Watchmaker Maurice de Mauriac has a mechanism to avoid supply crunch
[ZURICH] Swiss watchmaker Maurice de Mauriac is confident it can find a new supplier for watch mechanisms to maintain production as it battles an industry-wide drop in demand due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Key supplier Swatch Group has halted deliveries of mechanisms to the small Zurich-based brand, its managers said, after Switzerland's competition authority released Swatch from an obligation to supply other watchmakers this summer.
The entire Swiss industry has also seen sales plummet as stores were closed by coronavirus lockdowns and Chinese customers, who often buy watches on their travels, have stayed at home.
Still, Maurice de Mauriac, a niche producer which makes about 300 watches per year, has so far got round the supply problems.
The company has been using the tiny mechanisms called "movements" it still had in stock and is confident it can get more from a partner still on the customer list of Swatch's mechanism business, ETA.
"We have long-term relationships with our suppliers," said Massimo Dreifuss who, together with his brother Leonard, now manages the company their father Daniel founded in 1997.
GET BT IN YOUR INBOX DAILY
Start and end each day with the latest news stories and analyses delivered straight to your inbox.
Mr Massimo Dreifuss and Mr Leonard Dreifuss have also been organising events to drum up interest in Maurice de Mauriac watches, which cost around 3,500 Swiss francs (S$5,200) on average.
They are offering workshops for small groups at the brand's headquarters in central Zurich where enthusiasts can see the brand's three watchmakers working and have a go at assembling a watch themselves.
Watch retailers from Zurich's Bahnhofstrasse shopping street also regularly send customers to pick a watch strap from the brand's stock of around 2,500 leather, rubber, textile and metal bands, including some proprietary designs.
REUTERS
KEYWORDS IN THIS ARTICLE
BT is now on Telegram!
For daily updates on weekdays and specially selected content for the weekend. Subscribe to t.me/BizTimes
Consumer & Healthcare
Sheng Siong Q1 net profit up 9.3% on higher revenue
Nestle sales growth sputters on US slump, vitamin snags
Hermes Q1 sales jump 17% on strong China demand
Cordlife’s independent auditor to retire after issuing disclaimer of opinion on FY2023 financials
Cutting the cord?: Events leading up to Cordlife’s MOH suspension and arrests of its directors, ex-group CEO
Cordlife customers push for legal action