royal appointment
The British luxury watch house, Backes & Strauss, is delighted to announce its partnership with His Royal Highness Prince Michael of Kent. Prince Michael has been interested to learn of the rich history of Backes & Strauss and the unique skills required to make their very high-end timepieces. This partnership reflects the HRH’s continued support of the excellence in British craftsmanship.
“I had the pleasure of meeting the Chief Executive of Backes & Strauss, Vartkess Knadjian, at an event in London, where he asked me if I would consider becoming their brand ambassador. After learning more about the history, heritage and the craftsmanship behind the brand and seeing the timepieces in person, I was more than happy to accept. My initial thoughts about Backes & Strauss were reinforced when I visited their workshops in Geneva.”
Prince Michael’ Visit to the Watchland
About HRH Prince Michael of Kent
His Royal Highness Prince Michael of Kent, GCVO, was born on 4th July 1942 at his family home in Iver, Buckinghamshire. He was christened Michael George Charles Franklin, with President Franklin D. Roosevelt as one of his godfathers. His father, Prince George, Duke of Kent, was the fourth son of the King George V and his mother, Princess Marina, was the daughter of Prince Nicholas of Greece and of Grand Duchess Helen Vladimirovna of Russia. Prince Michael is a cousin to both the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh and was a page at their wedding.
Prince Michael entered the Royal Military Academy in January 1961 and currently holds the following military positions: He is Honorary Vice Admiral, Royal Naval Reserve; Honorary Commodore, Maritime Reserves; Honorary Air Marshal, Royal Air Force Benson; Royal Honorary Colonel, Honourable Artillery Company; Senior Colonel, Kings Royal Hussars and Colonel-in-Chief, Essex and Kent Scottish Regiment, Canada.
The Prince is fluent in Russian and French and has a working knowledge of German and Italian. He has led delegations of British businessmen to Russia, China and India. He is a patron of the Russo-British Chamber of Commerce and also serves on the Advisory Boards of a number of International funds and companies. The Prince also supports International charities, institutes, trade associations and health organisations.
ROYAL KENT COLLECTION
As part of Prince Michael’s collaboration with Backes & Strauss; Backes & Strauss are pleased to present the Royal Kent Collection. This series of timepieces is based on the iconic oval-shaped Regent collection, which is also Prince Michael’s favourite amongst our array of designs.
For the men’s collection, we took the most powerful elements from HRH’s Coat of Arms and set them in a dark blue dial. For the ladies’ collection, the mother-of-pearl dial will be set with diamonds and feature Prince Michael’s wife’s Coat of Arms. Both these collections are the result of our continued passion in craftsmanship.
Press Lunch of the Royal Kent Collection with HRH Prince Michael of Kent at the Aman in Tokyo