Interview with Lionel a Marca, CEO, Breguet

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Interview with Lionel a Marca, CEO, Breguet - Breguet
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At the exhibition for the 220th anniversary of the tourbillon, at the Breguet boutique in Geneva, WorldTempus sat down with Lionel a Marca for his first interview with the Swiss media

You joined Breguet in 2019 and were appointed CEO last August. Can you tell us what your priorities have been?
After more than twenty years with Swatch Group, the Hayek family asked me to take a closer look at Breguet. My main focus was to identify any areas that potentially weren’t running as smoothly as they could, particularly in production. Other than a few slight adjustments to improve certain workflows, everything proved to be in order. I then worked hand-in-hand with Marc A. Hayek to understand his objectives in terms of product and to define the product launch schedule. After my appointment as CEO, and I’d again like to thank the Hayek family for putting their trust in me, my priorities were product, distribution and marketing. We decided we would reinforce these departments by recruiting qualified, motivated staff in line with our objectives. I’m in my element in operational management. I enjoy spending time in the workshops, for example, getting to grips with the situation on the ground and finding solutions with those most concerned. We recently spent time at MBB, which makes our watch cases, identifying the means they require to keep pace with current demands. Of course, bringing in new machines isn’t enough. It’s vital that marketing and sales do justice to the quality of our watches and are able to talk about them in the appropriate manner. My role is to take Breguet into a new era.

Interview de Lionel a Marca, CEO de Breguet

Did Covid-19 put a damper on last year’s celebrations of the 220th anniversary of the invention of the tourbillon?
The 220th anniversary is a significant milestone, although less so than the 225th or 250th. Obviously the health crisis meant we were unable to celebrate as we had planned. However, important events did take place locally and credit goes to the countries for adapting to the situation so successfully. In terms of product, our commemorative Tourbillon Anniversaire is a great success. Virtually every one of the 35 pieces in this anniversary edition has sold.

Interview with Lionel a Marca, CEO, Breguet

How is the brand doing?
Breguet is doing well. We have ambitious goals for 2022 and have been working hard for the past year to achieve them. In 2021 we surpassed our 2019 level, which gave us immense satisfaction. The Reine de Naples collection continues to perform well, as does the Classique collection. Our two Type XX limited series are in particularly high demand. The Tradition Quantième Rétrograde is another standout. You don’t “shake up” a brand like Breguet. Its founder was an extraordinary inventor who contributed enormously to watchmaking. It’s important that we take time to reflect, in order to honour his legacy and create watches in keeping with this heritage. The question is, what would Abraham-Louis Breguet do if he were alive? How would this avant-garde thinker use today’s technologies? This is something I learned from Marc A. Hayek: you mustn’t rush things but take time to understand the watches so they can fully mature. This slow pace is both a strength and a necessity when crafting timepieces to a high level of excellence. We have a wonderful programme of launches lined up for 2022.

Interview de Lionel a Marca, CEO de Breguet

We’ve haven’t seen Breguet at a watch fair in four years. Is this a problem?
No. It’s my opinion that fairs have had their day. I’ve taken part in 25 fairs and I would say the end was inevitable. Now it’s down to us to be there, at the right moment, to accompany launches and at the same time make sure products are available. Certain events are better suited to this or that country or period. Products should be targeted to local demand and at the right times of year. Hopefully we’ll have this in place for 2022, mainly through new partnerships which we are currently finalising.

Would you say watchmaking has reached a crossroads?
Yes, I believe watchmaking is at a juncture, as it was five years ago. Then it’s a question of knowing how to negotiate it. Breguet is looking forward to a very positive 2022. We’re renowned for the quality of our watches and are working hard to make them even more desirable. How journalists and customers perceive our products remains very important to us and we are always thinking about the best way to communicate. The end customer has to be our priority. This will extend to the pre-owned market too, a vast subject to which we’ll soon be turning our attention, as it can influence customer behaviour. We need to consider the whole. At Breguet, we’re committed to respecting our customers, our suppliers and of course our products.

Interview de Lionel a Marca, CEO de Breguet

Which of your six collections would you say has the biggest potential?
Each of our six collections has its own identity and a clearly defined message, and is therefore an asset in its own right. We need to take a 360° view, work on some more than others within a given timeframe to get the best for each product. We’ll be looking at movement technology and how we can increase added value for the end customer. This could be about power reserve or optimal toothing for each wheel. There are many areas to explore. We also need to rethink useful complications to give customers the information they require in the most legible way. We must capture the philosophy of Breguet’s founder who wasn’t just a remarkable watchmaker; he was also one of the first watch designers. He never positioned the Breguet signature in the same place on the dial but always according to the layout of the various indications. Aesthetics is an important concern, even if Breguet’s foremost consideration is to make reliable watches of irreproachable quality. 

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