Lausanne: the expansion of watchmaker Lionel Meylan SA

At 34 years of existence, Lionel Meylan SA has treated itself to a jewel. The family business from the Vallée de Joux has just renovated its store located in the historic building on Place de la Palud 1 in Lausanne. In this building, which saw the birth of the oldest watchmaking and jewelry making in Lausanne, the Vevey house continues its development. From three employees in 1990, its workforce has increased to 26 employees on four Vaud sites. And its turnover, which is not disclosed, is increasing.

Julien Meylan and his brother Yannick joined their father, Lionel, in 2004 within the eponymous company founded in 1990 in Vevey. Today they co-manage the family’s stores, two in Vevey and two in Lausanne. In the Vaud capital, the company shaped by six generations of watchmakers from father to son, took over management of the Breitling boutique in 2020 and then, in 2021, that of the Guillard watchmaking and jewelry business, founded in 1858.

“We grew by following opportunities,” comments Julien Meylan. But there have been ups and downs” Over the last three decades, he has seen his activity evolve: “As far as sales are concerned, certain watch brands have verticalized distribution. They set up their own stores to increase their visibility. However, multi-brand stores like ours – we collaborate with around thirty brands – have survived. And there will always be some, because of our proximity to the local customer.”

Volatile tourists

Lionel Meylan SA has also closed its store opened in 2014 in Les Diablerets, at Glacier 3000, frequented mainly by passing customers. The experiment, which hardly corresponded to the company’s “way of working”, was cut short. “The Swiss watch market remains very small, if we compare it with the importance of its exports,” analyzes Julien Meylan. In this context, the indigenous clientele provides us with more stability than the tourists.”

The watch and jewelry retailer says it can count on a loyal customer base from generation to generation. “Children who came to us with their parents became our customers. This is a local and passionate clientele. This relationship between the customer and his watchmaker remains important.”

Moreover, Julien Meylan organizes workshops where participants dismantle a movement and learn to reassemble it, an exciting but complex job. This is because, at a very young age, Julien Meylan set his watch to that of his father: even before going to school, he already knew how to restore a clock.

Lionel Meylan SA also builds ties with its customers through its wedding rings and engagement rings: “These are objects that often attract interested parties to us for the first time. If they have been well served, they come back for the jubilee gifts.”

In this context, the company’s four establishments prove to be complementary, being able to meet the needs of those interested both near their home or their place of work, in the Lausanne region or on the Riviera.

Concentrated services

“We have concentrated all our services in each of our stores,” explains the co-director. We have common brands there. And if a part is missing in Vevey, we transfer it from Lausanne. All of this allows us to respond quickly to customer needs. In Lausanne, we will further develop our customer service for watches and jewelry because demand is high there.”

Among the 3,000 watch services carried out annually by the company, the most requested concern a battery change, the repair of a bracelet or another intervention on a watch that can be quickly carried out in store. “We most often carry out work on old watches. But we also address certain tasks to watch brands, when they are still able to carry them out.”

Expert in gemology

In jewelry, the company is active in the transformation and design of jewelry. “Sometimes the stone of a family jewel is beautiful, but we don’t like the setting,” notes Julien Meylan. We then propose a new creation.” The company has also become a reference in gemology. She carries out estimates for insurance, inheritances and even for prosecution offices.

Lionel Meylan SA is following suit by successfully offering a monthly payment service for two years. A risky bet in terms of image, which the company assumes: “Thanks to controls, we ensure that the buyer does not go into debt,” assures Julien Meylan. It’s an additional offer.”

There are also controls regarding security in this company which suffered a wave of thefts a few years ago. So much so that she launched, for her entire corporation, an alert system between jewelers. It has today been partially abandoned, in favor, among other things, of better training of staff to anticipate burglaries. At the store on Place de la Palud 1, you have to start by ringing the bell to enter. Other security measures remain secret.

As for the transformation work, it was all entrusted to local entrepreneurs: “Our father always recommended that we work with the economic fabric of the region. He told us to go and get supplies from the nearest store. And we continue to play the game.

Claude Béda is a journalist for the 24-hour Vaudois section. Passionate about social issues and the lives of people here, he covered several regions of the canton, before joining the Lausanne editorial team. More informations

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