Romain Jerome Watches New CEO Manuel Emch

I feel like this is watch industry musical chairs. First Yvan Arpa gets ousted by Romain Jerome as their CEO. He then sues them for wrongful termination and wins. In another room, Manuel Emch spends several years putting his heart and soul into building up and refining Swatch Group owned Jaquet Droz, only to later leave. Now Yvan Arapa is busy fighting in karate and not watch makers, and Romain Jerome appoints Manuel Emch as their new CEO. Is history doomed to repeat itself? Will the wild Mr. Arpa be the next unlikely CEO of an ultra conservative Swatch Group brand? Who knows.

Yvan Arpa made Romain Jerome what it is today - hands down. After unwisely letting him go, avant garde watch maker Romain Jerome was without good talent. They perhaps wisely attracted the younger and energetic Manuel Emch to their ranks who has just been announced to lead the company in hopefully more or less the same direction as Yvan Arpa was taking them (which is more or less good a thing). Emch will take his seat at the helm of the unique watch maker on January 1, 2010. It will be a good holiday season for him now that he is no long unemployed. I am curious to see what changes and new products he will bring.

Ariel Adams publishes the luxury watch review site aBlogtoRead.com.