Interview with
Karl-Friedrich Scheufele
and may not be reproduced without written authorisation. All rights reserved.
This exclusive interview
with Karl-Friedrich Scheufele was conducted by Nicola Linza and Cristoffer
Neljesjö in Geneve, Switzerland.
What
does Chopard mean to you?
Chopard stands for: creativity, innovation, craftsmanship, family company,
tradition, long term approach, independence and social commitment.
How would you
describe your management style?
Chopard is a family owned and run company. Apart from an overall, shared
responsibility as board members, Scheufele family members each have specific
areas, which they manage directly, based on their expertise, on a day to day
basis. In my case, this is for example Chopard Manufacture in Fleurier, our
movement factory in the Jura. My management style can be described as team
oriented, trying to bring out everyone’s talent.
If you could give
one word of advice regarding marketing a luxury brand today what would it be?
Stay true to your claim, in other words: keep your promises, pay attention to
quality in every sense of the word and respect your tradition. Always consider
the long-term value of your brand when taking marketing decision.
You select one
piece from the history of Chopard as a prized personal item. What is it? And
why?
This would certainly be the first Chopard L.U.C watch, launched in 1997, animated
by the first in-house movement or calibre, the L.U.C 1.96. This L.U.C 1860
model initiated a major development, the renaissance of Chopard Manufacture, a
major step towards further independence of our group. Since then we have
introduced 9 base calibres with a total of 50 different variations all the way
to the most complicated L.U.C made so far – the L.U.C All in One!
What is a good
description of the Chopard man?
The Chopard “man” is not a follower; he is more of a discerning, genuine
connoisseur with his own opinion who truly appreciates quality, design and
craftsmanship in its own right.
The
above interview with Karl-Friedrich Scheufele 2011 © Manner of Man Magazine.
All rights reserved. Reproduction is strictly prohibited without written permission
from the publisher.
