Collecting
By Laurent Martinez
A BEAUTIFUL STRAP MAKES
ALL THE DIFFERENCE
Camille Fournet
was established in
1945 in Paris
AS FELLOW WATCH ENTHUSIASTS, I AM SURE YOU WILL AGREE
that what type of strap or bracelet a watch is fitted with greatly
impacts the overall style of the timepiece. As such, I wanted to
share with you my recent trip to Camille Fournet, the French luxury
leather goods company that specializes in high-end watchstraps.
I have been buying watchstraps from its boutique in Rue
Cambon—the heart of Parisian luxury and fashion—since the early
2000s. As a watch collector, I have always appreciated the
handsome aesthetic and high quality of the brand’s straps. What’s
more, I wholeheartedly believe that fitting a case with a stunning
strap increases the watch’s beauty tremendously. For instance, a
strap made from exotic skin like alligator in a vibrant color can make
the watch dial sing by emphasizing certain colors and patterns.
I have always been interested in what it takes to make a luxurious
leather watchstrap: how it is done, how long it takes, and how many
84 | INTERNATIONAL WATCH | WINTER 2020
steps it requires until the final product is complete. So I contacted
the Camille Fournet manufacture to see if the company would be
willing to host me on a tour and answer my questions. A few weeks
later, I took the train to Tergnier, located to the north of Paris, where
Frederic Poletti, the chief production officer of Camille Fournet,
warmly welcomed me.
I was surprised to learn that it requires anywhere from fifty to
sixty operations to manufacture a watchstrap, spanning across
seventy minutes per piece. I was also informed that the two main
types are “Remborde Edge” and “Cut Edge” straps where the
former uses a special adhesive and presses the strap under heat
and extreme pressure and the latter seals the edge of the straps
with a color stain to permit color contrasts.
Armed with this newfound knowledge, I was invited to witness
the first step in Camille Fournet’s manufacturing process, which is