'We've identified two sets of customers'

IN CONVERSATION/ Michel Parmigiani, founder, Parmigiani Fleurier watches

With international watch makers like Christian Dior, Franck Mueller, Breguet and Tag Heuer making a beeline for the Rs 650-crore Indian high-end luxury watch market, it comes as no surprise that luxury Swiss watch brand Parmigiani Fleurier is setting shop in India and plans to sell watches with a price tag of over Rs 6.5 lakh.

In a chat with Suvi Dogra, Michele Parmigiani, master horologist and founder of Parmigiani Fleurier watches, explains the reasons for entering the Indian market.

With a price tag of Rs 6.5 lakh and above, what is the clientele you are looking at in India?

We see two kinds of customers for Parmigiani Fleurier watches. The first category is the new-age Indian residing in the metros and second is the non-resident who does come to India to meet his family and does a major part of his shopping here.

What are your expectations from the Indian market?

Parmigiani doesn't claim to know everything about India. So the desire is to first learn, know and then create something which is unique to the country and at the same time can address the needs of an international client.

Women's collection is a focus area for us. I would like to see 50 per cent of our sales to be contributed by our women's collection.

The world premier of the new Kalpa Tonda Hemisphere collection is a significant move for the company.Our plans in India would be around discovering each aspect of India as we evolve. There is so much to discover within India,I look forward to learning and creating.

Parmigiani is a associated with 'Art of time'. Will this artistic endeavour be inspired by Indian art as well?

It is the need for perfect craftsmenship, linked with the philosophy of the period and with the work of all craftsmen, that provides the essential motivation for me to innovate.

Parmigiani's 30-year-old philosophy is that where ever we go our philosophy remains the same. We don't change our products to fit into a market better. Of course, one has to adapt and adjust to a local market.

But this is the role of the distributor. In India, Johnson Watch company will do that for us as they have been here and know what the Indian consumer wants.

Tag Heuer uses Shahrukh Khan as its ambassador. Will Parmigiani watches be endorsed by brand ambassadors?

We already have three brand ambassadors worldwide. The first is our customer who buys our product, second is the retailer who helps us sell the product and the third is the media who spread the word about our work.

Any specific marketing initiatives that you plan to execute here?

We will be hosting more VIP dinners and lifestyle events in the coming year in Delhi and Mumbai. We still need to identify the right kind of people from the world of art, fashion and films to project our brand.

What is it about India that inspires you?

The Taj Mahal has inspired me to an extent that I am playing with the idea to inculcate the idea, the inspiration of the Taj in our future offerings.

These will be relevant to not only the Indian consumer but also the consumers the world over. I won't like to speak much of it at this stage, as its still an incipient idea. The Taj stands for love and romance just like Parmigiani stands for love of fine mechanisms.