government of the Empire to serve as a commercial platform, largely thanks to two major "assets": geographically separated from the rest of the country by a mountain range, it was also at the time the city most remote from the political decisionmaking hub. In the pursuit of their activities, Western traders were confined to a small area on the edge of the city, in the famous "factories", and isolated from any women or children. They were assigned Chinese contacts among the influential and wealthy Hannists, were not entitled to extend their stay beyond the six-month period authorised each year, and had little chance of actually entering China itself.
It was within this strict framework that trade developed in Canton during the 19 th century. Timepieces were precious goods, objects of trade or gifts for the Emperor or Chinese dignitaries. The all-powerful East India Company dominated the market and English horologers - then at the peak of this art - played an extremely prominent role, starting with James Cox and then William Anthony and the Ilberys. The latter, according to Arnaud Tellier, curator of the Patek Philippe Museum which has just devoted an exhibition to Chinese watch pairs, "after having initially produced their goods in England, began sourcing their timepieces in Geneva and the Neuchâtel Jura region". This was the heyday of names such as Jaquet Droz, Leschot, Capt, Meylan and the Rochat brothers, hailing from various regions but settled in Geneva. Other Swiss horologers - such as Recordon & Dupont in the late 18 th century - also began trading with London where they established themselves.

Bovet, the name that stands out from the rest
The person who would make the greatest impact on China was Edouard. A flamboyant figure described by Alfred Chapuis in his monumental work La montre chinoise. Edouard Bovet was originally from Fleurier, and had been established in London since 1815 with two of his brothers (Frederic and Alphonse) when he set sail for Canton on the Orwell in 1818. He was sent by the Magniac company which was eager to have a watchmaker in China. Upon his arrival, he expressed mixed feelings: "I left Whampoa at 9 o'clock in the morning and arrived in Canton at 1 o'clock in the afternoon. You simply cannot imagine the number of boats on this river; all these people live on the water because there isn't enough room on land; the river is wider than the Thames in places. Canton is an ugly town; I have visited virtually all the places we are allowed to see. The streets are like paths along which no more than two people can walk at a time. The largest street in Canton, which is indeed said to the widest in China, is only 20 feet wide and is called China Street (…)." All of which did not prevent Edouard Bovet from remaining in China to exercise his profession as a watchmaker. In 1822, he decided to launch out on his own and, together with his two brothers in London, and with Gustave, a third watchmaker brother in Fleurier, set up a general partnership aiming to foster trade with China. It is to them that we owe the actual organisation of Swiss watchmaking trade with China, over which they achieved a full-fledged monopoly thanks to the presence of Edouard. He returned in triumph to Fleurier in 1830, having made his fortune and written a unique chapter in the history of Swiss watchmaking in China. To the point where for a certain time the word "Bovet" was synonymous with "watch".
This was the start of an exceptional adventure for Swiss watchmaking in China, which continued for over a century. Certain long-established brands even succeeded in holding their own in the Middle Kingdom after Mao Zedong instated the People's Republic of China in 1949.

"Let some people get rich first", a watershed statement
Quite obviously, both its history and its respect for artistic crafts and fine workmanship predestined China to be sensitive to watchmaking culture. Better still, its wealthiest citizens are now in a position to buy the finest possible timepieces, and they have no hesitation in doing so. All of which explains why watch brands have for the past 15 years been looking with particular interest at this market in the making - one that that calls for colossal investments without necessarily yielding immediate returns, and which therefore favours the most powerful players. What today looks like an elementary rule for anyone wishing to grow their business - namely investing in China - was anything but an obvious choice barely 20 years ago. After half a century of a planned economy and the rule of collectivism, it was not enough for Deng Xiaoping to send out the famous "let some people get rich first" message for the country to change gears and switch to the "socialist market economy" for which China alone seems to know the recipe. Time did its work, mentalities evolved, and a middle class emerged - not to mention certain large fortunes built within a few years - while the powers in place accompanied and closely defined the parameters of these changes, jointly reincorporating Macao as well as the strategic hub and gateway to continental China represented by Hong Kong. As a result this huge country - covering a territory 18 times that of France - has now become the focus of attention, for the watch industry and countless others, thereby placing Chinese authorities in a situation where they constantly solicited.

Watch brands do not enjoy a level playing field in their bid to win over the Middle Kingdom. Some have set off with an historical head-start; others have displayed particular boldness or a special vision, while the latecomers were slow on the uptake and are now trying to make up for lost time. But none of them, apart from extremely confidential brands, can afford to ignore the least virtual of growth markets. Witness the fact that China (apart from Hong Kong), which only recently entered the top 10 of watch markets, was for the very first time ranked 4 th in the Swiss watch export statistics for the first half of 2010, boasting a 90% rise compared to the same period of the previous year! In the field, among the circle of the most prestigious brands, some traditional manufacturers such as Patek Philippe, Vacheron Constantin and Blancpain have managed to play this game particularly well. At a more accessible level, the best-known watch brands are Omega and Longines. And then of course there are the global names in the luxury world, such as Cartier, Louis Vuitton, Montblanc and Hermes, who are investing heavily to consolidate their presence in China and are thereby becoming inescapable players.

Switzerland, a mirror of China
Luxury consumer goods are still subject to disadvantageously heavy taxes in continental China. But this barely seems to bother the high-prestige brands whose aim is to increase their fame in China and to build their image from a longterm strategic perspective. The spin-off effects can also be felt elsewhere, such as in Switzerland itself which is a favourite travel destination for the Chinese. And what finer souvenir could they hope to bring back from Switzerland than a watch? What's more, Chinese buyers have rapidly acquired an extremely mature and knowledgeable approach to watches, combined with extremely refined tastes. Such factors have doubtless played a role in the long-running love story between watchmaking and China. Due to their ever increasing importance on the market and to their maturity as consumers, the Chinese are now exercising a defining influence on the future of the watch industry.