Although watchmaking has largely been viewed as a man’s domain, women have always been at the forefront of the industry. Over the years, we have seen many women not just carve successful careers in the world of horology but also spearheaded important changes and movements in the business and for the watch community. Most importantly, despite making their mark and presence felt in the industry, many have also juggled raising a family at the same time. With Mother’s Day celebrated this May, we honour several women who are undoubtedly successful mothers as well as icons of watchmaking.
For over 25 years, Anita Porchet has painted herself a reputation for being one of the world’s foremost enamel artists. A true measure of her talents can be seen on a number of iconic timepieces such as the Vacheron Constantin Metiers d’Art Florilege Collection, Piaget Protocole XXL Dragon and Jaquet Droz Grande Seconde Paillonnee.
Porchet has undoubtedly mastered this centuries-old art form and she has been duly recognised for her talents and contributions to the world of horology. As such it is not surprising to see why this highly-revered talent is often at the top of the list of considerations by the world’s largest watch brands when it comes to enhancing their dials with enamel art.
Honing her craft since the 1980s, Porchet operates independently from her own workshop near Lausanne, Switzerland. She specialises, amongst others, in the champlevé technique as well as cloisonné, grisaille and miniature painting. The world of haute horology is fortunate to have the talents of Porchet at its disposal, even more so as she has already begun to school her children in the art form.
Trailblazer, trendsetter, entrepreneur – Aletta Stas-Bax fits all those descriptions to a ‘T’. In 1988, she and her husband, Dutch entrepreneur, Peter Stas founded Frédérique Constant in order to provide the market with affordable classical luxury watches. Over three decades on and the watch brand has already secured itself a reputation for being one of the world’s leading and most inventive watchmakers.
Stas-Bax has consistently been at the front of Frédérique Constant’s evolution. The Swiss watch brand has pushed the boundaries of watchmaking, creating over 30 in-house movements whilst still being able to consistently manufacture high-quality watches at affordable prices.
Today, Stas-Bax, a mother of two serves as an executive board member of the brand, helping to oversee the evolution of the brand as it forges ahead in the world of watchmaking. It is a role she no doubt relishes by spearheading revolutionary timekeepers such as the Frédérique Constant Hybrid Manufacture, a Horological Smartwatch that merges traditional watchmaking with modern digitally-connected features.
Coming from a family of watchmakers, it’s understandable that watchmaking is in Carole Forestier-Kasapi’s blood. Throughout her career, she has managed to carve an immense reputation in the field where she excels in elevating innovative design in luxury watches.
Forestier-Kasapi has been with Cartier for over two decades. In 2005, she began serving as the Director of Movement Creation at the brand. During the course of her time in Cartier, she was instrumental in creating several stunning pieces for Cartier, including the renowned Astroregulateur and Astrotourbillon, the Central Chronograph and Panthère Joueuse.
Her achievements in watchmaking has been duly recognised over the course of her career, even more so in 2012 when she was awarded the best watchmaker at the Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève. Despite her busy schedule crafting and thinking up iconic timepieces, Forestier-Kasapi also divides her time looking after her two children.
In May 2018, Catherine Rénier became the chief executive of Jaeger-LeCoultre. Her appointment was not only significant as she was the first female CEO in the high-horology realm but it also served as a tipping point for gender equality in the Swiss watch industry.
Rénier is certainly an experience hand in the world of horology having started her career with Richemont in the late 90s, working with the Cartier brand in the U.S. Over the years, she advanced up the ladder, eventually spearheading the fortunes for several Richemont brands, specifically in the Asia Pacific region.
Her understanding of the inner workings of the watch industry has already begun to pay dividends for Jaeger-LeCoultre under her direction. In the past two years, the mother of three has increased the warranty period for her clients to eight years over the industry standard of two to five. She also oversaw the production of the Master Grand Tradition Gyrotourbillon Westminster Perpetuel, one of the most complexed pieces of haute horlogerie ever made, which was revealed early last year.
Boasting a career that spans over two decades, Magali Métrailler has been at the forefront of watch design for several major brands. The mother of two cut her teeth in the industry at Jaeger-LeCoultre where she spent the better part of the decade designing pieces for the maison.
Some of the iconic timepieces that Métrailler has put her stamp on include models such as the Master Compressor and the Amvox, which was done in collaboration with carmaker, Aston Martin.
According to an interview with the New York Times, she stepped away from her position at Jaeger-LeCoultre in 2010 as she wanted to focus on her family.
Today, she works independently from her home in L’Isle, Switzerland but still continues to be sought-out by major watch brands for her work, especially as for her talents in designing sports watches. Some of the models that Métrailler has completed in recent years include the Ball for BMW collection. She has also designed the Engineer Master II Pilot GMT and Engineer Master II Diver Worldtime for the Ball Watch Company as well.
As the head of the Fondation de la Haute Horlogerie (FHH), Lupo is undoubtedly one of the most powerful and influential people in the watchmaking industry. She is also instrumental in organising several activities, tradeshows and showcases for the watchmaking community including the S.I.H.H (Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie), which was established thirty years ago.
But evolution is a key factor in any successful industry, which is why this year; the FHH evolved the S.I.H.H. into the Watches & Wonders Geneva, which was held in April. Lupo was instrumental in this transformation, shifting a classic trade show model into a virtual fair this year, which was fitting considering the strict travel restrictions imposed across the globe.
Being with the FHH since the late 90s, Lupo has already achieved a number of significant milestones. This includes spearheading numerous events like the Grand Prix d’Haute Horlogerie – widely considered the Oscars of Watches. However, when asked what she is most proud off, she remains steadfast that her biggest accomplishments and passions in life remain her two children.
Although watchmaking has largely been viewed as a man’s domain, women have always been at the forefront of the industry. Over the years, we have seen many women not just carve successful careers in the world of horology but also spearheaded important changes and movements in the business and for the watch community. Most importantly, despite making their mark and presence felt in the industry, many have also juggled raising a family at the same time. With Mother’s Day celebrated this May, we honour several women who are undoubtedly successful mothers as well as icons of watchmaking.
For over 25 years, Anita Porchet has painted herself a reputation for being one of the world’s foremost enamel artists. A true measure of her talents can be seen on a number of iconic timepieces such as the Vacheron Constantin Metiers d’Art Florilege Collection, Piaget Protocole XXL Dragon and Jaquet Droz Grande Seconde Paillonnee.
Porchet has undoubtedly mastered this centuries-old art form and she has been duly recognised for her talents and contributions to the world of horology. As such it is not surprising to see why this highly-revered talent is often at the top of the list of considerations by the world’s largest watch brands when it comes to enhancing their dials with enamel art.
Honing her craft since the 1980s, Porchet operates independently from her own workshop near Lausanne, Switzerland. She specialises, amongst others, in the champlevé technique as well as cloisonné, grisaille and miniature painting. The world of haute horology is fortunate to have the talents of Porchet at its disposal, even more so as she has already begun to school her children in the art form.
Trailblazer, trendsetter, entrepreneur – Aletta Stas-Bax fits all those descriptions to a ‘T’. In 1988, she and her husband, Dutch entrepreneur, Peter Stas founded Frédérique Constant in order to provide the market with affordable classical luxury watches. Over three decades on and the watch brand has already secured itself a reputation for being one of the world’s leading and most inventive watchmakers.
Stas-Bax has consistently been at the front of Frédérique Constant’s evolution. The Swiss watch brand has pushed the boundaries of watchmaking, creating over 30 in-house movements whilst still being able to consistently manufacture high-quality watches at affordable prices.
Today, Stas-Bax, a mother of two serves as an executive board member of the brand, helping to oversee the evolution of the brand as it forges ahead in the world of watchmaking. It is a role she no doubt relishes by spearheading revolutionary timekeepers such as the Frédérique Constant Hybrid Manufacture, a Horological Smartwatch that merges traditional watchmaking with modern digitally-connected features.
Coming from a family of watchmakers, it’s understandable that watchmaking is in Carole Forestier-Kasapi’s blood. Throughout her career, she has managed to carve an immense reputation in the field where she excels in elevating innovative design in luxury watches.
Forestier-Kasapi has been with Cartier for over two decades. In 2005, she began serving as the Director of Movement Creation at the brand. During the course of her time in Cartier, she was instrumental in creating several stunning pieces for Cartier, including the renowned Astroregulateur and Astrotourbillon, the Central Chronograph and Panthère Joueuse.
Her achievements in watchmaking has been duly recognised over the course of her career, even more so in 2012 when she was awarded the best watchmaker at the Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève. Despite her busy schedule crafting and thinking up iconic timepieces, Forestier-Kasapi also divides her time looking after her two children.
In May 2018, Catherine Rénier became the chief executive of Jaeger-LeCoultre. Her appointment was not only significant as she was the first female CEO in the high-horology realm but it also served as a tipping point for gender equality in the Swiss watch industry.
Rénier is certainly an experience hand in the world of horology having started her career with Richemont in the late 90s, working with the Cartier brand in the U.S. Over the years, she advanced up the ladder, eventually spearheading the fortunes for several Richemont brands, specifically in the Asia Pacific region.
Her understanding of the inner workings of the watch industry has already begun to pay dividends for Jaeger-LeCoultre under her direction. In the past two years, the mother of three has increased the warranty period for her clients to eight years over the industry standard of two to five. She also oversaw the production of the Master Grand Tradition Gyrotourbillon Westminster Perpetuel, one of the most complexed pieces of haute horlogerie ever made, which was revealed early last year.
Boasting a career that spans over two decades, Magali Métrailler has been at the forefront of watch design for several major brands. The mother of two cut her teeth in the industry at Jaeger-LeCoultre where she spent the better part of the decade designing pieces for the maison.
Some of the iconic timepieces that Métrailler has put her stamp on include models such as the Master Compressor and the Amvox, which was done in collaboration with carmaker, Aston Martin.
According to an interview with the New York Times, she stepped away from her position at Jaeger-LeCoultre in 2010 as she wanted to focus on her family.
Today, she works independently from her home in L’Isle, Switzerland but still continues to be sought-out by major watch brands for her work, especially as for her talents in designing sports watches. Some of the models that Métrailler has completed in recent years include the Ball for BMW collection. She has also designed the Engineer Master II Pilot GMT and Engineer Master II Diver Worldtime for the Ball Watch Company as well.
As the head of the Fondation de la Haute Horlogerie (FHH), Lupo is undoubtedly one of the most powerful and influential people in the watchmaking industry. She is also instrumental in organising several activities, tradeshows and showcases for the watchmaking community including the S.I.H.H (Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie), which was established thirty years ago.
But evolution is a key factor in any successful industry, which is why this year; the FHH evolved the S.I.H.H. into the Watches & Wonders Geneva, which was held in April. Lupo was instrumental in this transformation, shifting a classic trade show model into a virtual fair this year, which was fitting considering the strict travel restrictions imposed across the globe.
Being with the FHH since the late 90s, Lupo has already achieved a number of significant milestones. This includes spearheading numerous events like the Grand Prix d’Haute Horlogerie – widely considered the Oscars of Watches. However, when asked what she is most proud off, she remains steadfast that her biggest accomplishments and passions in life remain her two children.
