Bennahmias served as AP’s Chief Executive from 2012 until 2024 and transformed the family-owned watch brand and its flagship Royal Oak model into a high-profile, luxury entity with tie-ups and endorsements from contemporary figures in music, entertainment, and sports, including Travis Scott, Kevin Hart, and Lebron James. He also re-organized AP’s retail distribution, moving the majority of its sales to its own boutiques, which included the ‘AP House’ concept as a showcase and community space for the brand and its clients. During his time in the executive seat, AP sales more than quadrupled to about CHF2.3 billion in 2023 from about CHF670 million in 2012, according to analyst estimates.
The Honourable Merchants Group will invest in and develop products and brands across a slew of categories, including jewelry, fashion, professional management, services, art, and lifestyle. It unveiled two of the projects this week. Avalon is a services company that will provide bespoke services to manage, secure, store, deliver, and leverage clients’ collections of art, jewelry, watches, wine, and other goods. One of the services it will provide is allowing clients to borrow money against the value of their collection, which will be secured by their assets physically held by Avalon.
Bennahmias also introduced a new electric-bike brand and company called Viiala that promises to bring new tech, design, and concepts to cycling and transportation. The brand is headed and named for the former CEO of Swiss e-bike company Stromer, Tomi Viiala. The new e-bike brand plans to bring its first products to market in 2028 and intends to utilize technology, including artificial intelligence, to enhance user experience and improve safety.
Andy Hoffman
2025-09-18 13:00:00