The Breitling Watch Source Forums

Do y'all think that Breitling needs an in-house movement that is less than around 7 grand...bring something to the SA, Avenger, SO, etc.? I'm not sure if in-house is enough.

Omega has an artificial surge however...the Olympics and the Bond movie gave Omega exposure that the other two couldn't match. However, I have my doubt that an in-house movement is enough if Breitling continues to produce models that abandon traditional designs and many of the people I talk to dislike them.

I too think that while in-house movements across the range would be great, that Breitling really needs to work on their current core line as well as market exposure beyond advertising to aviation events. Sure it has a long and illustrious association with the aviation industry... but some more diving association, more Bentley ads and image association etc would work in their favour.

For me it's the fact that Breitling is not as big as Omega or Rolex that makes it special. I don't want an over-advertised watch that is present everywhere in the media and that everybody owns. You won't find Breitling watches at every jeweller around the corner (unlike Omega). That gives Breitling watches the touch of being something special and not so common.

gbuergisser I agree... but I also don't want them to sell so little that they have to go bankrupt!

to me i cant see how the bentley models sell well or if at all as a whole. imho if i had the scratch to buy a bentley i wouldnt be wearing a watch that "everybody" could afford. i would most likely be wearing something a little more pricey $50k and up? just because i could.... that logic kind of makes sense if you think about it. someone buying a $250k+ car can usually afford something more than a breitling and frankly is looking for the prestige....

I don't think the general watch buying public has any clue about what an "in house movement" is let alone specifically looking for one. Breitling needs more than an engine if they wanna sell the car....

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sco
Breitling Chrono Superocean
Omega Aqua Terra 8500
Rolex Submariner Date Ceramic

these are global numbers too remember, the us is still breitlings top market, and the economy is still a mess, omega has a MUCH larger presence and percentage of sales in asia than breitling, and in 2011 the asian economy was BOOMING. the big jump by omega was expected im sure by most industry experts.

Which is why virtually every other Swiss watch company has been producing models designed to appeal to the Asian market over the last few years. Breitling didn't get unlucky because the US economy is bad, they failed to adapt to where market demand was (is).

Exactly, Omega has a MUCH larger presence. Irrelevant where in the world this is driven from as far as business strategy is concerned.
The key issue is why Omega seized the opportunity and executed it well (according to the figures) and Breitling did not? Saying that Breitling just wants to appeal to a specific market segment is a lame excuse, at least as far as a shareholder is concerned. After all they are here to make money, not to please a niche WIS circle with some individualistic ambitions.

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"It is just a matter of time!"

i think you hit the nail on the head. sometimes people forget its about making money.

I'm guessing that CEOs and other top officers of corporations never forget.

The last few times I walked into a Breitling AD, the salesperson---unsoliticed---began to tell me that one of the "features" of this watch was the in-house B01 movement with a 70 hour power reserve. Most may not know, but nowadays anyone who makes a non-spontaneous watch purchase will eventually learn what it is. The point is, Breitling's future growth will not come from the engine per say but if it wants to compete against the big boys like Rolex and Omega then it will need to offer the exclusivity of an in-house movement PLUS better across-the-board styling and improved brand status/reputation. It's the full trifecta that will win the race.

Being acquired by a large consortium would probably be the death nail to Breitling. The bigger the ship, the harder it is to make a U-turn and adjust to changing market demands. Smaller, independent companies are much more nimble. All creative decisions would be riddled with so much red tape, it would take a lifetime to get simple modifications passed through the decision process.

Sorry, guys, but the watchbusiness is not as simple, as one could assume. There is a big deal in longterm planning and guessing future trends. Furthermore the pressure from the Swatchgroup (reduced supply of ebauches) forces independent companies to invest a lot at the moment. Breitling, who used to buy only Swatchgroup movements has built the production capacities for inhouse movements for the last years, which they could expand to about 100000 pcs per year (if they find the workers to man it). The changes where a major investment, which is of course one of the reasons for the pricing of the B01 watches (the other reason is, that most watches with compareable movements are more expensive). At the moment, You don't have to be afraid, that Breitling is not profitable. The figures are only for automatic movements, not for quartz, and the COSC figures are not exactly the production figures of a year, and those are not exactly the sales figures. Of course, You can read a tendency. All mechanical movements from Breitling are COSC, so, the figure is quite exact. Not all mechanical Omega or Rolex movements are COSC, so the figure can also mean, they are shifting their production (in fact, Omega does, as for example the Seamaster was just changed, which is a very important group!) On the other side, as was mentioned for example by fear, Omega is very strong in China, which does not only mean, they are selling watches there, but also in Europe or the US to chinese tourists and businessmen. In fact, the chinese market is so strong, that the swatchgroup is strongly neglecting the wants and needs of US or European customers, which will have an impact on their marketshares when the chinaboom will end.

Please excuse my bad english, and remember, You are allowed to keep any spelling or grammar mistakes, You can find...

BG
Thomas

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http://www.ellert.at

China is emerging as the biggest pocketbook around...some say this boom will slow but if it does, it won't be for a while. If you want to succeed in a globalized world, you need to design to appeal to Asian markets.

With that said, I think Omega/Rolex aren't quite in the same market as Breitling. Breitling has a following in more 'professional' fields than the other two (hold diving). Many of their products are built around certain functionalities, with the most obvious example being the Emergency...and I hope they continue this trend of working to appeal to that market as it is what attracts me to the brand.