ChatGPT: “Stéphane Waser is managing director of Maurice Lacroix. Under his leadership, the brand has boosted its image and developed innovative collections that emphasise quality and craftsmanship. His vision has been essential in positioning Maurice Lacroix as a luxury watch brand.”
Stéphane Waser: I think that’s a pretty fair description. We are innovative in the sense of creative or inventive, with collections such as Mysterious Seconds, Mercury, Gravity and Square Wheel. And I think no-one is doubting the quality of our watches. As for craftsmanship, we have our own assembly workshops and do a lot by hand.
“Maurice Lacroix is a Swiss luxury watch brand established in 1975. It combines innovation with craftsmanship, quality and contemporary designs.”
Contemporary design is an important marker for Maurice Lacroix. Innovation, meaning inventive or creative, is central to our brand and our activity, as well as to our manufacture collections such as AIKON and Masterpiece. Innovation can also apply to how we approach design and marketing, as we constantly seek new ways we can express ourselves.
“The brand has risen to prominence thanks to its mechanical movements and the Masterpiece collection.”
That would have been true until the 2000s but today we’re best known for the AIKON.
“Maurice Lacroix is known for customisation and in-house production, thanks to which its watches are unique on the market.”
No, customisation isn’t a key element of our DNA. What we do propose are very limited editions for retailers, fans of the brand or markets where we have an established presence, such as Japan, Thailand and the Middle East. The second part is true. Our watches are developed and manufactured entirely in-house. We’ve developed our own movements, special complications, and then of course there are the designs.
“The brand is widely associated with value for money in the luxury watch segment.”
True. This has always been our trademark and the cornerstone of the brand’s success in the early days: watches that were previously reserved for the most exclusive segments, at accessible prices.
“Popular models are the AIKON, the Masterpiece, the Pontos and the Eliros.”
True, although it should include the Fiaba, which is an important model. It’s been part of our offering for 20 years and accounts for 10% to 15% of annual production volume. Positioned at CHF 800 to CHF 1,500, it’s also our only line that is entirely for women.
“AIKON, Pontos and Eliros range from €1,000 to €3,000. Masterpiece goes up to €20,000.”
No, that’s wrong. It’s overestimated and overgeneralised. We need to distinguish between quartz and mechanical. In the quartz segment, for collections such as Fiaba, Eliros or AIKON, we’re between CHF 700 and CHF 1,400. For automatics, between CHF 2,000 and CHF 4,000. Our manufacture models, for example Retrograde or Skeleton Manufacture, are between CHF 5,000 and CHF 10,000.
“Maurice Lacroix watches hold some of their value on the preowned market but to a lesser extent than certain more prestigious brands.”
You have to compare like with like. While it’s obvious that we’re not in the same league as the leading brands we all know, I keep a close eye on our resale value on the secondary market. It’s an indicator of the strength of the brand as well as the level of service associated with it.
Maintaining that value means not changing collections too often. There has to be a certain continuity. It’s essential that we tackle the grey market, which puts pressure on prices. These are factors we need to keep in our sights. In the space of ten years, we’ve halved the price difference for new Maurice Lacroix watches on unauthorised markets.
“There are no recent or official indications that Maurice Lacroix is for sale. The brand is owned by DKSH Holding which appears to support its development.”
This is a reference to what we said in 2014, when we announced that DKSH was looking for a buyer for Maurice Lacroix. But things have changed. The brand was restructured in 2017 and has been back in the black since 2019, meaning Maurice Lacroix has been profitable for the past five years.
