Raoul Perret: the "couturier de la montre" crisis

Placed under the sign of innovation and creativity, Raoul Perret's years at the helm of Universal Genève gave birth to timeless, elegant watches, ensuring the brand a special place in history.

Although Raoul Perret was probably involved in the affairs of Descombes & Perret, the watchmaking house co-founded by his father in 1894 and later renamed Universal Genève, it was in 1923 that he officially joined the family business. His dynamic youth and innovative vision breathed new energy into the brand's creations.

In a 1963 interview for Europa Star magazine, Raoul Perret described himself as a passionate lover of art and aesthetics, a great admirer of the French Impressionists and the Rococo movement, while asserting that there was no better time to be alive than his own. The publication recognizes him as "the architect of many technical and aesthetic innovations" that have contributed to the brand's success. In the 1960s, Universal Genève was one of Switzerland's leading watch manufacturers, with an international clientele.

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In 1932, Raoul Perret was appointed director. At the head of the company, he implements his bold ideas, convinced that the crisis is an opportunity. He led the company through the Great Depression, when the Swiss watch industry was in dire straits.

To survive, the sector had to adapt. In fact, national laws were introduced: watch companies had to decide whether to operate as a "manufacture" (i.e. produce their movements entirely in-house), or whether to source raw movements, known as "ébauches", from watch factories.

To ensure future production capacity, he collaborates with Zenith Manufacture and Martel Watch. He joined the Zenith board of directors in 1935 and became Chairman of the Martel board in 1942. He would run the three companies in parallel for several years. 

The gamble paid off: the watches designed by the design office created by Raoul Perret in 1932 met with dazzling success, setting the stage for the brand's future slogan "Le couturier de la montre", adopted three decades later.

Raoul Perret oriented Universal Genève towards refined, discreet luxury watches, which would later feature among the most prestigious chronographs. In 1935, Universal launched the Compur, its first chronograph with two pushers, becoming one of the first companies, alongside Breitling and Angelus, to adopt this type of innovation. At the same time, the words "Universal Watch Genève" appeared on dials, although the company was not renamed Manufacture des montres Universal, Perret & Berthoud SA until five years later.

Thanks to "the highest quality attainable on an industrial scale" - to quote many experts and collectors - combined with an innovative and consistent marketing strategy, the company experienced rapid growth in the United States. It also expanded into major European markets, such as France, Germany and the UK. By 1936, all these markets welcomed Compax with open arms. Capable of timing to the fifth of a second for 12 hours, it was one of the brand's flagship models. 

To meet the ever-growing international demand, Universal expands its Geneva premises on Rue du Rhône, then builds a new factory in 1941 130 kilometers away in Les Ponts-de-Martel. It was in this factory that the Tri-Compax was born in 1944: created to mark the company's 50th anniversary, this chronograph is equipped with a full calendar.

Universal Genève would preserve these chronographs for several decades, regularly offering updated versions to keep up with the times.

Ten years after the war, Raoul Perret, who claimed to be abreast of the latest trends in fashion, interior design and architecture, dared to embark on a collaboration with a 23-year-old designer, Gérald Genta.We owe him revolutionary models like the Nautilus and the Royal Oak, which would forever change the history of watchmaking. But in 1954, it was with Universal Genève's Polerouter that this young talent began to gain notoriety.

The Polerouter, first called the Polarouter, became the official watch for the new transpolar flights operated by Scandinavian Airlines. Sober and sophisticated, it perfectly embodied the optimism of the time. Raoul Perret once told Europa Star magazine that air travel "leaves me marbled, I find it the least poetic of all forms of transport". An ironic statement, to say the least, given the success of the Polerouter. 

The success of the Polerouter had a major influence on Universal's decision to build another factory the following year in Carouge, on the outskirts of Geneva. Raoul's interest in architecture is reflected in his ultramodern building choices: he imagines a 60% glazed facade to optimize light, concrete foundations to reduce vibrations and soundproof control rooms.

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In close collaboration with Raoul Perret, the design office played an increasingly important role in the 1960s. At this time, Universal Genève was manufacturing award-winning jewelry watches: adopting the slogan "Le couturier de la montre" in its advertising from 1963.

Until the end of his career, he created iconic designs such as the ultra-slim elliptical watch of 1965 - three years before other brands launched similar models - or the Golden Shadow and its cushion case in 1966. Spurred on by its takeover by Bulova in 1965, Universal Genève also ventured into electronic watches. 

Raoul Perret left us in 1973. Although little was written about him at the time, he left his mark on watchmaking history. In addition to his role as director at Universal Genève, he was also vice-president of the Federation of the Swiss Watch Industry, president of the Union des Fabricants d'Horlogerie de Genève, Vaud et Valais, a member of the organizing committee of the Basel Watch Show, and founder and president of "Montres et Bijoux de Genève", a trade show dedicated to elegant luxury watches.

Although Raoul Perret's life remains largely unknown, one thing is certain: the watches he created during his 40 years at the helm of Universal Genève perfectly illustrate his title as "couturier de la montre".