Breitling’s Play for Younger Watch Buyers Fronted by Charlize Theron and Adam Driver
The venerable Swiss maker of aviator watches wants to woo a whole new generation.
New Breitling brand ambassadors Theron, Pitt, and Driver.
Georges Kern looked poised for the top job at luxury conglomerate Cie. Financiere Richemont SA, where a 17-year run took him from youngest chief executive officer of one of Richemont’s major brands to the head of all watchmaking, including oversight of storied names such as Cartier, Piaget, and Vacheron Constantin. Then four months after his promotion in early 2017, he quit.
Kern took the top job at Breitling SA, a switch that sent shock waves through the tightknit Swiss watch community. In family hands for more than a century, Breitling had recently been sold to CVC Capital Partners for more than €800 million ($909 million). It was the first time a private equity firm had taken over a major watchmaker. The industry is dominated by publicly traded multibrand luxury groups and a small crop of private companies, including Patek Philippe SA and Rolex SA.