Georges Kern, Breitling’s CEO, discusses the next steps for the brand

Since joining Breitling five years ago, Georges Kern has been on a mission. A mission which has seen him reposition and restructure the company, its product lines and its message, revamping the brand, but also taking cues from its heritage to align on a clear direction and appeal to today’s consumer. So far, the success has been widely recognised, not just in numbers alone but with the feedback from clients, collectors and industry insiders who have been following the journey.

Georges Kern

This year, the 6th edition of the Dubai Watch Week was an important moment for Breitling as the brand revealed its new Breitling Avenger. A watch with close ties to the brand’s aviation codes dating back to the 1930s, when third-generation founder Willy Breitling formed the HUIT Aviation Department, which was dedicated to creating precision aircraft instruments and pilots’ chronographs. Breitling’s aviation expertise has remained part of the brand ever since, resulting in timepieces such as the Navitimer, the AVI Co-Pilot, the Aerospace, the Emergency, and the Avenger.

The redesign of The Avenger is centred on sleek aviation detailing, wear-resistant materials, and the addition of the powerhouse Breitling Manufacture Caliber 01 to its chronograph models. The new range comes in three formats. A 44mm chronograph, a 44mm automatic GMT, and a 42mm automatic. All pieces come with a choice of military leather strap with a folding pin buckle or a three-row stainless steel bracelet with a micro-adjustable folding clasp.

As Kern launched the latest product on the first day of Dubai Watch Week, we met him to learn more about the brand’s success over the last five years and the next steps in the journey.

Welcome to Dubai and Dubai Watch Week. We’ve just seen the new Avenger that Breitling is launching. What does this launch mean for the brand, and why is it important for you to launch it here at Dubai Watch Week?

It’s important because it is a very successful line. It has always been in the top two or three worldwide, particularly in the Middle East. There is a long history of air travel in the region, so there is a connection to this watch. So commercially, on a worldwide level, it’s super important, and regionally, it’s important because it’s a very established line.

Continuing with the theme of Dubai Watch Week. How do you think the event is helping to put Dubai on the map globally?

I think Dubai has been on the map for a long time now. Today, it’s a key region for any luxury company and, particularly, any watch company. For Breitling, it’s in the top three or four regions. It’s substantial. Secondly, the Seddiqi family are doing a great job, and they’re doing it right. It’s not only about selling watches as we sell watches every day, we communicate through digital media, and we launch products. You don’t need to be behind a counter at this event to sell a watch. This is a cultural platform which is accessible to everyone. Visitors can come and discover the brands, see the novelties at the booths, and meet the people behind the brands. This is what it should be, and this is what you need to connect with your customer base.

What about your customer base here in the region? How would you compare it to other regions?

When I took over, I said from the beginning that we wanted to localise our messages. We want to talk to French people in France, English people in England, and Dubai residents in Dubai. This is also why we have opened so many boutiques: we wanted to have that proximity and the capability to showcase who we are in a 360 environment. As I said, the UAE, and the Middle East overall, is a very sophisticated market. People know about products and luxury, so as a brand, you must interact at their level.

How would you assess the industry as a whole today?

First of all, I believe the luxury industry’s growth is indefinite. If you look at the increase in valuation of the big luxury groups since the 1980s to where they are today, it’s incredible. I think we’re just at the beginning. Where are we in India? Where are we in Indonesia? Where are we in China? There is so much to do. Even in The United States, there is still huge room for growth. Of course, you have a trajectory. Within that trajectory, you have dips, but what is important is the long-term perspective of the industry, and I think it’s indefinite.

Breitling Avenger B01 Chronograph 44

Breitling has been the leader in adopting the squad approach in its communication. Inclusion, diversity, relevance. How do you think this approach has served the brand, and what is the next step?

We wanted to have a squad concept because, first of all, I believe in the power of groups more than individuals. Second, graphically, it makes us different. We have three people in our advertising campaigns, so the appearance is very different from what other brands are doing. It also gives us the flexibility to have a single model in some campaigns if the need is there, but fundamentally, we like this squad idea, which, by the way, comes from aviation.

The next step is that we could consider is to include local celebrities and mixing them with international celebrities. This is what we’re doing partially now in China, for instance. The beauty with this campaign is that there is so much you can do.

Since you joined the brand the journey has been amazingly successful. What is a major challenge you overcame?

It was the courage to do what we did. For me and my team to leave safe jobs with good revenue and to invest in a company. You become an entrepreneur and you never know what could happen. It’s great to talk about the success of today, but five, six years ago, there was no guarantee. What I believe is that in a way, when you’re an entrepreneur, you take more risks than when you’re in a group. Of course, we need the talent of our team, the right positioning, the right products, etc., but ultimately, it is about having courage.

The New Breitling Avenger Collection

After all that you’ve done so far with the brand, what is it that you still aim to achieve?

Ultimately, it’s to cement what we have done. We have a strategy that works. Now, we have to do more of the same. We have made great progress, but there are still so many customers who are not aware of what Breitling is doing today and the new look we have. The continued success will come from being more of ourselves, doing more of the same and searching for excellence. Of course, we will not be static; we will always innovate, but we will do so in the same frame.

Today, your approach and everything you’re doing is more about positioning Breitling not just as a watch brand but as a universe and a lifestyle on its own. What can you tell us about that?

We cannot think in silos. It’s not just about watches and watchmaking. The person buying our products has a beautiful car, is going to the cinema, to the theatre, and is interested in art. People are looking for a holistic luxury lifestyle, and it all works together. Therefore, you will see projects in the future that have never been done in the watch industry, but as a brand, we have the freedom to do. I always said we want to be the cool and relaxed alternative to the traditional and conservative Swiss watch industry. I think we’ve achieved that. Next year, in particular, you will see much more of this.

You’ve been focusing more on the ladies segment for the last couple of years. What’s the vision for this, and how’s it doing so far?

Next year, we will do something incredibly cool in the ladies segment. There are eight billion people on this planet, four billion women. Why not talk to these women? There’s a market there, of course. The reality is that all brands, can be more male or female oriented. By definition, we will continue to be a male-oriented brand because of the pilot watches and many other things, yet that doesn’t exclude us from doing something else. In some of the retail stores here in Dubai, 35 per cent of our sales are to women already, especially after our campaign with Charlize Theron, which has been incredibly successful. The product is also beautiful. As with the men’s watches, for women, we want to be the cool and relaxed alternative to the traditional and more conservative types of watches.

What method are you using to reach out to that wider customer base, and how do you tap into different ways of connecting with them?

Having an impact through marketing and communication is not achieved in just one year of effort. What makes it strong is the cumulative investment. The new campaign and the new Breitling have only been in place for two or three years, so we must build on that, and it takes time. Now that the image is clear, the products are established, and the boutiques are renovated, we need to continue to invest in the brand and build on what we have and what works.

On the regional level, what’s the pipeline for the Middle East?

Today, we have 19 boutiques in the region and three or four more openings in the next three to four months. In this region, that footprint is probably our best marketing tool. People love to come to our boutiques, and it’s a fantastic concept.

What is the best advice you have been given throughout your career?

I was very lucky that I had very good bosses; three major figures influenced my life a lot. I always had managers who were smarter than me. I think for a young manager, the most frustrating thing that could happen is that you have a boss who doesn’t know as much as you do, because how can you learn? Thank God I was never in that situation. The only thing I would recommend to young people is that if you have a boss you can’t learn from, change your company!