The Alacria Swan is part of the Alacria collection

A step in time

Sascha Moeri, CEO, talks to us about diamonds, pillars of success and the graceful Swans

l Carl F. Bucherer

Lucerne in Switzerland is known for its scenic mountains, beautiful architecture and of course the Lucerne Lake or the Swan Lake as it is called by many. Swans are known to be symbols of royalty and elegance. This is the very thought that inspired the makers at Carl F. Bucherer watches for their new Alacria Swan time piece. “As the name suggests, this is named after the swan that inspired them. It is a bird which is very elegant and classy. Just like our watches,” says Sascha Moeri,CEO, Carl F. Bucherer. The Alacria Swan is part of the Alacria collection which the founders say is intended to recall the family’s dream of having their own business. “It is a tribute to the family which has been creating time since 124 years now,” says Moeri. The collection aims at women who love to flaunt thier jewels in every way possible adds Moeri. All the watches in the collection are embedded with precious stones like rubies, sapphires not only in the dial, bracelets but also in the cases. Diamonds have always been a woman’s best friend, and Carl F. Bucherer has coupled this love with time, quite literally. “The Alacria Swan has 348 diamonds on the case, 137 diamonds on the dial, one diamond on the crown and 844 on the bracelet,” smiles Moeri. “It took us 22 months to design this collection and there are only very few pieces created,” says Moeri. Having been a part of the watch industry since 18 years, Moeri makes some careful observations. “Watches have become the new fashion statement, which has caused many fashion companies to launch their own watch collection too. This has also set many old brands ticking,” he says. “Few years ago, people wanted to buy huge bulky watches. But now they like sporting classier, detailed watches.” India has been a part of this change and Moeri says it is a very promising market. “Indians have a very good eye for growing trends and an interesting taste when it comes to colours. They also know how to appreciate products and believe in not compromising in quality – just like us.” The swiss based watch company is owned by the Bucherer family with a rich heritage and who swear by their age old traditions. So how do they balance tradition and modern ideas? “That’s the most difficult part. On one hand we have our heritage , our roots and the experience all of us have and on the other we have the world which is progressing at such a fast rate. We try not to look for a balance between the two, because we believe that both of them are our pillars of success,” he says proudly. “They have to be in sync, walk together and only then can we fight the growing competition to stay at the top.”