1. HYT – six partners who each bring specific competencies. At the helm is CEO, Vincent Perriard – a well-known figure in the watch industry, because he directed TechnoMarine from 2009, and was responsible for significantly boosting sales. Prior to this, he was President of Concord, where he led the brand to the coveted 2008 Geneva Watchmaking Grand Prix Design Watch Prize. Vincent has occupied posts from worldwide marketing/ communication Director at Audemars Piguet to Vice-President of the Swatch Group under the rule of the late Nicolas Hayek Senior, prior to founding his agency, Brand DNA in Paris, New York and Geneva, specialised in branding and brand strategy.

2. But HYT was first and foremost a crazy idea – of indicating the time with fluids in a mechanical watch. The idea was first dreamt up by Lucien Vouillamoz. It was also he who thought of the principle of two reservoirs attached to each end of a capillary, and of a meniscus to separate the liquids, thus telling the time. However, there was nothing in his extremely eclectic background – nuclear engineer with a degree in thermodynamics, theologian, journalist and automobile consultant - that indicated he would develop one of the most amazing watchmaking concepts of the 21st century.

3. Patrick Berdoz, business angel and project partner from the word go, obtained the initial funding and is now Chairman of HYT. His specialty? Patrick Berdoz is a serial entrepreneur with a wealth of experience that he makes available to his partners. He has registered over one hundred patents during his career. Aside from other feats, as CEO and President of the medical prosthetics specialist Precimed, he took the company to glorious heights, rocketing it from 17 to 800 employees on three continents in ten years.

4. Bruno Moutarlier is responsible for all development and was a key piece of the puzzle when it came to transforming the concept into watchmaking reality. He coaches Helbling Technik (pharmaceutical specialist) engineers on the fluid part, and Chronode’s virtuoso watchmakers on the mechanical development. As longtime Industrial Director at Audemars Piguet, where he notably introduced carbon and directed ambitious investment programs, the challenge in no way scared him off.

5. Emmanuel Savioz runs HYT’s finances. Holder of an MBA from the Berkeley University of California, Emmanuel initially embarked on a career in the United States and Europe in the realm of mergers and acquisitions for prestigious institutions. Back in Switzerland, he worked for high potential high-tech start-ups in the field of deal-making and fund-raising. In 15 years, he has participated in 20-odd transactions totaling some CHF 60 billion in capitalization and accompanied a good ten Swiss high-tech enterprises in their start-up and development.

6. On the local front, Biel-born Ion Schiau joined HYT as Vice-President of Sales and Marketing, after having led Hublot’s “retail” development as International Retail Manager. A graduate of the HEI (Graduate Institute of International Studies, Geneva), he has travelled around the world out of a love of watchmaking, starting at the Swatch Group in New York before heading up sales at cK Calvin Klein. Driven by his passion, he reforged links with his home country by creating Chronotime, which has since become the principle partner of big Swiss watch brands in Romania.

But the cast of what might well seem like a dream team doesn’t end there, because HYT’s six partners also have two unusual characters on the board of Preciflex SA, namely:

Michael Orsinger, Senior Vice-President, and Head of OTC at Novartis. As of 2004, Michael was Chief Operating Officer of Synthes Inc where some years later he became Chief Executive Officer prior to selling the company for CHF 21 billion in 2011. The company had no less than 11 400 employees across the world and a turnover of some CHF3.7 billion.

Last but not least, we have Dr Ernst Thomke, Senior Advisor. A sort of wise man, who brings a wealth of experience as co-founder of SSIH/SMH, now the Swatch Group. Amongst others, he has sat on the boards of Ebauches SA and SMH, owned by ETA. With a Master of Science and medical degree, as well as being a graduate of INSEAD, Ernst Thomke brings to HYT a global, multi-level vision of the entire value chain.