Local Citizenship

Typically, each of our Maisons has a long heritage stretching back over 100 years. One exception is Vacheron Constantin which has recently celebrated its 250th Anniversary. While most of our products are recognised and sold in markets around the world, many are synonymous with a single town or region. It is therefore unsurprising that these businesses have often developed close relationships with their local communities.

Case Study: A Lange & Söhne

A. Lange and Söhne is perhaps the most vivid example of the ethos of active local citizenship within the group. Based in Glashutte

near Dresden in the former East Germany, the company is playing a central role in the economic and social regeneration of the town. Originally established in 1845, Lange re-launched in its traditional Glashütte home 16 years ago following the reunification of Germany and the closure of the former state-owned watchmaking factory. Together, the company and town have worked together to rebuild wealth and confidence based on a shared commitment to the values of tradition, precision and craftmanship. The company now:

Is a major source of tax revenue and employment for the community
Promotes the town and its employees as an integral part of its brand of outstanding quality based on individual craftsmanship
Helps develop its network of local suppliers by helping them build the skills and knowledge necessary to meet the exacting standards of the company
Supports a range of local causes from parenting courses through to amateur sports events in the town.

In April 2007, the company reviewed its arts sponsorship strategy with the objectives of:

Reinforcing the brand values of tradition, precision and craftsmanship
Building awareness of the brand among affluent consumers
Using the arts as a backdrop to host hospitality events and viewings to build customer loyalty

To meet its objectives, Lange will be sponsoring premium cultural events focused on music and the fine arts in Dresden supported by a small number of international events to widen the scope of the programme. Key features will be sponsorship of the:

Dresden State Art Collection in a three-year programme focusing on the Historic Green Vault, the Old Masters Picture Gallery Sponsorship and the Mathematics and Physics Salon
Semper Opera in Dresden helping raise awareness of its programme
Competizione dell’Opera, a competition recognising excellence for singing Italian opera.

Case Study: Montblanc Cultural Foundation

It is thanks to the creation of writing that culture and art are expressed in a virtually inexhaustible diversity of forms. Due to its origin in the writing culture - the first expression of human cultural life - Montblanc has made a special commitment to cultural advancement. Montblanc therefore promotes many different international activities that each contribute in their own way to the cultural life of society.

Established in 1998, the Montblanc Cultural Foundation works closely with the Hamburg Gallery of Contemporary Art. Every 2 years, Montblanc donates contemporary works of art to this institution which represent and reflect the Montblanc philosophy in the widest sense. These works are displayed in the Montblanc Art Gallery for two years before moving permanently to the Gallery of Contemporary Art and included the following artists: Daniel Richter, Sylvie Fleury, Stephan Huber, Jorge Pardo, and Thomas Schütte.