Vice president of the Fondation de la Haute Horlogerie.
Pascal Ravessoud.
Thank you to Watchfid for the invitation!
I am Pascal Ravessoud, vice president of the Fondation de la Haute Horlogerie, which I co-direct. I have worked there for many years, and I have over 25 years’ experience in the industry and over 30 years’ experience as a collector. I am of Swiss and Italian nationality and grew up in Lausanne. I have worked extensively in an international context for various organisations, ranging from start-ups to multinational corporations.
The FHH Arcade in Geneva.
The Fondation de la Haute Horlogerie (FHH) is a public-interest foundation based in Geneva. Its mission is to promote watchmaking culture to the widest possible audience.
The FHH aims to help people discover, understand and explore this market, ensuring its continued existence and fostering an appreciation for what makes a watch valuable.
We have three main areas of activity:
Our upcoming forum in New York this October will bring together the watchmaking community for engaging discussions on the U.S. market and its prospects during the New York Watch Week.
I remember it perfectly! When I was a teenager, I started collecting Swatch watches, especially chronographs. Why? I have no idea. My friends and I would scour Paris, Milan and other cities for new releases. It’s worth noting that, in the late ’80s, the watch industry was in a slump and was struggling to recover from the quartz crisis. There were very few collectors, little information and visibility, and of course there was no internet.
At the age of 20, a friend who knew more about watches than anyone else showed me an automatic chronograph movement for the first time, visible through the transparent case back. It was an incredible marvel! I had never seen anything like it and was immediately fascinated, wanting to learn more. I bought the watch — a Longines Lindbergh chronograph with a Valjoux 7750 movement — and that was the start of my dizzying journey, which is far from over.
I’m interested in a wide variety of models. However, my main focus is on professional watches, such as chronographs and divers’ watches, as well as sporty-chic and elegant models. I mainly collect vintage pieces, but also neo-vintage and modern ones.
The most important things for me are the design, the model’s historical significance and the condition of the piece. A watch that doesn’t stir any emotion in me won’t stay in my collection.
There has been a lot of turnover in my collection, and my tastes have evolved, but I’m becoming more and more confident in them.
Jaeger-LeCoultre Memovox.
A second-hand watch could be 100 days old or 100 years old. A vintage watch is at least 25–30 years old.
The meaning of the word “vintage” in watchmaking is much debated. For me, this ever-evolving definition is tied to aesthetic criteria, which are tied to the way these watches were made. CAD was introduced in 1985, and watches were designed and produced differently before that using different methods and tolerances.
Furthermore, modern watches have a cold, sterile aesthetic thanks to sapphire crystals, anti-reflective coatings, Luminova and ceramic bezels; they will no longer develop a patina, or at least not in the same way.
Nothing can replace the warm patina of tritium or radium, signs of wear and tear, and the natural ageing process. Oxidation and discolouration can make a watch look more alive, as long as these processes are graceful!
Can you really have a favourite child? I love many watches for different reasons: some are associated with a particular memory, while others symbolise a certain era or design trend. I can’t narrow it down to more than three:
1) Rolex GMT-Master ref. 1675: iconic, chic and sporty with a useful complication and a timeless design featuring its “Pepsi” bezel. It must be on a Jubilee bracelet!
2) Jaeger-LeCoultre Memovox ref. 875 “Claude Brasseur” or “Tuxedo” for its elegance. It was worn by Claude Brasseur in the film Live Dangerously. It is the first Memovox “Speedbeat” at 28,800 vph! Another useful complication. Full set, sold in Switzerland in 1974.
3) Longines 13ZN ref. 5008. It has a legendary movement and an incredible iridescent dial with a double scale. The 37.5 mm step case is crazy for the 1940s!
Jaeger-LeCoultre Memovox, ref. 875.
Rolex GMT Master, ref. 1675.
Longines, ref. 5008.
Lots!
For vintage watches: a Rolex Submariner 6538 Big Crown.
For modern watches: the MB&F LM QP in steel with a salmon-colored dial.
There are different types of people, and the FHH caters to a variety of them. First and foremost, it caters to watch industry professionals, as well as beginners, enthusiasts, and passionate collectors. Since the end of the pandemic, we’ve seen a marked increase in interest among 18- to 30-year-olds, who have embraced our training programmes and events. This has prompted us to develop a new online platform that meets a real need. Our certification programme is unique and recognised worldwide. So get certified!
Everyone thinks I’m single-minded. That’s not far off, actually! Watchmaking takes up a lot of my time and energy, both at work and in my personal life. I sometimes spend hours researching a topic or a watch and can completely lose track of time. I can also lose myself in music. As one melody leads to another, I can spend days or nights listening to all kinds of music.
Car racing is another passion of mine, but I realised long after the opportunity had passed that I would never be a professional driver, so it remains just an occasional hobby. For my next ten-year milestone, I’d love to drive a Formula 1 car!
Finally, writing is another passion that I don’t think I’ll be able to pursue properly until I retire.
