The ship of your dreams

Hublot SA, im Rahmen der SIHH 2017, Geneva

For the very first time, the three LVMH brands TAG Heuer, Hublot and Zenith have been brought together under one roof. Or perhaps we should rather say “on one deck”, because for the Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie (SIHH) trade fair in Geneva they exhibited together on a converted ship in the harbour of Geneva.

It was a proud moment for the Messerli team when the MS Lausanne entered the harbour of Geneva one bitterly cold January morning. For four days, they had been working hard to produce the perfect stage setting for the watchmakers TAG Heuer, Hublot and Zenith on the decks of Europe’s largest inland ship. Now, it was ready to whisk away visitors into the unique world of haute horlogerie.

To achieve this, the decks were rearranged completely to reflect the individual styles of the three brands. Using the design specifications of m-design, Messerli created the technical plans and took on the engineering and set-up. There was one particular challenge: nothing was to be fixed directly to the ship. All wall coverings, partition walls and display cabinets therefore had to be secured using special clamping connections to make them safe and seaworthy. This is where the expertise and different qualifications of the well-coordinated team came into their own, because having to adapt to an unusual location was nothing new for them.

It took a total of five trailer loads of material to implement the design. For logistical reasons, the ship sat in the harbour of Lausanne while the work was carried out, only heading to Geneva once it had been completed. The main deck was freely accessible to the public. Here, the three watch manufacturers presented their latest models, each in their own, individually designed showroom. On the two upper decks, 16 meeting rooms were created, as well as a bistro and a fondue parlour on the covered outer deck. Over the course of four days, the exhibition welcomed large numbers of visitors and media representatives. In fact, it was so successful, that it is planned to hoist the flags of TAG Heuer, Hublot and Zenith on the MS Lausanne again for a few days in 2017.