What’s your biggest wish for 2025?
That we continue to grow steadily, and are able to shield ourselves from unforeseen events that could hinder this growth. I’m a perfectionist and I always keep my promises. Unpredictability can be challenging to manage when you set such uncompromising standards.
What’s something no one knows about you?
I sleep very little. My nights are short and I don’t need much sleep. I generally design our future creations between 2 and 5 in the morning, before going back to bed for a quick nap.
What are your ambitions for L’Épée?
To become more prominent among art collectors. They’re not necessarily the same as watch collectors. It’s a different audience, with different resources and, above all, different expectations. They’re a perfect match for our niche creations, which I’d describe as “kinetic works of art”.
What has changed since you were acquired by LVMH?
Everything and nothing. The more I get to know the group, the more impressed I am. It has changed everything because, with the personal resources available to my business partner and myself, we were unable to develop the company further. Thanks to LVMH, now we can. But it also hasn’t changed anything, because the group gives us total autonomy. They don’t operate in a centralised manner at all. They offer alternatives, make suggestions and provide help for our expansion, but with the primary objective of preserving our expertise.
What makes a good CEO?
Foresight and resilience.
What’s your favourite book?
The next one!
And your favourite film?
I confess I’m a huge fan of the Star Wars saga.
What playlist do you have on repeat?
I recently changed phones and lost most of my music! But I’m a big jazz fan.
What food do you find it impossible to resist?
I’m not sure I should say… Chocolate and Nutella. I know, it’s bad...
What’s your favourite pastime?
Sport, no question. Top of the list are water and motor sports. Sport plays an important role in my life and that of my family. My wife and our two children are all very sporty.
If you could be transported immediately to any holiday destination, where would it be?
The Mediterranean, the coast of Thailand or, more generally, anywhere where I could do water sports.
Which person has inspired you the most?
My grandfather. He also had a luxury business, in leather goods. I was fortunate to spend time with him as a child, and he lived to a ripe old age, so he had a lasting influence on me. He ran the company until he was in his 80s.
If you had a 25th hour in the day, what would you do with it?
Sleep an extra hour!
Where did your love for watchmaking and fine mechanics originate?
I was seven years old when my grandfather gave me my first mechanical watch. The next morning, he found me trying to take it apart. It’s almost a compulsion! I need to understand how things work. When I was little, they had to forbid me from dismantling the television!
What’s one accessory you couldn’t live without (that isn’t a watch)?
My sports cars. When I’m tired, I just go for a drive, without music, just listening to the sound of my engine. When I have more time and energy, I go to the track.
