Xavier de Roquemaurel is the CEO and co-founder of Czapek & Cie, a Swiss Haute Horlogerie brand he helped resurrect in 2015. Born in Lyon, France, in 1969, his professional trajectory is defined by a career in “emotional products” across the food, cosmetics, and luxury fashion industries before he transitioned into the watchmaking sector.

De Roquemaurel began his professional career in 1893 in the sales department at Mars, where he learned the fundamentals of strategic planning. In 1996, he joined L’Oreal’s Gemey Maybelline division, followed by an MBA at IESE Business School in Barcelona. His entry into the luxury world came in 2001 as an International Product Manager at Loewe, part of the LVMH group, before he moved to Ermenegildo Zegna in 2004. At Zegna, he served as Marketing Manager for Spain and Portugal and later as Head of Marketing for Western Europe, gaining experience in managing high-end heritage brands and customer relations.

In 2011, de Roquemaurel entered the horological industry as the Marketing Director for Ebel. Following his departure from the brand in late 2012, a period of professional transition led to a meeting with art expert Harry Guhl. Along with watchmaker Sébastien Follonier, they decided to revive Czapek & Cie, a historic name founded by François Czapek, the former partner of Antoine Norbert de Patek.

Under de Roquemaurel’s leadership, Czapek became the first luxury watch brand to be relaunched through an equity crowdfunding campaign, allowing enthusiasts to become shareholders. Since the official launch in Geneva in 2015, he has overseen the development of several key collections, including the Quai des Bergues, which won the Public Prize at the Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève in 2016, and the highly successful Antarctique integrated-bracelet sports watch in 2020.

De Roquemaurel is noted for his “horizontal manufacture” business model, which emphasizes collaboration with specialized Swiss suppliers. He has steered the company from a startup to a recognized independent manufacture, opening a new facility in La Chaux-de-Fonds in 2022 to increase production capabilities while maintaining the brand’s niche status.