Perfect Timing

All the same, Charriol doesnt mind showing off on his wrist a watch that isnt too obviously Charriol, and his famous Celtic inspired steel cable motif appears only on his cuff links. Today gold is internationally regarded as passe: the white look dominates metals in fashion. That way I have been a prophet for a long time. This sort of predatory attention to detail is characteristic of this man and might explain his success at the Formula One car racing which he began four years ago, at the age of fifty.

The designer considers himself amusing when he says such things about himself. He gesticulates, grimaces and strikes poses for the camera with all of a peacocks self-consciousness. But when somebody pointed out that he looked more like Jim Carrey in The Mask rather than a watch designer, Charriol remarked attempting to peel off his jowls at the same time Ah! You have caught me out, this is a mask actually.

 

Coming back to Formula One cars, Charriols got enough to say on the subject. The danger associated with that is exaggerated. I have gone into any number of spins, but then even the best drivers in the world share that distinction with me. One should be careful and understand ones machine. There is always a risk, even crossing the road can be risky at times. My family is totally cool about it. In fact my children are rather proud I took it up so late in life. He waves away further talk of the dangers associated with the sport, preferring to mention his foundation that aims at encouraging painting and sculpture in Asia.

I set up the foundation to organise events and exhibitions all through the year, aiming for maximum public awareness. We hold them at subways and footpaths outside important buildings. The inspiration for it? Art works are like women. Which ones do I like? The good-looking ones! Seriously, we hold regular exhibitions in Hong Kong, Thailand, Singapore and Malaysia and have an auction-ball as our annual high point. He feels that art is not all that self-supporting in most parts of Asia. Ive met these very talented artists working as art directors and as illustrators, and they dont regard art as anything other than being recreational. Its certainly not enough to make a living.

Charriol's famous motif was itself inspired by a visit to a Celtic art museum, where he was captivated by some very striking jewellery on display, constructed almost entirely of twisted strands of copper and silver wire. Wishing to preserve the basic idea, and unwilling to incorporate it in identical form, he cast about for a link to contemporary times.

It struck him that the basic principle of that artifact of industrial society, the steel cable, was essentially nothing but twisted strands of wire. Elated at having found this link with tradition, Charriol appropriated it, and used it wherever he could on tie clips, pens, cuff-links and of course, on the straps of his core competency, watches. Silver and platinum were his favourite metals of choice, bucking the prevailing trends for gold, and today he feels vindicated as the world over gold is regarded as passe, and white metals are in.

But lets not pass up Charriols prime claim to fame his ostentatiousness. Asked as to what the denizens at Titan his Indian partners in their staid dark suits have to say about his flamboyance, he shrugs, Well, theyre in bed with me, what do you expect them to say. They dont like it?

Well, if they dont, they arent showing it. Titan obviously has faith in him: even at this moment they are marketing designer watches of Charriols at exclusive corners in a great many of their stores, a watch that at its cheapest sells at thrice the price of Titans highest range of watches.

Charriol takes it all in his stride. Oof, he ejaculates, everybody tells me scary stories. The market isnt there, maybe India isnt hot for designer names, maybe there isnt so much money, maybe, maybe... When I started out with my own brand after quitting Cartier, I heard all these maybes too. In my opinion, the right time and the right circumstances for a launch is always right now. If you have a distinctive product it will create its own market. Brave words, but then he is only testing the waters yet, with a pretty limited range of watches on offer. Hes just hoping the accessories bearing his signatures belts, bags, cuff links and so on can follow later. If there is a market.

There is much more to this man than designing and marketing fashion accessories though, and his varied pursuits leave no doubt to his thriving intellect. The Marseilles-born Charriol is multilingual, conversant in Greek, English, Italian, French and German. I speak all of them well, but with an Inspector Clouseau acc-sont. I can also get by in Cantonese and Japanese. Self preservation, really. You see, there used to be a lot of sentences with gweilo (foreign devil in Chinese) and gai-jin (ditto in Japanese) when I was around. So I had to learn the lingo. At least they didnt call me iteki (barbarian). In India I heard the hotel staff say look for a Chinese with a foreigner the latter being me. Are only white Caucasians classified foreigners?

The conversation finally veers around to his family. My children, a son and a daughter, were born in Hawaii the closest we will get to Paradise with modern medical facilities. I tell them not to join the business, so like all kids, they want in. Not that the designer himself would like to continue with the normal operations of the business for much longer, especially as growth will make it impossible. Ideally I would like to travel around the world promoting the brand but one has to be practical. More time for design pursuits is fine, but what is already out has to be nurtured.

Well, at the retail level, Charriol's brand is worth over 350 million dollars a year, so it's a good place to join really.