A Fratello Interview With Lionel a Marca, CEO Of Breguet

A few months ago, I sat down with Lionel a Marca, CEO of Breguet. A Marca has been with Swatch Group for 30 years and has been with Breguet since 2019. He’s not just a CEO, though. He’s also a trained watchmaker and has worked on various well-known projects, such as the Omega De Ville with a central tourbillon. After having worked for Blancpain for many years, he joined Breguet and was appointed CEO in 2021 by brand president Marc A. Hayek.

Breguet Manufacture in Le Chenit, Switzerland

An interview with Breguet CEO Lionel a Marca

Just after the launch of Breguet’s Type 20 and Type XX watches in Paris, I had the opportunity to meet with Lionel a Marca. We talked about Breguet, the Type XX collection, and the brand’s clientele.

Robert-Jan Broer: How’s Breguet doing today?

Lionel a Marca: Good, and now even better with the new Type XX watches.

RJB: Can you tell me something about the Breguet buyer?

LaM: Yes, but it is difficult to speak about one Breguet buyer as we do have six collections, and each of them is aimed at different kinds of clients. Their profiles vary a lot if they are in Japan, Korea, or in Europe, for instance. In Japan, our customers are very technically savvy but are also very keen on what Breguet represents as a major player in watchmaking and European history. But in other markets, such as Korea, our customers are much more drawn to the unique aesthetics of our collection, for instance, the unique shape of the Queen of Naples or the avant-garde view on the mechanics of the Tradition collection. In Europe, our customers pay tribute to Abraham-Louis Breguet as the father of modern horology and to the many inventions that he and his followers brought to watchmaking.

My colleague Daan’s Breguet Classique 5907

Breguet’s pre-owned market

RJB: I can see an increase in interest in Breguet watches on the pre-owned market. This is reflected in the number of readers when we publish about them, but I also notice that vintage watch dealers are showing more and more interest in them.

LaM: I am not directly involved in pre-owned watches, but when a brand is successful, the pre-owned and vintage market will automatically work very well as a result.

The new Type 20 Chronographe 2057 and my Tradition 7027

Breguet’s customers

RJB: So, how does Breguet reach out to collectors? After all, there’s quite strong competition out there in the segment you operate in.

LaM: I want Breguet to become much closer to the end customer, whether it is a watch collector who is already part of the Breguet community or not. This is why, for instance, we are currently updating our Breguet boutiques, making them much more open, cozy, and welcoming. We want everyone to feel comfortable entering our boutiques and spending some time to discover our world.

It is indeed very difficult to attract collectors of vintage watches and make them interested in the new collections. That’s why we also need to educate a younger generation of buyers who may not only be watch collectors but also people who have some taste for beauty and mechanics. Various events, presentations, and our work in the Breguet boutiques help to achieve this, but we can do more. This is why we have also entered a partnership with the Frieze art fairs, for example.

RJB: But do you think that watch collectors and enthusiasts are visiting these Frieze art fairs?

LaM: We decided to join these fairs first and foremost because Abraham-Louis Breguet was, in his time, not only a watchmaker but also a designer and very avant-garde, just like the young generation of artists presenting their masterpieces at Frieze. As a watchmaker myself, I want to present our arts and craftsmanship to these art collectors. We have a watchmaker presenting our calibers and/or a guillocheur to emphasize the strong importance of aesthetics in our watches.

Breguet Type XX Chronographe 2067

Breguet Type XX collection

RJB: Let’s talk about the Breguet Type XX collection that you introduced earlier. How was the reception?

LaM: Very good. We had both military and civilian watches available from the start at many of our retail outlets around the world. Both the clients and retailers responded very positively.

Breguet Type XX Chronographe 2057

RJB: Why did you decide to revamp the Type 20 watches? I ask this because the Type 20 is not exclusive to Breguet. Other brands made the Type 20 and today we see several brands who are making a Type 20 watch.

LaM: Breguet had already started the process by introducing the Type 20 military and Type XX civilian watches for Only Watch in 2019 and 2021. Those generated a lot of interest in this collection, so the new watches are a continuation of that.

Breguet Type XX 2499 (ca. 1960) — Image: Romain Rea

RJB: So, looking at the Only Watch version and the vintage Type XX you’ve brought with you to Paris for the introduction of the new models, I do see some differences. The new ones have an automatic movement, the case is larger, and they now have a date window.

LaM: Yes. The idea was to draw inspiration from what existed in our back catalog, not to create an exact copy of the original Type 20 and XX watches. We can do a reproduction, no problem. Breguet has everything required for that. The cases, the movements, everything. But we decided not to. Instead, we wanted to take inspiration from the past and create something new. The new automatic movement is part of that concept.

RJB: Okay, so this is just a new variation. Will there be others to come, perhaps in precious metals or without a date? Is there an entire Type XX collection coming up?

LaM: Yes, there will be a new collection with different diameters and different materials. There will be one release per year, and this is just the start. It would not have been fair to the Type 20/XX if we’d done an exact copy without using the silicon hairspring, the 5Hz movement, and the latest in-house technology we have.

Breguet Type XX Chronographe 2067

RJB: Wouldn’t it be more “Breguet” to come with a precious-metal version of this watch since there are already more affordable Type XX watches on the market? I do understand that those don’t have the same level of finishing. But with a gold or platinum version of the Type XX, you’d bring more exclusivity, perhaps.

LaM: I wanted to be in line with the same specifications as used for the French Air Force, so we couldn’t start with a new Breguet Type XX in precious metal. But, you know, I think that’s the same kind of discussion as the one about the date indicator. If we started a new Type XX in gold, don’t you think everyone would tell us it’s not inspired by the original because it’s not in steel? Between now and 2027, you can expect to see different variations of the watches in the Type XX collection. We want to offer Breguet customers exactly what they would like to have, not just one version. Breguet now has a base model, and we can go from there. We also wanted to start at a reasonable price level, expanding from there with the development of models in different materials.

RJB: Thank you for your time and your answers.

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For more information about the Breguet and the Type XX collection, visit the brand’s official website.

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