I closed my coat over my tailor suit and heels and slipped into my Twingo, ready for my first meeting with the Cartier innovation team – otherwise known as Ed. I took one last look at the map (no GPS in the car at the time) and started my drive to La Chaux de Fonds. I had hardly reached Lausanne when it started to snow–heavy flakes splatting and quickly piling up on the windshield.

I vaguely thought “I really should have done something about winter tires” – but I didn’t really know what those were, so I kept on going.

The road became steeper as I passed Neuchâtel, and it felt like I was driving into a blizzard. But there were tunnels in which my tires seemed to shed excess snow…. About two hours later, by some miracle, I pulled up in front of the blazing new Cartier Manufacture, rather pleased to have made it alive and what’s more… on time.

I grabbed my bag and satchel and climbed out of my Twingo … or should I say “slipped”. I don’t recommend heels in snow – and indeed, no one in their right mind would have worn heels. But I had just arrived from Paris and heels were just part of the uniform – there was no way I was going to give them up just because I was in the middle of nowhere in a snowstorm – this was my first client visit!

I rang the doorbell, registered and was given my badge. I was invited to wait in the lobby – Ed would be down in just a few. Minutes.

As I waited, I saw people in white coats walk by, softly speaking or walking purposefully past the reception. Every single soul who walked past me did so with a loud “BONJOUR” – when I say every single person I mean every single person. I had never seen anything like it before. I mumbled an embarrassed “bonjour” in return – but this was very new to me…

Ed arrived, all smiles and seemingly delighted to see me. We filed into a meeting room and Ed explained the reason and the purpose of our first encounter: transform the vision of Cartier’s CEO into a reality: turn Cartier into a watchmaker. Not just any watchmaker – the Prince of Watchmakers.
This seemed strange to me: hadn’t Cartier been making watches since 1904? Indeed, hadn’t Louis Cartier invented the wristwatch for his air pilot friend Mr. Santos Dumont?

“No Olivia, I’m talking about real watchmaking – haute horlogerie !” I nodded, trying to look like I knew what he was talking about. I must have failed in my attempt – Ed explained generously:

“Cartier is a jeweler – indeed, is known as The King of jewellery and the Jeweller of Kings. Yes, Cartier has always made watches but these watches were “montres de forme” (design watches) – beautiful objects but in which the art of watchmaking holds no place … as a matter of fact, most Cartier watches are equipped with quartz movements. Cartier watches are jewels on the wrist…. But that was the past. Today, our CEO wants to make Cartier a true watchmaker. This manufacture you see here has just been inaugurated – it shows the level of our ambition.

But that’s not all. Our CEO will not be satisfied with presenting traditional pieces with déjà vu complications – tourbillons, minute repeaters, chronographs, moon phases equation of time blablabla … we are here to innovate… Olivia, are you ok? You’ve glazed over …

“Equation of time?” I stuttered.

Ed looked at me kindly but ever so slightly condescendingly “oh … you don’t know a thing about watchmaking, do you?”

“Well, …. errr….”

“Ok. I’m going to sign you up to a training we have – great introduction to watchmaking – the basics. You are going to have to know these because we are aiming for the impossible: A watch which needs no adjustment – isn’t that crazy?”

“eerrrr , yeah? Sounds amazing!” (I made a mental note to look up “adjustment” when I got home.) The list only grew longer as the day passed: oscillator, main spring, hair spring, palette, lubrication, escapement ….”

Talking about escapement, I glanced through the window. The snow was now falling in a soft steady rhythm. The forest was white and the cars in the carpark were covered in a good thick layer of snow… I began to think of the journey home but no. Now we were at the heart of the matter.

Visions and ambitions were great. But everything needed to be done. Ed was building his R&D team, but no one had ever really done R&D – at least not like this. Traditionally, watchmakers have their inventors within their walls and innovations are about movements and complications. No expertise is sought outside the manufacture because the watchmakers are safely tucked inside…

But show-casing a concept watch is something else. If you want a watch that doesn’t need to be adjusted, you need to get out and scout for new materials, new processes that are under development with universities, start-ups or other industries. It’s about integrating third party innovation; it’s about transfer of technology; it’s about securing the rights you need, defining a field of use, avoiding co-ownership at all costs; it’s about ensuring double or even triple sourcing, and the list goes on…

This means negotiating IP rights, being clear as to what background IP you are bringing to the table and tracking the foreground IP as it develops. This means understanding what trade secrets are to protect them properly. As we spoke, it became clear that nothing could be done without making sure the operational teams had a basic understanding of what IP is and how to protect it at every step of the way.

Ed was the sort of person who didn’t waste time. As our first meeting drew to a close, he asked me if I could prepare an IP induction training course for all the employees of La Chaux de Fonds.

“Naturally”, I answered.

Ed turned to his assistant praying her to immediately plan 30 training sessions over 48 hours within the next month so I might train small groups and ensure any questions could be answered. I admired his energy and efficiency… and braced myself: this was my baptism of fire. I would need to ace this to gain Ed’s trust

The sky was getting darker – our meeting had taken more time than expected. The snow was still falling.

“I must run” I told Ed – I have to drive back to Geneva, and I’d rather not drive at night”.

“Of course,” said Ed hastily “Let me walk you to your car”. As we stepped out, I slipped and slid bravely in my heels, trying to look dignified as we headed towards my Twingo which was now buried deep under the snow.

“Will you be ok?” asked Ed

“Yes of course” I answered breezily as if I had driven through blizzards every day of my life

“You do have your winter tires, don’t you?”