HAIL TO THE KING

Chances are, unless you regularly read The Peak or have a passion for horology, you may not have heard of an audacious little independent watchmaker named Hautlence. However, it’s very likely that even the most apathetic football fan would have heard of former French international Eric Cantona, whose legendary stint with Manchester United earned him the moniker ‘King Eric’. And this is why Hautlence, founded more than a decade ago by Guillaume Tetu and Renaud de Retz, seized the opportunity of a lifetime to partner with the ‘king’ when it presented itself.

“Having Eric Cantona with us has been beneficial to the brand. It has helped increase our visibility tremendously,” says Tetu. “With Cortina Watch as our exclusive partner in Malaysia, we now have everything necessary to expand the brand in this market.”

Before you groan “oh great, another watch ambassador”, it’s important that we stop you right there and explain why Cantona isn’t just “another watch ambassador”. Brand ambassadors may be a dime a dozen nowadays, being frequently employed by the industry’s big players to spearhead their advances into new markets or increase awareness. It’s a simple yet effective strategy: give an ambassador a pay cheque, get him to read out a script about why that particular brand meshes so well with his lifestyle, and have him stand around looking dapper with a timepiece on the wrist in front of the adoring masses.

However, Cantona’s partnership with Hautlence goes beyond that. In fact, his association with an independent brand is exceptional in itself. It would be commonplace for individuals of his calibre to seek out big brands for ambassadorial duties. Because of financial constraints or lack of gravitas, most independents are unable to draw the support of well-known celebrities to serve as their ambassadors and, as a result, are forced to lurk in the industry’s periphery and survive by word of mouth among collectors.

Up until a decade ago, this was Hautlence’s fate – struggling to eke out an existence as a fledgling independent, where every month was a battle to make ends meet. Today, after more than a decade of perseverance, Hautlence has achieved a level of recognition that few independents can match.

“We won’t deny that being an independent is tough work. There are many who have been forced to close down over the last decade. As the big groups grow stronger, it places more pressure on us to perform,” says Tetu. “But what we have learned is that as long as we do the best we can and focus on creativity, we will continue to hold the interest of the collectors.”

This is where Cantona steps in. While his role as a Hautlence ambassador does fulfil the usual checklist of signing autographs and posing for photo shoots, he also does much more. Cantona is involved in  designing Hautlence’s avant-garde timepieces, and was in fact the driving force behind the brand’s new Invictus Morphos – Limited Edition by Eric Cantona.

Like the rest of Hautlence’s pieces, the Invictus Morphos offers the brand’s trademark 3D architecture and contemporary design alongside traditional finishing that brings together the best of the past and future of horology. It also marks itself as another milestone achievement for Hautlence as the Invictus Morphos takes the mantle as its first-ever chronograph. However, what sets the watch apart is the fact that Cantona contributed to its design.

But when was Cantona ever a designer? Behind his gruff, moustachioed and bear-like physique is a soul with a deep affection for art. In fact, Cantona is also an actor, but like everything else he commits himself to, his role as an actor is driven by a desire to create something new through his observations of the world around him. “I was born with an interest in art. My parents were also very keen about art and they had always encouraged me to create my own world through my imagination,” reveals Cantona.

It was this same passion that drew Cantona to Hautlence in May 2014, with their partnership being announced with the Cross The Line advertising campaign. “At the time, I didn’t know much about horology but I wanted to learn more about it. I was immediately attracted to Hautlence because it has a very strong design and personality,” recalls Cantona. “As an independent brand, we’re like a family and I value this intimate face-to-face relationship.”

On this journey to explore the universe of high horology, Cantona also found himself awed by wonders of the natural world, more specifically the Morphos butterfly. Renowned for its iridescent blue wings, Morphos butterflies are revered for their stunning beauty. “I was fascinated by the sky-blue colour of their wings and how butterflies represent the notion of metamorphosis and being reborn again,” says Cantona. He then sought to integrate the pattern of the Morphos butterfly’s wings into a timepiece, and thus the Invictus Morphos was born. “I decided to combine the pattern of their wings with a skeleton design for the Invictus Morphos; I think showing off the inner mechanics of the movement gives this timepiece a unique design,” Cantona adds.

While he derives great joy in being involved in designing timepieces at Hautlence, Cantona says the journey of creation is what matters most. “When you have to search for an idea or try many different things to make something work, it becomes very exciting,” says Cantona with a smile. “It’s the challenge, the sense of adventure and accomplishment when you overcome obstacles.”

It is in this statement that one finds a mirror of Hautlence’s own journey as an independent brand founded by individuals looking to create something new in the face of immense challenges. Given how Hautlence has continued to grow in the last decade, we can only expect great things from the brand in the years to come.

Hautlence timepieces are available exclusively at Cortina Watch.