WPHH Boasts Record Attendance
-- JCK-Jewelers Circular Keystone, 4/22/2008 7:46:00 AM
The 11th edition of the WPHH (World Presentation of Haute Horlogerie) saw a 15 percent increase in visitors over the previous year, according to the event organizers.
More than 6,800 visitors and 600 international journalists viewed the nine brands of the Franck Muller Group at the group's Watchland headquarters just outside Geneva during the seven-day event.
The nine brands of the Group—Franck Muller Genève, Pierre Kunz, ECW, Rodolphe, Barthelay, Backes & Strauss, Martin Braun, Pierre Michel Golay, and Christian Huygens—unveiled their new collections over a 48,000 square-foot surface built for the occasion.
Sales for the Franck Muller brand increased by double digits; it has doubled for the Rodolphe brand, which has beaten all records. Pierre Michel Golay and Christian Huygens, two brands which recently joined the Group and participated for the first time in the WPHH, were both well received. Pierre Kunz’s sales have also grown and ECW and Barthelay pursue their development.
On April 9, the Franck Muller Group celebrated with a gala dinner. More than 1,400 VIP guests were welcomed by the Vieux Grenadiers to a grand evening. El Salsero Yuri Buenaventura gave a private and exclusive Caliente evening and sang. Guests including Stephen Baldwin (actor), Pascal Zuberbuhler (Neuchâtel Xamax - Swiss Football Goal Keeper), Nadine Thalmann (Miss Beauté romande), Pierre-François Unger (Geneva State Councillor in charge of the Department of Economic Affairs & Health), Dr. Christian Luscher (Geneva University Hospital - Department of Basic Neurosciences), and Charles Poncet (Law Firm of Ziegler Poncet Grumbach Carrard Lüscher).
Left to right : Alexis Barthelay, Vartkess Knadjian, Rodolphe Cattin, Vartan Sirmakes, Franck Muller,
Pierre Michel Golay, Pierre Kunz, Roger Dubuis, Claude Burkhalter, Martin Braun, and Gianni Pensabene
