Any special plans for India?
Breitling is quite established worldwide in Europe and Asia, especially in Japan. In India, we still have our homework to do. When Breitling does something, Breitling does it properly so we will do that step by step. Opening a new market requires a lot of things; it means building after-sales service, training the people at every point of sales, making the right communications… For the time being, we have three points of sales in India and we plan to open two additional ones this year in Bangalore and Calcutta.

How do you view India as a destination for luxury goods?
I think India has a very, very high potential for luxury products. I’m really surprised by the knowledge of the people in India about high-end products, especially watches. The information provided to watch lovers is excellent. I think India is a priority for Breitling in the future.

Since India is a priority, does the company have any plans for a brand ambassador for India?
We just started with an ambassador worldwide which is John Travolta. This is a kind of exception because he is famous as an actor and is an addicted pilot. When he wakes up in the morning his only idea is to fly—He wants to fly every day. That’s why Travolta is the exception.

 And what about plans for a special Breitling boutique in India?
As a brand, we don’t want to open boutiques. We know what we do well, which is developing, producing, and marketing nice Breitling watches. Regarding distribution and the retail business, we leave it to the experts. Honestly, we don’t know the Indian market so we will always rely on independent retailers who are closely working with us. If there is going to be a Breitling boutique in India, it will be run by a local retailer. We don’t want to do everything.

Which markets do you have to aggressively sell your brand?
We are well entrenched in the traditional markets in Europe and Asia, especially Japan. But markets like Russia, China, and India are our priorities right now.

Finally, how would you define Breitling?
In three words I would say ‘Instruments for professionals’.

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