For four decades, Swiss brand Charriol has been crafting timepieces and jewellery that blend elegance with innovation.
Founded in 1983 by Philippe Charriol, the brand quickly became renowned for its distinctive cable-inspired designs, a signature aesthetic that is instantly recognisable. After the death of the brand’s founder in 2019, Philippe’s daughter, Coralie Charriol, took over as the brand’s CEO, and now she is ready to start a new chapter and take Charriol to new heights.
With Coralie at the helm, Charriol is embracing a fresh vision while staying true to its heritage. Passionate about modernising luxury with purpose, she brings a contemporary edge to the brand’s timeless designs, ensuring its relevance in an evolving market. Strengthening its longstanding presence in the region, Charriol has announced a strategic partnership with Ahmed Seddiqi & Sons, marking a significant step in reinforcing Charriol’s commitment to the Middle Eastern market, promising an exciting new era for the brand in one of its most important global destinations.
On a recent visit to Dubai, we sat down with Coralie to find out more about the brand and her vision for its future.
Philippe and Coralie Charriol
Tell us a little about Charriol and how it came to be what it is today.
Charriol was created by my father. He worked at Cartier for 15 years and was president of Cartier Asia. In 1983, he decided to launch his own brand. He opened two offices in Geneva and Hong Kong, he had eight watches in a suitcase, and he travelled the world to introduce the watches to all of his contacts.
He knew he needed a special material or something that would make his watches stand out and get the attention of potential buyers. So, he created the cable, which is our signature design. It is stainless steel, made in Switzerland in the factory that’s been making our cables for 40 years. It’s a 27-step process, achieved by 3 or 4 different artisans, and this has been the DNA and signature look of Charriol, since its inception in 1983. My father put it on watches for men and women, and he soon realised that he could create great jewellery with the same concept. Charriol was one of the first brands to offer watches and jewellery from the beginning. He also started to increase the accessories to belts, cufflinks, eyewear and perfumes, so it soon became a full universe, and he soon opened boutiques that would stock all of the range of products Charriol had to offer.
He was ahead of his time in this way and also in focusing on women. He did this from the beginning, particularly with products aimed at women who would purchase them for themselves.
What have you been doing with the brand since you took over?
When I took over six years ago after my father’s passing, we started cleaning up the brand and its product offering. We reduced some of the lines, I reviewed the codes of the Maison and started to infuse them into new lines.
Two years ago, we launched the Navigator line, and then came the Cruise and the Surf lines. Surf was introduced because I’m an avid surfer, and I want to infuse my passion for surfing into the products I design. It’s built like a diver’s watch. I designed it for women first, then I brought out the men’s, and I wanted a watch that could be worn in the water but could also be worn as an elegant going-out piece.
Tell us about the universe of Charriol today.
We recently celebrated our 40th anniversary. We are present in 60 countries and are opening in adventurous new markets like Korea and India. We are an aspirational luxury brand that is still Swiss-made. Our price points are luxury but reasonable. I am a woman who designs for women first, which is very important to me. I want to educate women on watches, make sure they are not intimidated, and encourage them to be self-purchasers.
We have so many plans – growing digital, looking into collaborations with technology and health and incorporating that into watches and jewellery, updating Charriol’s boutique experiences – all of that is very exciting. We also have possible new lines of watches coming, but the development is slow and a long process. We also want to consider the importance of branded jewellery, which has huge potential for further growth. I want to look further at fine jewellery and expand the pieces we make with diamonds and gold. This is a smaller market for us, but it’s an area I’m very excited about.
Tell us about Charriol in the Middle East.
Charriol has been in the Middle East for 40 years. We have 11 stores, and we have a very strong presence in Saudi Arabia. The news is that we have partnered with Ahmed Seddiqi here in Dubai and for me, it is one of the smartest and luckiest moves for Charriol. It’s a fantastic partner who knows exactly what they’re doing – they are leaders in their industry – and they believe in and support the brands that they work with. For us, this is exactly what I needed. We are still 100 per cent family-owned so I need all the support I can get, and I am looking at what will hopefully be a long relationship.
We are now in 9 EDIT by Ahmed Seddiqi stores and we will look at having a boutique in Dubai in the future. Dubai is booming right now, so we are very excited about it.
Who is your customer in this region?
The great thing about this region is that you can reach people from all over the world, which is really amazing. A lot of people from the Middle East know us because we’ve been here for 40 years, but we also have customers travelling through the region from Asia, America and Europe who have discovered our brand here.
Our customers are generally men or women who are looking for unique pieces. They don’t follow the crowd; they like wearing pieces that will make them stand out. The cable is a design that people will either love or hate, but when you’re a fan, you collect them, stack them, and wear them for many years.
What’s crazy is that we sell all over the world to so many cultures, and while the size preferences may change from region to region, the design still appears across the board. If you look at our standard bangle that my father designed, we have over 100 versions of it and it’s a universal piece that appeals to everyone. It’s extraordinary. We live in a world where we are all so different, yet we can have one product that appeals to so many people. It is truly wonderful.
How do you honour your father’s legacy as you further develop the brand?
First of all, my father had a big personality. He took up all the air in the room! He was a self-made man who created this empire from scratch. Magic happened for him and what he did was truly extraordinary. He took me under his wing, but he pushed me to do it on my own. He would always encourage me to use my initiative so that I would learn for myself. He wasn’t showing me how to do everything. He encouraged me to do it, which I did. I worked within many départements at the company – PR, sales, jewellery design, jewellery design – and then finally where I’m at today, and so I’ve honoured him in everything I have done as much as I possibly can. I’ve kept the heritage of the brand as this is what it’s built on, we will never take that away. Six years after taking over, I’m finally allowing myself to sit in his spot. It took a long time, but I now see myself as the future of the brand and infusing my passion into the brand.
As a female CEO of a company, what are the challenges, and how do you ensure your voice is heard?
Women leaders lead very differently from men. The pyramid of the company is very different to how it was when my dad was running it. There is a much wider structure today. Being a woman in this industry is very hard. There are hardly any in the C-suite. We are though at 43 per cent in the rest of the industry, which is really interesting. But at the top level, we are not even at 30 per cent. At Watches & Wonders last year, I was one of two women, and this year, I think it will be one of three. On top of that, we are still a family-owned brand, so we don’t have the support or cash of a big group. So it’s tough. However, I can react very quickly. I can make decisions and change direction very easily. I can be more resourceful, stay relevant, and I can partner up with great partners. I can listen to the end consumer and react to that. That’s my strength.
What does your decision-making process look like?
Firstly I have a great team around me. Obviously, my decision is the final one, but I think it’s important to listen to everyone. I am a little headstrong, and there are certain collections or products I feel strongly about, because I designed them, so I stay strong to them, but aside from that, I am quite open to listening to my team and getting their feedback.
Tell me about you as a person.
Charriol is infused in everything I do and I’m always wearing it. I don’t wear any other brand. I love travelling, going to new places, and meeting new people. I also love surfing! I’ve surfed everywhere in the world, from Panama to Puerto Rico, Costa Rica, Morocco, and Bali. I wanted to try Suft Abu Dhabi while I was here but didn’t have enough time to get booked in. I have three kids. I love documentary films and have been an executive producer of three films. One was about the story of plastic and that actually encouraged me to change Charriol’s consumer packaging to be zero plastic.
What’s in the pipeline for Charriol this year?
We have Watches & Wonders in April. This will be our third edition, and we will have a bigger booth this year. I have a lady’s watch launching. It will be a fantastic piece that can be stacked with our jewellery, too.
What’s the motto that you live by?
Live different. It’s actually the brand’s motto, but I feel strongly about it.
