GOOD AS GOLD

Breguet CEO Gregory Kissling reveals the rationale behind Breguet Gold, the commemorative products and their well-planned launches

- WORDS RUCKDEE CHOTJINDA AND ASHOK SOMAN

Watch brands are nothing if not exercises in continuous evolution. Brands we know well today have, all too often, taken unexpected turns as they navigate the irresistible currents of space and time. Some survive, albeit in new forms, while others are swept away. The same is often true of the leaders of such brands, especially the professional executives who are appointed to correct course, or stay the course, or simply deliver what the shareholders want. Take the example of Breguet, which is owned and operated today by the Swatch Group, and celebrates the 250th anniversary of its formation by the legendary watchmaker Abraham-Louis Breguet.

The founder, farsighted though he was, probably never envisioned the prodigious longevity of his marque, nor its status as part of a Swiss watchmaking industrial group. Even in our relatively short time covering Breguet, we have seen the coming and going of a few bosses - not As many as some – and all under different circumstances. It might feel impossible to imagine anyone but Abraham-Louis at the helm of Breguet and none other than the late Nicolas G. Hayek (1928-2010) often agreed; Hayek was not only the boss of the Group but also the driving force behind Breguet. He once waxed lyrical about channelling the spirit of Abraham-Louis into his vision for the brand, effectively asking, ‘What would Breguet do, if he were making watches now?’ Every CEO since Hayek passed has followed this example.