News A relaxed and light-hearted atmosphere was evident on Thursday 20 September at the MIH for the presentation of the 2012 Gaïa Awards.
As is the case every year, on the last Thursday before the autumn equinox the International Watchmaking Museum (MIH) presented the Gaïa Awards, in recognition of the work and careers of influential personalities in the world of watchmaking. This year, Franco Cologni won the award in the Entrepreneurship category, Eric Coudray for Craft and Design, and Francesco Garufo for History and Research. A profile of the laureates!
Craft and Design
The winner of the Gaïa Award in the Craft and Design category was Eric Coudray. Brought up in a family of watchmakers, he began his watchmaking apprenticeship at the Lycée Jules Haag in Besançon, followed by a CFC in watch repair at the Technicum Neuchâtelois in La Chaux-de-Fonds, and finally a technician’s diploma in the restoration of old clocks and watches at the MIH. He put his creativity to good use even while training, making a tetrahedron pocket-watch in 1982 to further his ambitions as a watch designer.
After working for a number of years in a Paris workshop he placed his skills at the service of Jaeger-LeCoultre, where his efforts were directed firstly at improving the reliability of calibres, before focusing on research and development. Under the direction of Henri-John Belmont he set up an independent workshop that gave free rein to his ingenuity. It was in this context that the great manufacturer presented in 2002 the Atmos régulateur, followed the next year by the Atmos mystérieuse, a unique piece in gold and onyx. In parallel, he designed the famous Gyrotourbillon, a tourbillon equipped with a double carriage that allowed the balance to oscillate in a sphere. In 2004, there followed the Master Gyrotourbillon 1 model, featuring a perpetual calendar and an equation of time. He immediately improved the concept and designed the Reverso Gyrotourbillon 2, regulated by a cylindrical balance-spring. Its higher frequency won him second prize in the Le Locle Chronometry Contest in 2009. After spending 19 years with Jaeger-LeCoultre, he joined the firm Cabestan in 2008, where he improved the reliability of the Winch Tourbillon Vertical movement. The same movement was that year placed in a proprietary case and named the Trapezium. This model won the Design Award at the last Geneva Time Exhibition (GTE).
Eric Coudray is a person who impresses with his ingenuity, but also with his genial and positive personality. On learning that he had won this award, he thought at first it was a joke, and then declared that it was an «award for old-timers». Glancing through the list of past laureates, he quickly realised that some of the great names of watchmaking – young and old alike – had received this distinction. He hopes that the award will help him to create his own brand, since, in his own words: «I’ve still got plenty of ideas. All I need is a partner!»
History and Research
Francesco Garufo, the winner in this category, has had a remarkable and very atypical career. Of Italian-Hispanic parentage, he arrived in Switzerland with his parents and lived firstly in Zurich, then in Le Landeron. Because his father was a decorator, he followed that path and learned the painting trade in the family business. His thirst for knowledge and interest in history led him to take evening classes and obtain a federal school-leaving diploma. In 2000, he swapped the world of painting for that of words, taking a part-time editorial job with Swiss TXT. In parallel, he continued his studies at university, obtaining a Bachelor’s degree in Archaeology, History and Political Science from the University of Neuchâtel (2002) and a Master’s degree in the History of Industrial Economies and Societies from the University of Technology of Belfort-Montbéliard (2005). In 2011, he defended a doctoral thesis co-supervised by the Institute of History of the University of Neuchâtel and the University of Technology of Belfort-Montbéliard, entitled «L’emploi du temps, l’industrie horlogère suisse et l’immigration» (The employment of time, the Swiss watch industry and immigration). He has also published numerous works on the history of migrations, trades unions, and more broadly on the economic and industrial history of the Jura region. He is currently a part-time lecturer and scientific collaborator at the Institute of History of the University of Neuchâtel.
With no basic training in watchmaking, Francesco Garufo said he was very honoured to receive the Gaïa Award, which represents fine recognition for the work he has accomplished.
Entrepreneurship
Yet another award for Franco Cologni, who at the beginning of September was made a Commander of the Order of Arts and Letters by Frédérique Mitterand. While we know that Franco Cologni is one of the architects of the Salon international de la haute horlogerie (SIHH), that he set up the Fondation de la haute horlogerie (FHH), that he worked to establish the watch division of the Richemont group during the acquisition of Jaeger-LeCoultre, IWC and A. Lange & Söhne, and that he revived the forgotten Panerai brand, it is perhaps less well known that before devoting himself to the watch industry he was Professor of History, Drama and Performance at the University of Cattolica (Milan), while at the same time pursuing a career as a journalist. In 1969, he founded Tobako International, a firm specialising in the manufacture and distribution of high-end products, including the Cartier cigarette lighter. Four years later he set up the Parisian brand’s first Italian subsidiary. His rise to fame with Cartier continued apace: in 1973 he joined the Management Board, seven years later he was appointed CEO of Cartier International, in 1986 Vice-President and in 2000 President. That same year, he was also appointed President of Vacheron Constantin, which post he occupied for five years. Franco Cologni is also the author of numerous publications dedicated to watchmaking and the history of brands affiliated to the FHH.
To characterise Franco Cologni, the term «Mr Foundation» would not be wide of the mark. Throughout his life he has created institutions to support and encourage good causes, such as the Fondazione Cologni dei Mestieri d’Arte, set up in 1995 to promote artistic skills; the Creative Academy, an advanced school of creative design and management founded in 2004, the Fondation de la Haute Horlogerie (FHH), which saw the light of day in 2005 and seeks to defend the patrimonial values of the luxury watch industry and promote development and innovation; and his role as Vice-President of the Fondazione Laureus Sport for Good Italia, a charity which encourages the practice of sport as an antidote to marginalisation and social exclusion.
An exuberant character with a strong Italian accent, Franco Cologni declared: «I’m not worthy of receiving this award. I am worthy of it only if I can share it with all those who have worked alongside me throughout my career. Because I am convinced that it is not financial capital that drives the industrial world forward, but human capital».
October 09, 2012
