Recently, Georges Kern, the CEO of one of the most-revered watch brands in the world, Breitling, was in India. A few of us were privy to an engaging interaction — one that acquainted us with many things about the brand that we did not know, and some that we thought we knew but, frankly, didn’t.
Founded in 1884, the 140-year-old watchmaking company, Breitling, continues to be a youthful brand. Every watch brand has a USP and if I had to pin one to them, I would say it is retro-modern. It has a harken-back aesthetic, which is quite timeless, and yet it consistently manages to match the 21st Century style denominator speed. “Retro doesn’t have to mean vintage or dusty,” clarified Georges during his recent presentation at The Oberoi, New Delhi, where we were invited to see the brand’s latest launches for the year.
But how is it modern, as many smart-watch wearers counter — what’s the point of a chronograph, or a slide rule on a watch? True, I do not turn to my watch for calculating tables, or clocking car speeds. But, just the same, I do not necessarily need anything on my wrist to tell me the time — my phone does a nifty job of that. Most smartwatches out there too, for that matter, would not be worth their Lithium-ion, if they could not connect to a phone first.
So, in that sense, a watch on our wrist can also tell time — but in context of the times today, it is a piece of art worn at the end of our arm. In that sense, a slide rule is a lovely way to make an otherwise plain dial look busy and intricate. A chronograph, similarly, adds texture.
Breitling is unique in that way. From the Navitimer to SuperOcean, it is not known for just one type of watch. “Before 2017, Breitling was focussed on the aviation segment. With the new product segmentation across air, land, sea, and professional we’ve been able to tap into new and existing communities within these categories,” says Georges.
He adds, “Further, we have seen a large increase in our female customer base, thanks to collections such as the Navitimer 32 and 36, the Chronomat 32 and 36, and the Superocean 36 — a reference to the case diameter, brought down from the regular 40+ mm sizes. The smaller case diameters make these models feel more accessible and meaningful to women.”
Not only in styles and shapes, Breitling is also democratic about the movement within. “Our approach to addressing both automatic and quartz movements involves maintaining the brand’s commitment to quality, precision, and purpose. Being a generalist brand, while a majority of our watches are mechanical, we’ve broadened our offering with a wide range of new products, from the sporty Endurance Pro, equipped with a SuperQuartz movement that provides exceptional accuracy, to the Premier Chronograph line powered by the self-winding Breitling Caliber 01, a manufacture movement designed for maximum precision, reliability, and functionality,” says Georges.
Breitling is also an anti-metaverse brand. They like people to walk in to their space and interact with the watches — feel them, touch them, try them on — and that builds a more lasting resonance with the brand. So they keep adding to their existing network of three boutiques (Hyderabad, Chennai and Pune) and 22 retail points across India. They are venturing to cities like Pune, Ahmedabad and Hyderabad, and further expanding to 10 boutiques and 32 retail points soon.
“Price plays a significant role in the luxury watch industry, impacting brand image and consumer perception. Therefore, the price must reflect the products’ quality and complexity. Our watches are Swiss Made, from design to production, staying true to Switzerland’s watchmaking tradition,” he adds.
My parting question, was an obvious one — If you had to sum up the legacy of Breitling in a few words, what would it be?
Says Georges, “We invented the modern chronograph, equipped the first pilot’s watch with a circular slide rule and sent the first Swiss wristwatch into space. We co-developed the first automatic chronograph movement, miniaturised the first international Emergency beacon in a watch, were the first to make our movements 100% COSC certified (Contrôle Officiel Suisse Des Chronomètres, the official Swiss Chronometer Testing Institute, which is responsible for certifying the accuracy and precision of Swiss watches). Today we’re still breaking ground with innovations like the first traceable watch, and an array of manufacture movements designed and assembled at the Breitling Chronometrie. The stories behind these pioneering endeavors will be playing out all through our anniversary year — a milestone we’re celebrating with the fitting slogan, “140 Years of Firsts”.
