On Muller time: Franck Muller CEO Nicholas Rudaz on its new KL flagship store

The new Franck Muller flagship store, the largest in Southeast Asia, is located in Pavilion Kuala Lumpur.

There is no denying Franck Muller’s appeal to Malaysians.

The independent watchmaker with its bold novelties has long captured the attention of watch collectors in the country, so it stands to reason that the brand’s new flagship in Pavilion Kuala Lumpur is the largest in Southeast Asia.

The flagship’s expansive 1,887sq ft incorporates a signature Franck Muller navy blue and champagne gold colour scheme, a one-of-a-kind LED screen on its frontage, cutting-edge holographic projections and even an exclusive hidden bar.

Han Pin Ma, Jane Lau, Sharon Lim (Franck Muller SEA and Australia CEO), Chryseis Tan, Rudaz (Franck Muller Group CEO), Scha Alyahya and Awal Ashaari.

The store opened recently to much fanfare with no less than Nicholas Rudaz, group CEO of the brand, on hand to officiate its launch.

Muller himself cuts a legendary figure, beginning his career as a horological wunderkind who, at the tender age of 15, enrolled himself into a watchmaking school and at 16, won a coveted Rolex Datejust as a watchmaking prize. The timepiece is now on the wrist of one of the world’s most renowned hip-hop artistes, but more on that later.

In Kuala Lumpur, Rudaz sits with StarChrono in a one-on-one interview to expound on Franck Muller the man as well as the brand, besides speaking his thoughts on the new boutique opening alongside a few other topics.

Interior details include luxurious mirror-like reflections and warm tones.

What does Franck Muller embody as a brand and timepiece?

Franck Muller has always been at the forefront of complications and design...the man was a genius watchmaker.

To put that into perspective, when he won the prize for being Best Student at a watchmaking school in Geneva, he was only 16 years old! The prize was a Rolex watch. Any young teenager who receives a Rolex would either treasure it for the rest of his life or quickly sell it off to buy a guitar or motorbike.

But Franck dismantled the watch, added a complication and sold it at a premium! That same watch has been sold lately to Jay-Z! We’ve always been pushing the boundaries in watchmaking -- being daring, bold and different has contributed to our timelessness.

Back in 1992 when Franck first presented the first collection, the watches were absolutely unique. No other watchmaker was making such complications.

Today, we still have the world’s most complicated watch – the Aeternitas Mega 4, the world’s fastest tourbillon – the Thunderbolt Tourbillon, and the world’s biggest tourbillon, the Giga Tourbillon. These are just a few milestones that we continue to perpetuate year after year.

Three large showcases built into tall champagne gold panels feature the brand’s latest timepieces amid cutting-edge holographic projection.

How are these values reflected in the new space at Pavilion?

The boutique is our biggest in Southeast Asia and is quite a milestone for us. It showcases the luxury and uniqueness of Franck Muller in the quality of the materials used and the interior.

It’s an elegant and more accessible space to present our timepieces, some of which can be quite extreme and colourful. Franck Muller was one of the first watchmakers to put a lot of colour in his watches and that juxtaposed well with the muted tone of the boutique.

Why choose Malaysia for the region’s largest flagship?

Well, why not? [Laughs] Malaysia has always been an important and good market for us.

Sincere Fine Watches does a fantastic job in distributing the brand and they found an exceptional location.

What challenges and opportunities do you foresee for the brand?

Franck Muller manufacture.

Thanks to Sincere Fine Watches, we can look forward to a number of new boutiques in the region.

They are themed on a new concept which kickstarted two years ago in Singapore. Last year, we opened a boutique in Bangkok and we have future plans in Vietnam, Hong Kong and China.

Expansion-wise, we are in very good hands.

The most pressing challenge, because of the current boom, is ensuring our watchmakers are not poached by our competitors.

Who does Franck Muller attract?

Someone who is bold and wants to be different.

What does Franck Muller embody as a brand and timepiece? At Franck Muller, we produce our references in small numbers.

If you were to gather 1,000 Franck Muller collectors in the same room, you might have 1,000 different watches because we have such a wide range for both men and women.

It’s very important to get feedback from our distributor partners to ensure we deliver the best products for the right market, as each country has different needs.

The #FR2NCK MULLER Vanguard case is made of a new carbon and glass fibre composite, the first of its kind by Franck Muller and exclusive to Southeast Asia and Australia. — Photos courtesy of Franck Muller

The more experienced collector would have an appreciation for a timepiece like the world’s fastest tourbillon.

We also do fun watches like the Crazy Hours.

This year, we have collaborated with Japanese artist Ryoko Kaneta to create the limited-edition Cintrée Curvex Ryoko Kaneta Dragon timepiece.

We kept in mind a younger audience when we collaborated with Japanese streetwear label #FR2 and produced an attractively priced #FR2NCK MULLER Vanguard. There is also the Vanguard Beach with its pop and sportier colours. The younger clientele today has been introduced to the brand by their parents.

That said, there are still a lot of people we need to reach out and showcase our brand to. We want to show them our creativity and uniqueness. Because we cover such a wide range of watches starting from US$4,000 to US$3.5mil for the world’s most complicated watch, there’s such a large spectrum that everyone can find happiness at Franck Muller.

What brought you to Franck Muller?

Fate. I was previously in the hotel industry and had opened the Hotel La Réserve in Geneva. It happened to be just a kilometre from Franck Muller.

When it opened, I presented the hotel to Franck and Vartan (Sirmakes, co-founder of Franck Muller) and after a while, they offered me the opportunity to join them in 2007. The rest is history.

How is being an independent brand important for Franck Muller?

It has enabled us to be vertically integrated – we do all the creativity and production ourselves, so we are quick to act.

Unlike other big names, we do not have shareholders to maintain. We only have one owner and his objective has always been creativity and design – it frees us up to focus on the product.