Ever since Kern took over the helm at Breitling, he has been working hard to broaden its audience. “Five, six years ago when I took over, I asked myself, ‘Is there any benefit in being a niche brand?’” He didn't think so.

“In the last few years, we have grown rapidly from 400 employees to 1,800. It‘s a very positive expansion.”

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Driven by Passion

As CEO, Kern always portrays himself as optimistic and confident, and he wholeheartedly believes in everything that the brand does. It was not always easy to convince others though. “I always tell my team, you can't argue with success, so let’s just win the game, let’s just score goals. In the beginning you have a blurry image of what you wanted to do. But the more you do, the clearer the image becomes. It took us a while to get here.”

Kern makes it a point to take a personal interest in every campaign and every Breitling squad member. “You need to be interested in what you’re doing. If not, change jobs,” he says. “A triathlete once shared with me that the CEO of the last brand he was signed to only called him two or three weeks after the race to ask him how it went. He couldn’t believe he didn't know how he performed in the race.”

Kern is unlikely to make the same mistake. Whether it is a pilot, an athlete, or Oscar-winning actress Charlize Theron, the face of the new Navitimer 32 and 36, the Breitling squad members always get his attention. “I’m interested in what Charlize is doing. I’m interested in what [Norwegian footballer] Erling Haaland is doing; I just met his parents.”

Our talk steers towards Sylvain Berneron, Breitling's chief product officer who recently launched his first watch under his name. ”He is one of the best designers in the industry,” Kern asserts. “I worked with him many years back on a very small project when he was a young designer. He is good with details and has good taste.”

Kern believes Berneron has brought a lot of sophistication to Breitling. “Unlike a lot of designers, Sylvain is very knowledgeable about movements. We make a good team. I would have my ideas and he would give his input; there’s always a discussion. He was the one who came up with [reviving] the bullet bracelet for the Chronomat, even though I was sceptical initially. He adds real value in terms of design.”

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