Laurent Lecamp, luxury expert and head of Montblanc’s watch division, doesn’t let extreme weather get in the way of his storytelling
Laurent Lecamp, luxury expert and head of Montblanc’s watch division, doesn’t let extreme weather get in the way of his storytelling
“Welcome to the ice cave, right in the middle of the Mer de Glace,” begins Laurent Lecamp. The managing director of Montblanc’s watch division is almost screaming to be heard as he braves a stormy wind and spray of snow. France’s largest glacier, the ‘Sea of Ice’ is 7 km long and 200 meters deep and is located in the Chamonix Valley, where some of the world’s most famous climbers have mastered ice walking. Which brings us back to Lecamp’s story – months before Watches & Wonders, he chose this location in Montblanc to talk about his first collection since taking over as watch head.
It is also a perfect backdrop for the passage of the baton from the great climber Reinhold Messner to the mountaineer Nimsdai Purja. Messner was one of the first people to climb Mount Everest without the aid of supplemental oxygen in 1978, and in 2020, Montblanc created the 1858 Geosphere in his honor. Meanwhile, among the watches launched last week at Watches & Wonders is the 1858 Geosphere Zero Oxygen watch. This May it will be tested by climber Nimsdai Purja in the ascent of Mount Everest, without supplemental oxygen.
1858 Earth Zero Oxygen and 1858 Iced Sea Automatic Date
The 43-year-old is credited with bringing a certain kind of energy to the royal family. A nature lover, he talks about being a runner and loves the extreme weather of the mountains. “When I was a kid I always kissed trees,” he laughs. “I still do.” Lecamp will climb Mont Blanc in August. “When I joined the company, I asked them to give me as many books as possible to read about the brand. And felt that despite its legacy, nothing special had been done to commemorate this famous glacier,” he explains. Hence, this month’s launch includes the 1858 Iced Sea Automatic Date, the brand’s first watch made for divers.
It comes with a dial in three colors, which resemble the features of snow found in glaciers. Lekamp talks about how he rejected about 50 glacier dials before arriving at what he wanted, which involved an age-old technique called the Great Bois Tor textured effect. “They told me ‘You’re crazy, the dial thickness is 0.4mm, how do you want the grooves, vents and colors to appear?’ I knew we needed to meet the right dial maker. It’s magical when it catches light,” he continues. The watch conforms to the ISO 6425 standard for diving, costs less than Euro 3000, and It has an iceberg engraving and a diver on the case back.
From left to right: Diane Schumacher, Reinhold Messner, Vincent Montalscot (Executive Vice President Marketing at Montblanc), Nimsdai Purza, Laurent Lekamp (Managing Director of the Watch Division at Montblanc), and Stephanie Redl (Director International Public Relations and Cultural Affairs at Montblanc) | photo credit: Julian M Hekimian
Perceived value is one of the strategies that both Lecamp and Montblanc’s CEO, Nicolas Beretzky, are focusing on this year. Lekamp, who used to be executive vice president at Carl F. Bucherer and visited India frequently during that time, saw that his visits to Chennai, Hyderabad and more than 14 Indian cities had taught him many lessons. “I love India. When you’re with an Indian customer, he often asks about discounts. And they all want an amazing story.”
In 2015, Lekamp wrote a book, free luxury, where he explored the challenges of building independent luxury brands in gastronomy, automobiles, jewellery, watchmaking and fashion accessories. He also has experience in creating an independent watch brand Cyrus himself in 2010.
The month also marked the launch of the new 1858 Minerva Monopusher Chronograph Red Arrow LE88 in tribute to the goddess. But what we’re most excited about is the 1858 Geosphere Zero Oxygen watch, kept in an oxygen-free vacuum compartment by the watchmakers of Montblanc. This will prevent fogging and oxidation and protect the movement. With only 290 pieces (the part that will climb to 29,031 feet) the watch costs $8,600. For Lecamp, his next challenge will be helping Montblanc fans experience the ascent of Purge in May. A livestream, perhaps?