The Couch Sessions

The Couch Sessions

Pushing the Boundaries with Christophe Claret

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Pushing the Boundaries with Christophe Claret

It was such a pleasure to welcome the independent watch brand, Christophe Claret for this new episode of The Couch Sessions. And I have to say my nerves got the best of me, this time.

Christophe Claret has been one of my favorite brands for a very long time; and I had the pleasure of meeting Christophe during the GPHG dinner, in 2014. That same year, the Margot was awarded the GPHG Ladies’ High-Mech Watch prize, so it was a humbling experience, to be sitting across from the recipient of this award; especially for someone who appreciates high complicated watches for women, as much as I do. Christophe is quiet and reserved but if you get him talking about watches, his passion seeps through and he wins you over with his contagious enthusiasm and his technical knowledge. His thirst for invention makes him one of the most recognizable names in contemporary watchmaking; and his never-ending imagination results in original, creative, high technical timepieces.

“No limits” that’s exactly why he said when I asked him what inspires him. He pushes his imagination to the brink of technical insanity with each watch launch and keeps his clients on edge, itching for the next model.

From the incredibly complex Margot, to the clever inventiveness of the Poker and the technical folly of the Extreme1; Christophe Claret keeps challenging himself and pushing those boundaries even further.

Thank you Christophe for accepting our invitation, and we can’t wait to see what’s coming next!

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The Couch Sessions

The Art of Storytelling with Gaëlle Gygax-Zosso

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The Art of Storytelling with Gaëlle Gygax-Zosso

A TALK ABOUT STORYTELLING

As it is now custom with our Couch Sessions, we welcome interesting guests with different stories to tell. Whether we invite a brand or a journalist, they all have a path they’ve been so kind to share with us and our viewers.

For this session, we wanted to share a gift with our followers, and invite Gaëlle Gygax-Zosso. A master storyteller who shared her own story and gave some insight on the importance of storytelling for either small and/or more established brands.

Gaëlle worked in the communications department of different brands for many years. And after a while, she decided to set sail on her own and create her business. In the past, brands tasked Gaëlle to write press releases, manifestos, CEOs interviews, and many more.

Gaëlle and I met while working for the jewelry brand de GRISOGONO; where storytelling was not only part of our daily work, it was embedded in the brand’s DNA. As a PR, there is nothing more valuable than to have a story to share with your journalists, editors, celebrities and others. And everyone within the organization, lived and breathed this story and recounted it millions of times to anyone outside of the company.

THE ART OF STORYTELLING

Having a story to tell is very important and it’s a key contributing factor to the success of a brand. But to write a good story is not an easy feat. It requires skill, creativity and artistry.

During this talk, Gaëlle shared a few of her secrets on how to start building a story, how to make it a memorable one, and how to make it stand above all others.

Thank you Gaëlle for accepting our invitation; and for a fascinating discussion on the relevance of storytelling.

To learn more about Gaëlle, visit her website or contact us.

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The Couch Sessions

A Talk with Chronoswiss

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A Talk with Chronoswiss

THE COUCH SESSIONS

The Couch sessions are Sparkling PR’s version of the instagram lives; and a way for our followers to meet brands from the luxury industry and discover their universe and products.

For this session, we invited Chronoswiss. A modern mechanical watch brand working on the symbiosis of horological know-how, nonconformist designs, modern materials and classical artisanal mastery.

CHRONOSWISS

Chronoswiss was founded in 1983, is an independent creator of modern mechanical watches; mixing the newest technologies and classic artisanal handcrafting; and tapping into skeletonising, guilloché and enamelling to create timeless, yet distinctively contemporary horology with nonconformist designs. 

For this session, I was joined by Massimiliano Grotto (Head of Sales) and Maik Panziera (Head of Design). We discussed the brand’s proactivity facing the 2020 crisis; and had a little show and tell with some of their newest models; and they also gave us a sneak peek of what’s to come this year!

In September 2020, Chronoswiss released the extreme and contemporary SkelTec. Featuring a unique Chronoswiss manufacture movement. A 166-part movement with a power reserve of 48 hours combining Opus’s mechanical spirit with space age technologies.

Chronoswiss also unveiled the world’s first serially produced regulator tourbillon. To celebrate its 20th anniversary; Maik Panziera has designed the Open Gear Tourbillon; a modern mechanical timekeeper with a unique regulator set-up, electric blue case and a hypnotising handmade guilloché. 

Thank you again lads, for a very interesting conversation. Next time we’ll do a get together here in Portugal! And I can’t wait to see the new watches up-close!

Click on the image below to view the full video.

Are you a brand, a journalist, a collector, or simply a watch lover?  
We’d love to feature you on one of our next sessions. So tell us your story here.

The Couch Sessions

Meet Meia Lua Watches

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Meet Meia Lua Watches

Meia Lua Watches was born in Lisbon. With the aim of delivering exclusive automatic timepieces with upscale features, beautifully designed, carefully crafted and yet reasonably priced.

The brand’s name, Meia lua stands for “half-moon” in Portuguese language. The moon does play an important role for the brand’s inspiration and mission. MEIA LUA Watches aims to place Portugal; a country of strong watch culture and tradition; in the international scene of the watch industry. And so far, the brand has sold some of its most distinctive pieces to more than 30 countries worldwide.

Gonçalo Lopes, the founder of the brand talked about watches, the rich Portuguese watch tradition and his bold career move that allowed him to follow his passion.

Thank you Gonçalo for sharing your journey with us!

Are you a brand, a journalist, a collector, or simply a watch lover?  
We’d love to feature you on one of our next sessions. So tell us your story below or contact us.

The Couch Sessions

A touch of Vintage with Watch Garage

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A touch of Vintage with Watch Garage

The vintage world has always fascinated me, mainly when it comes to bags and shoes; – we all know how much women love their accessories! But most recently, the world of vintage watches has caught my eye. Over the last few years there’s been a worldwide “acceptance” of the vintage condition in watchmaking; and consequently an explosion of IG accounts dealing with this market. But most surprising, brands and retailers alike have started tapping into this side of the business; providing a safe and regulated environment for their clients.

One of the dealers I’ve recently met is André Sampaio from Watch Garage. André is of course a watch lover and aficionado and collects them himself. But he didn’t come from the watch world which is what draw my attention in the first place. Like myself André left his corporate world behind to dedicate his precious time to his true passion.

André is based in Porto, started off building his network slowly; and is now one of the most reputable dealers in the area. But I’ll let you discover more about this passionate watch geek yourself on our IG live below. Besides a compelling discussion about vintage, how to get started and what to watch out for; André also showed us some very cool pieces – mainly Rolexes, of course.

Thank you to André; for showing us why vintage watches is not only for collectors and how easy it is to get hooked.

Are you a brand, a journalist, a collector, or simply a watch lover?  
We’d love to feature you on one of our next sessions. So tell us your story below