Only Watch has reached a turning point: you are putting time on hold, but not research...
The results of the ten Only Watch editions provide the AMM-Only Project with the necessary means to pursue and amplify its commitments over the coming years, without the short-term need to organize a new fund-raising event – an organizational endeavor for which we have always retained responsibility and which, as everyone can imagine, involves enormous team mobilization. We are fortunate enough to have a friendly and loyal network of committed individuals and brands, recognized know-how in the field along with highly versatile applied creativity. This means that when the association will require fresh funding, we'll once again suggest pooling our energies in order to renew our resources.
Speaking of the last 20 years, Only Watch has been referred to as a game changer. In which main ways do think that is so?
I think it has played this role on several levels. Firstly, in watchmaking, with the tremendous work of the brands that have created exceptional watches, many of which have gone down in history. Then of course and above all in terms of the progress made by research into therapies for Duchenne muscular dystrophy. When we started out in the early 2000s, there was no prospect of a therapy in the short or medium term and the clinical testing of potential drugs was, it has to be said, an abstract and distant objective. We knew something about this, as our son Paul and I were directly affected by this state of affairs. So we set to work.
Today, notably thanks to the international roundtables organized by the association, along with the research and development work supported with funds raised by Only Watch, a number of trials for new drugs are underway. The one being conducted by the startup we co-founded looks particularly promising and could literally be a game-changer for many patients.
Receiving a diagnosis of this kind is a shock and research is by definition a field of uncertainty. However, the situation has progressed a great deal in the past 20 years and hope is more tangible.
Finally, I think the last area in which Only Watch has been somewhat of a game-changer is that of charity fundraising. We hae organized an auction every two years, giving us the means to achieve our ambitions that have in turn grown in step with Only Watch. We have benefited from the vital support of partners such as auction houses, shipping companies, auction hosts, etc., while retaining responsibility for the organization of the event that became a fixture in the charity and watchmaking calendar. All this has been accomplished while adopting consistent guidelines and a humble attitude across the years, which have contributed to the success and served as inspiration for others, to our sincere delight.
What mental image sticks in your mind when you look back on these 440 one-of-kind models created by dozens of brands?
I visualize a tightly framed camera shot showing around 20 exceptional, unique watches. Zooming out, the shot widens to reveal 100, 200, 300, 400 watches and more, which themselves merge into one. The extraordinary strength of Only Watch has resided in its unity, to a degree unprecedented in this industry.
You've forged some extremely strong ties with leading figures in the watchmaking industry. What is left of all that?
The rare opportunity to communicate in uncalculated sincerity from one person to the next, with hundreds of people prepared to listen and ready to support a movement on behalf of the common good. We will continue to work with them and the watchmaking ecosystem, keeping them informed and involving them even more in the advances made possible by the AMM-Only Project funds, notably through their representation on our strategic committee.
Is there anything you might have done differently?
It all happened in a manner reflecting the ‘perfect imperfection’ of human reality, driving phenomenal global success and empathy. For two decades, we have experienced repeated, improbable and magnificent ‘Everests’ and offered unique opportunities to significantly advance research towards therapies. We will be able to continue doing so for many years to come, thanks to good resource management.
What are the Association's priorities from now on?
Deploying and further fine-tuning our research support programs so as to help researchers on their path towards increasingly complex and innovative therapies, while also offering new generations in this field the chance to emerge and take their place.
To achieve this, we must continue to consolidate our governance and grow the team skillfully, at just the right pace, in order to be efficient, accurate and responsive on all issues.
What challenges do you see ahead for the Director of the AMM-Only Project?
Maintaining the best of our pioneering and agile spirit while effectively helping the association to turn the corner towards maturity.
How do you see the watch industry in the upcoming quarter-century?
It's more a brief look at the world today and tomorrow that I'd like to share with you. We live in a fluctuating century, meaning one that is variable as well as less and less predictable, often tempted by an inward-looking attitude and impacted by fear of other people and of the future. This trend is accelerating. To come out on top, we'll need, in my opinion, to demonstrate a collaborative and kindly spirit, adaptability, creativity or ingenuity, sharing of resources, as well as joy in life and in the present moment.
Applied to the watch industry, this could result in a hybrid mode of operation incorporating the finest qualities of independent brands and those of groups.
In this sense, Only Watch has been leading the way for 20 years, creating, promoting and proposing bridges between all watchmaking universes – and demonstrating in this context that such an approach can actually work.
