Beauregard is another new name in the Qatari market under Ali Bin Ali. OHLALA spoke to the brand’s CEO, Alexandre Beauregard, to learn more about its mesmerising watches.
OHLALA – Can you tell us more about the brand?
Alexandre Beauregard – The brand was created in 2009 in Geneva, but we launched our first watch in 2019. It took 10 years of work, study, design improvement, trial and error before we launched the first watch, which was the Dahlia Central Flying Tourbillon with a haute joaillerie dial, made in gold and full set diamonds. I am the CEO of the brand and the creative director. I buy the stone, cut it, and do all the haute joaillerie dial in my workshop in Montreal, where I live. However, Beauregard is based in Geneva, it’s a Swiss brand. Apart from the gem work, everything else is made in Switzerland because it is the best place in the world to make watches.
OHLALA – How did watchmaking enter your life?
Alexandre – I know the usual way to explain it is passion. But for me, it was more like an affliction. It’s much less romantic, but that’s how I felt. I tried to get out of it but couldn’t; it was already part of me. My wife encouraged me and we thought I would do this for a while, but as we can see, it stayed, and the brand is just growing. No one in my family works in jewellery or watchmaking. I have always had an interest in art and everything I do, I learn by doing it and that’s why it took 10 years because I had to become a lapidary artist, and there is no school in the world for that, to accomplish the intricate gemwork that goes into our dials. I was lucky enough to be introduced to Yves Saint-Pierre, a legend in stonecutting in America. He took me as his apprentice and he taught me for five years how to work the stone the way we do.
OHLALA – Who is the Beauregard customer?
Alexandre – I believe that 90% of our clientele is from the Middle East. Our watches have a lot of personality, and the customers here appreciate them. European people are much more conventional and classic. Our watches are bold and out there and need an audience that understands and values their uniqueness. And when we have a client that loves what we do, they really love it. One client bought nine watches, so that’s the impact we generate.
OHLALA – What, in your opinion, gives people a deep appreciation for watches? What do you think causes this fascination?
Alexandre – I think people nowadays don’t wear watches to know the time. We all look at our phones. I have a splendid watch, but I still look at my phone to see the time. For me, watches are magical objects. I think that’s what captures me. Because it has everything, it has intricacy, detail and precision. It has to be flawless on so many levels. It is a spectacular machine that we can carry on our wrists. I also think that there should be only one reason for buying a watch. I know there’s more than one. A lot of people buy a watch for status, which is okay. But for me, it is the fact that you have no other choice. It drives you. When you go back home, you cannot stop thinking about it. It becomes an obsession because there’s no other logical reason to buy an expensive watch. It has to be like a thunderbolt, like when you fall in love. That’s why I make watches with many colours, boldness and volume; I want my customers to fall in love with them. People don’t just buy a watch to pass the time. It has to be really something emotional that you see, and you have to have it.
OHLALA – In the past almost six years since you launched the first watch, what have been the most significant accomplishments of the brand?
Alexandre – We have five collections, and every watch we presented at the Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève (an annual award that highlights and recognises the excellence of contemporary watchmaking, helping to promote the traditions, trades and values of Swiss and universal watchmaking heritage) was selected. That’s something great. We also launched our first men’s collection at Watches & Wonders Geneva 2024. There are many things to celebrate in such a short period of time.
OHLALA – Can you tell us more about how the jewellery line started?
Alexandre – The Gemmy Bear collection has a funny story. Every year, we attend the Tucson Gem Show in the US. It’s the biggest gem show in the world, and pretty much everyone who’s involved in jewellery, stone dials or the watch industry goes there. There are thousands of exhibitors from all over the world. During the days we are there, we always carry stones in our pockets and show each other our findings of the day and, often, they look like candy, so just for fun one year, I made gummy bears from them. I didn’t want to go into jewellery. However, when Covid-19 hit, I had time to work on them and ended up developing the collection, which is now part of Beauregard. It’s not easy to make them because you can’t mould them, and each piece needs to have the finishing polish by hand. We even make cufflinks from them. They are fun and delicate creations.
OHLALA – What are the brand’s highlights for 2025?
Alexandre – We created five collections in five years and started a jewellery collection, but we have new elements mixing watches and jewellery that will be launched at Watches & Wonders Geneva this year. We are also developing an accessories line.