Watch retailer's market know-how crucial to helping these brands flourish in the region

Often, collective strengths are more powerful than individual contributions alone. This is particularly true in business, especially when you meet like-minded partners.

For Swiss watch brands Blancpain and Corum, their presence in Southeast Asia has been greatly boosted with their cooperation with Cortina Watch. 

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Push boundaries with Blancpain

It means a lot when a famed watchmaker makes a special edition of its icon to mark a special milestone of its business partner. 

That is the case for Blancpain, which has created an exclusive version of its signature Fifty Fathoms model to celebrate Cortina Watch’s 50th anniversary.

Limited to 50 pieces, this variant is the first two-toned Fifty Fathoms model, made with Grade 23 titanium and a Sedna Gold bezel bearing a ceramic insert and Ceragold markers. 

Grade 23 titanium boasts great strength and corrosion resistance, while Sedna Gold and Ceragold are the proprietary gold alloys of the Swatch Group, Blancpain’s parent company.

Powered by the automatic Calibre 1315, the watch comes with a five-day power reserve and carries just the right dynamic of function and performance with a unique style. 

Congratulating Cortina Watch on its 50th anniversary, Blancpain CEO Marc A Hayek says: “As the world’s oldest watch brand, Blancpain is proud to showcase its watchmaking expertise and DNA in collaboration with this strong and long-time partner, which contributed to the strengthening of our presence in Southeast Asia.”

Owned by the Blancpain family for seven generations, the brand has shown that it’s unafraid to make bold decisions and stand by them. It is one of the few Swiss watch brands that has never produced a quartz movement, focusing instead on its tradition of fine mechanical watchmaking. 

And it is also the first Swiss watchmaker to appoint a female CEO. Ms Betty Fiechter, who was the long-time assistant of Mr Frederic-Emile Blancpain (the seventh and last generation to run the business now owned by The Swatch Group), made history as she took over the reins in 1933, playing a pioneering role in shaping Blancpain’s feminine timepieces. A notable example was the birth of the Ladybird collection in 1956 with what was then the world’s smallest round movement.

Blancpain’s place in watchmaking history is also radically important, in terms of the preservation of specific crafts such as the art of engraving, seen in its stunning metiers d’art pieces. 

“Cortina Watch has always had incredible respect for the late Mr Nicolas Hayek, a brilliant businessman with admirable foresight,” says Mr Raymond Lim, CEO of Cortina Holdings, on the visionary co-founder of the Swatch Group. 

“He kept alive and grew important watch manufactures such as Blancpain. Over the years, we’ve worked closely with his family who continue to direct the business of the group today, in particular Mr Nick Hayek Jr and Mr Marc A Hayek, the CEOs of The Swatch Group and Blancpain respectively.”
 

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Step by step with Corum

Sometimes, all it takes is one business meeting to make or break a deal. During the 1980s, as Mr René Bannwart, the co-founder of Corum, sought to find new partners in Southeast Asia, he met Mr Anthony Lim, founder of Cortina Watch, in Singapore. 

Impressed by Mr Lim’s insight into the region’s watch retail scene, he decided to strike up a partnership with Cortina Watch to represent Corum in Singapore. 

Since then, Cortina Watch has been a key retailer for the boutique watchmaker and one of its most important global partners. 

The strength of their partnership was first demonstrated in 1992, when Cortina Watch created its first commemorative anniversary model with Corum. 

This was timed with the opening of the retailer's flagship store at the newly opened Raffles City Shopping Centre then.

For the special edition of the Les Horlogeres Reserve de Marche model, the watchmaker stamped Cortina Watch’s logo on a unique closed caseback. What was special was that the logo featured Cortina Watch's old name (Cortina Watch Centre) and design.

Limited to just 20 pieces, proceeds from the sales were donated to the National Kidney Foundation. 

When Cortina Watch decided to develop its e-commerce platform in 2019, it again worked with Corum for a limited-edition timepiece that became another retail success for the brand. 

The 100-piece Admiral 42 Automatic Monochrome, in sandblasted stainless steel with a grey dial and nautical pennants, quickly sold out within 72 hours. 

The project revealed that the two brands were well-aligned and Cortina Watch’s clients appreciated Corum’s bold design style. 

This year, when it came to Cortina Watch’s golden jubilee, the retailer was keen to create another unique model with Corum to show how far the watch brand has come. 

Under Corum’s new management and leadership over the past decade, it acquired the know-how and talent to craft impressive timepieces that span artistic creativity, technical prowess and material innovation. 

“In 2019, we introduced the Admiral 45 Openworked Tourbillon and last year, we developed a new case design for it using a fusion of carbon and gold. This material has never been used in watchmaking; it’s primarily used in the medical industry,” Mr Soon explains. 

The effect is mesmerising, with sparkles of gold on a black carbon background, like a starry sky at night.

Both Mr Raymond and Jeremy Lim, CEOs of Cortina Holdings and Cortina Watch respectively, agreed that they wanted to use this case for the anniversary model. 

Limited to just 10 pieces, the Admiral 45 Tourbillon is based on a modified design of the Admiral 45 Tourbillon Openworked and features a sunray-brushed dial. 

In order to create this timepiece, Mr Soon revealed that they had to redesign the movement and present one that is exclusive to this limited edition, as the watch is slightly thicker than the openworked version.

“We are a watchmaker, not a retailer,” explains Mr Soon. “It’s only with the help of partners like Cortina that Corum has been able to grow. We have always maintained strong and longstanding relationships with our retail partners globally, and we’re delighted that we can be part of this important milestone.”