Burberry, Cartier, Valentine. If only she knew!

From wallowing day in, day out in matters horological, how can I forget, for the space of a gift, what I know or would rather not know about watchmaking. How can I walk a mile in someone else's shoes to make sure she feels genuine pleasure at receiving a real gift rather than a lesson in horology to be worn on the wrist as a rather meager pledge of something for the companion of an insider.  I'll readily admit that the term "gift" lacks some elegance in this context, even if, in my own head, it rhymes with Journe, Patek Philippe, Piaget, Speake-Marin, Greubel Forsey, Urwerk, Rudis Sylva, Kari Voutilainen, to mention but a few.

Unconditional love? Yes, but…

In the most hideous case scenario, I suddenly imagine she is actually dreaming of a Burberry watch. A nightmare!But it's a legitimate misgiving, since she does, occasionally and with some fondness, wear the items of this noble English brand, which has become quite degentrified. A horrid dilemma: would it be proof of my love to buy her one?After all, people, when engaging in acts of love, must occasionally perjure themselves. . . In the end, I say to myself, if she loves me, even a little bit, she must be able to admit that I could not blaspheme and do something against my very nature, or violate my intelligence to such a point. . . Nevertheless, ever since, whenever we stroll about the shopping streets of Geneva, I carefully make a little detour. Because…. I saw it the other evening in the display window at Burberry's, in the midst of watch turf, those pseudo watches that outrageously thwart the idea of Swiss made.

Cartier Tank Anglaise Medium Pink Gold

Those Burberry watches – and they are by no means alone – carry a very pernicious virus:   they represent the sheer arrogance of the belief that by placing the name of a brand on a dial, you can sell it for more money than by complying with a charter of excellence in manufacturing, defined geographically and legitimized by history. Yes, I am talking of the famous label Swiss made. And that means they could crack open the door to de-localizations. Let us note, that from the point of view of a group's financial decision-makers, the temptation of pushing the "Swiss made" label to the back burner in order to liberate oneself of the at times constraining cobranding, could emerge as a very alluring option.

Made in Cartier and… Swiss made

So at first I had a flash of fear when, standing there, I spotted the label "Made in Cartier. "Was this going to be a prophetic incarnation of some managerial vision that would stand to gain a great deal if a brand could simply avoid the need to be located in Switzerland? To put it in real terms: it would be freed from the costs generated by framework conditions and geographical frontiers where labor carries a high price tag.

I was quickly reassured. The investments made by Cartier in its verticalization, its full-fledged implantation in Switzerland's watchmaking regions, were what ultimately calmed my spirits: opening of a manufacture in Fleurier in the Val de Travers, increased headcount at the manufacture in Crêt du Locle in the canton of Neuchâtel, close to the little airport of La-Chaux-de-Fonds, or, more recently, the complete renovation an ancient farmhouse close to the manufacture, which is now used for rare crafts.

Cartier Tank Anglaise Medium Pink and White Gold

So, what if a Cartier was the best choice for this Valentine's Day? After all, the name is so famous, that even the lesser victims of fashion among the friends of my dearest and most tender companion would be up to date when she showed them her brand new present. In addition, when it comes to watchmaking, the brand has managed to weave itself a crown of laurels in the past 10 years, one made up of in-house calibers, innovative creations, and real mastery. Anyway, my aficionado friends and collectors will not see through my strategy. As for my dearest partner, obviously I will not tell her that behind the most complicated and technologically ingenuous items produced by the brand is a very nice woman, one who is particularly charming, Carole Kasapi-Forestier. Because having to reassure her and explain such matters is not exactly the best prospect for a Valentine's Day dinner.

Tank Anglaise, love and rationality… and irrationality!

In fact, I definitely have good reasons to buy a Cartier for my Valentine. First, because of the panther slumbering in this brand, as it does in the feline, gracious, elegant and bold character of my companion. Then, there is that incredible Carole, who inevitably rivets me when explaining the birth of the complications her team reinvents with lots of intelligence.  I will have to introduce the two one day … And, finally, there is the manufacture that faces the airport in La-Chaux-de-Fonds, bathed in childhood memories of small carriers as well as delicious gulps of La Semeuse coffee. And if, for heaven knows what reason, I would tell all my briefed buddies of my feat of having not forgotten that date in 2015, I wouldn't have to feel embarrassed.  

So, this year, having not been able to offer my beloved one the ecstatic Ballon Bleu set with vibrating diamonds – presented in 2015 at the SIHH – I was divided between two models of the Tank Anglaise. In my heart of hearts, I was leaning towards the smaller one, a delicate little thing in a white gold case spangled with diamonds and delivered on an alligator bracelet of fuchsia pink. But here is the problem: it runs on quartz. So I finally opted for the medium model, whose rose gold case harmonizes perfectly with the skin color of my better half, and whose timekeeping is performed by an automatic caliber, the Cartier 077, with a date at 3 o'clock.  I will not take it on the standard alligator bracelet, which is reddish, but on the one reserved for its little sister … which would be more flashy. So delicious…