Loïc Florentin, CEO of Le Rhöne

Loïc Florentin co-founded the Le Rhöne brand with Timo Rajakoski. Born in 2013 from the bond between two childhood friends, symbolised by the umlaut on the “O”, the brand is making a name for itself among the exhibitors of the “Ateliers” at Baselworld. Accepting no compromise on the quality of his products, Loïc Florentin draws on 15 years of solid watchmaking experience gained at TAG Heuer, Dior, Chaumet and Jaeger-LeCoultre. Already well established in Latin America and Northern Europe, the young Haute Horlogerie brand is now arriving in France with big ambitions. Meet a man of the 21st century, who balances a hectic professional life taking him to all four corners of the globe with a calm, fulfilling family life, tucked away close to nature in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence.

Hello Loïc Florentin, could you introduce yourself to the readers of Passion Horlogère?

My name is Loïc Florentin, I am the co-founder of “Le Rhöne” and I have been in the watch industry for 15 years. I grew up in Venezuela. I have travelled and worked in several countries around the world, and in 2013 I decided to create Le Rhöne in Geneva.

Which watch are you wearing today?

Today I am wearing a watch I designed in 2017, a Hédonia on a steel bracelet. It is a three-hand watch with a distinctive dial featuring vertical Côtes de Genève guilloché.

What is new for Le Rhöne at Baselworld?

We had several pieces of news this year. The first is that we really worked on the brand’s image. Le Rhöne is only six years old and we need to build its identity. We reworked a few details of the logo and the brand colours, with touches of blue and orange in particular. And we reorganised all of our collections.

We created 5 collections within the Le Rhöne family: Hedönia, Moön, Vöyage, Röad Racer and Horölogy.

Above all, we worked on 5 novelties. We introduced new colours for the Röad Racer, including the new AS Monaco watch, a limited series of 11 pieces. We have been partners of AS Monaco since this season.

We released a new jewellery piece, the new 37 mm Möon, with a lot of work on the large moon phase. It is set with 56 baguette diamonds, 647 blue sapphires and 112 diamonds, with Super-LumiNova underneath.

Among other things, we also introduced a new complication in our double tourbillon, which is only made as unique pieces. Here we worked on a Le Rhöne complication, the JMT, or Jumping Meridian Time. We added this complication to showcase the beauty of home time on two retrograde jumping 24-hour discs.

So this is a highly technical Haute Horlogerie piece?

Absolutely. There is a great deal of technical expertise in this piece.

Let’s talk a little about you. Do you have any passions besides watchmaking?

Yes, I love spending time with people and building human relationships. That is really very important to me. I love spending time with people. Enjoying their company and getting to know them has become a real passion. I often do it with my family.

Beyond that, I am passionate about certain sports such as diving and wakeboarding. These are sports I love doing while spending time with my children.

How would you define luxury?

I think the most important thing in luxury is detail. It is also savoir-faire. Then there is the whole experience we can offer through our products and our brands. That would be my definition of luxury.

Which brand best embodies this definition of luxury in your view?

Hermès, for example, is a luxury brand. You can really see how they position themselves. They do not think about others, they focus on themselves and on how they interpret things. They make it known, and it even shines through in their DNA.

Is there a historical or contemporary figure who inspires you?

I have had mentors more than people who inspired me. There have been many of them in my life. But there is no one in particular who has inspired me.

How many people work at Le Rhöne?

In total we have 7 employees, in marketing, design, operations, sales…

What qualities do you value in your team members?

The first quality is really interpersonal skills. That is the first thing I look at in a person: whether there is a connection right away and the beginning of a human relationship. Because in the end we spend more time at work than with our families. So we really need to create that family atmosphere and have a good time together. Today we have achieved that. When we come to Basel, we are together 24 hours a day for almost two weeks, and we feel almost like a family. That has to be one of the qualities of these people.

What is your first assessment of Baselworld 2019?

I am very satisfied with Baselworld. There were fewer people at the fair, but we had far more quality visits. Many people showed interest in the brand, which is really starting to become known worldwide. We opened a few new accounts and had some very pleasant surprises. So I am very happy with this Baselworld.

Loïc Florentin, can you tell us what time it is on “Le Rhöne” time?

It is time to build human relationships and to bring everyone’s rhythm into our lives.

What is your motto?

Funny you should ask, it’s #humantempö! So exactly that!