Russell Sheldrake
It has recently been reported that Gregory Kissling will become the new CEO of Breguet as of October 1st. Having been the VP of Product at Omega, where he has been for the past 20 years, this is a big step for Kissling. He replaces Lionel a Marca, a veteran of the Swatch Group, having worked for the company for over 30 years, and been at Breguet since 2019 and CEO since 2021. Marca now moves to become the Vice President of Blancpain, Head of Operations, and Head of Manufacturing Swatch Group Prestige Brands.The Breguet Classique 5157 is the watch many instantly associate with the brand.In his role at Omega, Kissling has overseen some real highlights, with the No Time To Die Seamaster, the reintroduction of the calibre 321, and the ever-popular Snoopy Speedmasters standing out as just a few. From these, and so many of Omega’s releases of late, it’s clear that Kissling has been paying attention to what the collector community wants. The brand’s ability to stay in the top three brands in terms of market share, having slipped down to the number three spot in the last couple of years, shows that Kissling’s product has been resonating with collectors on a global scale.The all-gold Speedmaster Chronoscope for the 2024 Olympics.So now the question remains whether Kissling will be able to bring this winning formula over to Breguet. It could be argued that there was a bit of a legacy of success at Omega, and Kissling was merely building on it, and now he enters a brand that has the most storied history in the Swatch group, which could give him a lot to play with. The inventor of the tourbillon has a lot of scope in its current catalogue, with classical, sports, and tradition all covered, not to mention a healthy dose of high horology. It will be fun to see what someone with Kissling’s pedigree and background can bring to this brand.
05.09.24