Benjamin Comar

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Benjamin Comar - Piaget
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Interview with the CEO of Piaget

A specialist in luxury watches and jewelry after building his career in Paris and Tokyo at Cartier, Chanel and Repossi, Benjamin Comar has been in charge of Piaget since June 2021.

You were appointed chief executive of Piaget last summer. How would you sum up 2021?
We reaped the benefits of efforts that were made to adapt in 2020, during the Covid crisis, reconnecting with local customers as well as many new products. There was an awful lot happening in 2021, particularly in watchmaking with two winners at the Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève and the introduction of a 36mm Piaget Polo that perfectly rounds out the collection. It’s very much a new addition in terms of casual-chic in a combination of steel and gold that makes the Piaget Polo the brand’s first global collection, with executions in steel, in gold, with diamonds, with a skeleton movement, and in versions for women and for men.

On that subject, what are the current best-sellers in the women’s and men’s segments?
The best-selling line for men is actually the Piaget Polo. The skeleton version is particularly in demand. For women, it’s the Limelight Gala, which to my mind is the jewellery watch par excellence and the quintessence of feminine watches by Piaget, being both elegant and extravagant.

What have your priorities been?
My first task was to become acquainted with Piaget from the inside, even though I was already familiar with the brand from my time at the group. I was impressed by the teams’ fighting spirit and truly saw the extent of Piaget’s motto to “always do better than necessary”. This is illustrated by the Altiplano Ultimate Concept, winner of the Aiguille d’Or at the 2020 GPHG, but is hardwired into the general attitude here. You have to listen to the teams and take time to analyse the situation before putting forward solutions. You must be a part of it and at the same time show a certain detachment, which is certainly interesting!

Benjamin Comar

What can we look forward to this year?
The accent will be more on jewellery watches, including a new Limelight Gala in aventurine and a pavé Piaget Polo Skeleton that will show off both gem-setting and watchmaking skills. We’ll be launching at Watches and Wonders Geneva then at Shanghai in September. At the same time, we’re optimising our network of 140 boutiques to create a clearer understanding of our offering: watches and fine watches, jewellery and fine jewellery. This can mean extending or, as is the case at Beverly Hills this spring, renovating a boutique, or it can mean opening new locations, such as in the Middle East.

Benjamin Comar

How would you define Piaget today and who is the main customer?
Piaget has changed a lot in recent years, having reached a certain harmony between watches and jewellery, men’s and women’s, while achieving a better balance within each region. The first thing Piaget offers customers is a welcome, and the choice of some rather bold designs, particularly in jewellery watches. Piaget isn’t afraid to propose some pretty amazing watches. The Limelight Gala is an example. I call it “extraleganza”; that combination of elegance and extravagance that sits at the heart of Piaget. The world has changed a lot, too. Children are wearing their parents’ clothes, even the same watches and jewellery. Things aren’t as segmented as they once were, while globalisation is giving us the same best-sellers the world over. There are far fewer differences than when I started out. Now there’s no such thing as a “typical” customer.

Benjamin Comar

 

Launched in 1998, the Altiplano is a multi-award-winning collection. What would it take to make it an icon?
I think the customer decides what becomes an icon. I would never be so presumptuous as to say, “I’m going to make this watch an icon.” A lot of thought has gone into the Altiplano. It stands apart from other watches and this, together with its mechanical content and thinness, are what make it unique, and have earned it such critical and commercial acclaim. We need to carry on in this direction. People have a soft spot for the Altiplano and I’m convinced its success will grow as the public gains a better understanding of watches. The more people know about watchmaking, the more they appreciate the Altiplano. It will become one of the must-have watches in any self-respecting collection.

What bridges do you intend to make between your fine jewellery and your fine watchmaking?
Virtually all our activity is housed under the single roof of our Manufacture in Plan-les-Ouates, which is pretty unique. Synergies and connections between the various specialisations will follow naturally from this, while modularity will enable us to learn from each other. The same is true in the boutiques; more and more so, in fact. Customers embark on a journey through the many different products which creates opportunities for them to come back again and again, either alone or accompanied. This diversity creates a dreamlike world for Piaget’s customers.

Benjamin Comar

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