“You can’t fake expertise”

As part of its action to inform the public on the risks and dangers of counterfeiting, the Fondation de la Haute Horlogerie (FHH) organised a competition for first-year students at Lausanne university of art and design (ECAL) and the public at large. As part of their studies at the university’s school of visual communication, students were invited to make a 30-second infomercial. Members of the public used their imagination to propose a two- to three-minute fiction. The audience at the prize ceremony, which was held May 25^th at the Swiss Film Archive in Lausanne, a partner to the competition, was able to fully appreciate the creativity, inventiveness and technical expertise which all the entries demonstrated.

“Counterfeiting is a matter of great concern to us, hence why we want our information campaigns to also address younger generations,” explained Fabienne Lupo, the Foundation’s Chairwoman and Managing Director, in her opening speech. “Of course, the most effective way to communicate with this young generation is through people their own age. This is why we worked with ECAL and opened this competition to the public.” In his speech, Pierre Keller, Director of ECAL, confessed to how “surprised, even overwhelmed” he had been by “the brutality that rules the world of counterfeiting. We cannot stand by and do nothing, if only to defend and show respect for the craftsmen who produce extraordinary products and who are a vital force for our country. We must not and will not let counterfeiting continue unchecked. This is why I gave this project my full support, and I am delighted my students took part.”

Support from partner-brands

Don’t play with appearances; Crime thanks you for your donation; Don’t be an accomplice; You can’t fake expertise… These were just some of the messages that hit home during the evening as the films, which ranged from cartoons to fictions and montages, were shown. The last message in particular struck a chord; it carried off the Grand Prix for a student at ECAL for his film of an outlandish bicycle contraption being used as a clock. Meanwhile, the public awarded its prize to “Hatman” for “Sacaman,” a master counterfeiter brought to justice by an investigator sent to clean up the Internet.

The FHH’s partner-brands played their role to perfection and rewarded the winners with a watch from their collections: a Royal Oak for Audemars Piguet, a Hampton for Baume & Mercier, a Happy Sport for Chopard, a Grande Reverso for Jaeger-LeCoultre, and a Grande Carrera for TAG Heuer. All genuine, for sure…

First-year students in the School of Visual Communication
ECAL 1^st prize and Grand PrixArthur Miffon
“Royal Oak” watch, donated by Audemars Piguet
ECAL 2^nd prize and Best Production Prize
Ovidé Lo Castro
“Grande Reverso” watch, donated by Jaeger-LeCoultre
ECAL 3^rd prize and Innovation Prize
Justine Schaller
“Happy Sport” watch, donated by Chopard
> Jury Prize
Quentin Robert and Robin Bucher for “What if the people selling fakes told the truth”
“Grande Carrera” watches, donated by TAG Heuer
> Public Prize
Hatman for “Sacaman”
“Hampton” watch, donated by Baume & Mercier
Fabienne Lupo-Magnaudet, Chairwoman of the Jury, Chairwoman and MD, FHH
Selim Atakurt, Communications Director, ECAL
Anne Biéler, Press Relations and Communication, FHH
Claudia Durgnat, Director, Tous Ecrans film festival in Geneva
Pierre Maillard, Film-maker and watch journalist
Frédéric Maire, Director, Swiss Film Archive, Lausanne
André Martin, Film producer
Oliviero Toscani, Photographer
Edouard Waintrop, Director, CAC Voltaire Film Centre