The Monocle Minute

After asking the EU to foot the bill for a series of fictitious jobs, Marine Le Pen was rightly convicted of embezzlement. She faces imprisonment, a hefty fine and a five-year ban from running for public office. Naturally, the National Rally leader and her allies both at home and abroad are up in arms. Before the ruling, she was a front-runner to become France’s next president in 2027. Some have accused the judge of overstepping her bounds: Le Pen’s right-hand man and likely successor, Jordan Bardella, has denounced the sentence as the “execution of French democracy”, while the Kremlin has described it as “a violation of democratic norms”.

Regardless, yesterday’s verdict was a victory for France. Targeting corrupt politicians has long been considered an important step towards ending impunity in public life and even Le Pen, fond of denouncing a lax justice system, was all for it. Despite the potential political consequences, the judge’s decision will be remembered as a moment when French democratic institutions stood firm.

France is a divided country and the reaction to Le Pen’s conviction is far from clear-cut. Many of her political opponents, who have seen how Donald Trump turned legal troubles to his electoral advantage in the US, are nervous that the decision could add fuel to the fire of the French far-right; some have accordingly raised concerns about banning her from running for office before she has had a chance to appeal. Le Pen, meanwhile, could lash out at François Bayrou’s already-fragile government in the hope that voters will see the ensuing mayhem as proof that politics is broken and only she and her party can fix it.

The question now is: if the appeal fails, who will pick up the mantle? Though Le Pen has an heir apparent in Bardella, a candidate with significant clout among younger voters, his inexperience has some in the National Rally worried. Le Pen’s grip on the party was such that even discussing a plan B was taboo. Like her or not, she has singlehandedly dragged her party from the fringes into the French political mainstream. Without her as its candidate for president, the National Rally looks like a party adrift.

Bouvier is Monocle’s Paris bureau chief. For more opinion, analysis and insight, subscribe to Monocle today.

I have always had a fondness for Geneva, a city with a quiet, refined air (writes Sophie Grove). When I’m in the Swiss city I usually have a dip in the lake at the Bains de Pâquis in front of the Jet d’eau, dine at Chez Bacchus, then go home to bed. This week, however, the city shifts up a gear as it hosts Watches and Wonders, the premier event on the horological calendar. Running from 1 to 7 April, the first few days of the trade show are reserved for industry professionals and journalists who roll into town for what is their sector’s equivalent to fashion week, with the latest launches and collections debuted at the Palexpo Exhibition Centre. The city comes to life with soirées, unveilings and parties heralding the latest complications and designs that watchmakers have been carefully keeping under wraps. Brands that don’t have a presence in the fair host events and dinners in and around the city. The grand hotels along the lake are full of collectors, founders and writers speculating on which company will steal the show.

Watches and Wonders has gained traction in recent years as a showcase that nudges the dial on horological engineering. Many pieces have been years in the making, with research-and-development departments in the Jura Mountains working on new alloys or ceramic hues. The trade show is a barometer of where mechanical watch design is heading in the longer term – and a deep dive into the timeless poetic appeal of the tourbillon and perpetual calendar too. A delegation of Monocle and Konfekt editors has made the journey to Geneva by plane and train, so expect dispatches on the latest innovations and industry insights throughout the week.

The Chiefs, Monocle’s annual leadership conference, hosted by our editorial director and chairman, Tyler Brûlé, lands in Jakarta later this month. Ahead of the event we’ll be introducing a few of the speakers who will be sharing their insights and business acumen with our audience.

First up is Gen Fukushima, the CEO of Sanu – the operator of Sanu 2nd Home, a subscription service offering cabins that allow people to live sustainably among nature. After roles with McKinsey & Company and the Rugby World Cup in Japan, Fukushima was in search of a new challenge. So he founded Sanu in late 2019 with fellow entrepreneur and outdoor enthusiast Takahiro Homma. The company provides exclusive access to a network of villas within a few hours’ drive from Japan’s key urban centres.

Since launching at the height of the coronavirus pandemic, Sanu’s second-home service – the largest in Japan – has attracted ¥12bn (€77m) in funding, demonstrating the value of catering to the needs of nature-seeking urbanites. Plans are under way for 200 rooms across 30 sites by the end of 2025, with a view to international expansion in the future.

Sanu, however, has remained committed to being a role model for regenerative business, planting trees on its sites and sourcing timber locally. “To have a positive effect, principles need to be built into the roots of the business,” says Fukushima. “Integrity is essential to what we do.”

You can buy your ticket to The Chiefs here or reach out to our head of events, Hannah Grundy, at hg@monocle.com for more information.

In recent years jewellery-first brands have increasingly been commanding attention at Switzerland’s Watches and Wonders trade fair by blurring the line between traditional watchmaking and jewellery. Among them is Cartier, which has reintroduced art deco and jewellery-inspired timepieces to its line-up, which includes classic models such as the Tank and Baignoire. Marie-Laure Cérède, the house’s creative director of watchmaking, tells Monocle how she approaches her work.

Dialogue between the jewellery and watchmaking sectors is growing. Is this part of Cartier’s strategy?
We have started to focus on this with the Clash and Baignoire models, drawing inspiration from our bangles and Toi et Moi rings. Watches are usually flat but I want to add a more sculptural dimension to them. In the past, creating a montre bijou [jewellery watch] was enough [to sell the product] but that’s no longer true. Function has become paramount.

What was the idea behind the Reflection de Cartier watch?
It’s a bangle but you can still read the time clearly. The watch face is hidden inside the cuff opening and mirrored on the polished surface of the opposing cuff. It’s a more poetic way of telling time, an invitation to use your imagination. I wanted to create the ultimate design object that fuses two different types of expertise.

How do you ensure that the house’s heritage watches retain their relevance?
We’re always trying to refine iconic shapes such as the Tortue or the Santos, making them slimmer and more ergonomic. It’s what makes Cartier watches contemporary. When you wear them, they feel very light and comfortable.

Apple TV+’s Severance is a dystopian workplace drama that has become one of the most talked-about television series in recent years. Following the dramatic end to season two, we sit down with its creator, writer and executive producer, Dan Erickson.