Who ever went to see the F1 cars on the Spa Francorchamps circuit knows which bend to expect the most spectacle. The iconic corner, with its 17% incline and 40 metres difference in altitude, always holds your breath when the Formula 1 cars tear through it at 300 kilometres an hour. It is on this mythical spot that the Belgian luxury watch brand was born…a story of love for (car) racing, speakers that are too loud and the quest for the ultimate iconic watch. Meet Mister Raidillon himself: Fabien de Schaetzen!
We are writing 3 April 2001, and a man is on the Spa Francorchamps circuit. He is almost going crazy because of the banging in the loudspeakers of the circuit. Every time there is an attack by one of the drivers, the speaker goes: “and again an attack on the Raidillon”, “oh oh what a spectacle on the Raidillon”! It didn’t fall on deaf ears, although…the young man suddenly had a ‘Eureka’ moment: what if he were to develop a Belgian luxury watch brand based on the ingredients of motor sport: young, dynamic but also with timeless elegance and class. The Raidillon brand was born, the trademark registered. The start of a beautiful, but sometimes winding, course.
From LEFT TO RIGHT: C.E.O. FABIEN DE SCHAETZEN, MASTER HORLOGEMAKER JAMES MARIEN AND MARKETING RESPONSIBLE JUNE FOUCART
Fabien, if I look at the course you rode, you were mainly a marketing man in the ‘fast moving consumer goods’. Why the turn – pardon the pun – to luxury watchmaking?
Gosh, we have to go back in time. For one of my first marketing jobs, I started at General Biscuits in Herentals (nvdr later Danone-Lu, now taken over by the American Mondelez). As a French-speaking person, I obliged myself to take a job in Flanders. That was actually the best language bath I could have. From that job, I had the opportunity to exercise various other functions at home and abroad. I spent some time in London and Paris. After 14 years with Danone, I ended up in the business of swimming pools. That was a fantastic time with a lot of growth. The combined knowledge of how to market a brand internationally together with the knowledge and affinity with the luxury sector put me on the radar of the new owner of Raidillon. He asked me to come on board. What started as a few hours of business consulting, soon turned into a full-time job. And later I joined the business.
Fabien, can you take us back to the early days?
Fabien de Schaetzen: “Sure! In the beginning it was certainly not the big success of day one. The brand really had to establish itself. In our world we were and are confronted with big brands and houses with enormously deep pockets. Take Rolex for example. They sponsor just about every major event in the world. And they do this at top level with advertising, top VIP hospitality, all-in… So we have come a long way… Until 10 years ago, the Raidillon brand was not very dynamic. At that point, my partner decided to invest more.
A website with e-commerce came up, boutiques came up, we started making new models with an innovative design. The train was on the move!
Fabien, can you explain the DNA of the brand?
Fabien de Schaetzen: “The brand positions itself as a sporty luxury watch, in the spirit of the ‘gentleman driver’. Our target group is people who love beautiful objects, design lovers too. Our brand has the number 55 prominent in its logo. This is a reference to the 55 cars that may compete in a car race. We have made this our mantra: only 55 copies of each car are made. By definition, we only have limited editions because of that!
What do you do when a model has been sold out 55 times and you have a customer asking for a 56th…
Fabien de Schaetzen: “then we refuse. No matter how crazy that sounds. I am sure I have lost a lot of business because of that. On the other hand, I am also convinced that it is precisely because of this that I make our brand attractive. Today, we have also expanded our brand with accessories such as gloves, bags and key rings. All in the spirit of the brand, of course. In our turnover, we already get 20 percent from the accessories.
Fabien, can you tell us how things are now under the yoke of the corona crisis?
Fabien de Schaetzen:“Yes, I have to be frank. It is challenging, to say the least. Everything is turned upside down. Fortunately, we were already ready with E-commerce but still…especially in luxury products from a certain price point, people still want to see it live. Unfortunately, we have to conclude that consumer and shopper confidence is gone today. We see a lot less people in our flagship store in Brussels (nvdr: in the Royal Saint Hubert Gallery in Brussels). What we see today is that the big brands like Rolex, with a fixed and loyal customer base, are still doing well. They have a very well-developed customer database from which they can draw. But as a smaller player today, it is not easy to recruit new consumers. But in a way, the corona is still positive because we have finally been able to structure everything the way we wanted. Today there is not a single euro in our accounts that I don’t know what I am spending.
When you look back at the Raidillon course, are there things you would have done differently?
Fabien de Schaetzen:“If I could turn back the clock today, I would have invested much more quickly in communication and in ‘omnipresence’, for example in my boutiques and in attendance at salons. I didn’t have the money for it then, but I would have been proactive about it. I also regret that things didn’t work out with our boutique in Antwerp. Theoretically, we were on a good street, but not really: on Komedieplaats and not on Schutterhofstraat. But that was a matter of budget at the time.
Which achievement are you most proud of Fabien
Fabien de Schaetzen: “that is without doubt the iconic timepiece ‘The Curve’ in collaboration with Belgian designer Axel Enthoven. You should know that every self-respecting watch brand has a real design icon. There’s Rolex’s ‘Oyster’, there’s Bell & Ross with its BR model and so on. I also dreamed of having a unique model, a shape that you immediately recognise and therefore can become iconic. That was actually the briefing to Axel. The result is The Curve. The curve in the design is a reference to the iconic curve of the Raidillon curve. It has become a truly beautiful watch and has ultimately become our icon.
In conclusion, what are the objectives you have left for the business and for yourself?
Fabien de Schaetzen: “First of all, I would like Corona to disappear quickly. Then I want to start growing again with a focus on Flanders. We want to have a really strong presence there as a brand!
Thanks Fabien and good luck with everything!
All the information about Raidillon is available here: Website Raidillon
Raidillon boutiques:
Address: Galerie du Roi 17, 1000 Brussels
Wednesday | 10:30-18:00 | |
Thursday | 10:30-18:00 | |
Friday | 10:30-18:00 | |
Saturday | 10: 30-18:00 | |
Sunday | Closed | |
Monday | Closed | |
Tuesday | 10:30-18:00 | |
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