So, it’s been like three years now and there is NO Breitling President for the US market. It’s practically a cursed position. The sad reality is that it is a great historic brand and there is no one of substance representing it with the class it deserves. Marie Bodman who was the BREITLING President for the US market for many years, is a hard hitting powerful woman from France, who has been known to lay down the Velvet Hammer with her employees and authorized dealers if things aren’t up to her stringent standards. I appreciate a brand who has integrity and principles,but at the end of the day Breitling is not Rolex. Marie has done an absolutely stellar job with taking this brand to super stardom in the US market which she has single handedly executed within the last twenty years.
Here is the problem, sometimes when your trying to be strict and barking at people for the greater good of controlling the image of your brand and keeping tight distribution, you scare the retailer which translates into scaring the shit out of the perspective client. Marie has been known for closing down retailers that discount too deeply, but the reality is those retailers were compelled to do so because of their ridiculously high inventory levels to get rid of their stock to keep the cash flowing so they can pay their bills. Today, where do we stand with Breitling? Well this ain’t 2005 let me tell you. In 2005, Breitling was giving Rolex a serious run for their money and dictating their terms because they could. You walk into an authorized retailer now to buy a Breitling watch, getting 30% off is completely normal. The reason, ego, greed and insecurity for Breitling which translates into their demise and desperate measures for the retailer, especially in challenging economic times like this.
What angers me even most is that when Phillipe Bonay was the last US Breitling President for like thirty seconds, because of his AMAZING people skills, he alienated all the women working there. So the answer according to a reliable source is to put a female president in charge of Breitling USA? Look, I am all for women having eqaul opportunities and shit, please don’t get me wrong, I mean after all look what Marie Bodman has done for the brand. It’s just that to run a brand like this you must have passion, ambition with serious drive and oh ya! Balls the size of Texas. Marie needs to run it, which is not the answer because she has a much bigger stake in the company now and has more than proved her success. The other option is that she needs to find a man who can run this brand and take control and seriously look through the archives and strengthen the brand image back to where it should be. The whole pilot theme is very masculine and Breitlings definitive icon, so the consumer wants to see that! The other option if that doesn’t work is to hire Simon Cowell to do a show called “American President”: and do casting calls for the next American Breitling President just like American Idol! This would be some funny shit. To have Marie Bodman and Simon Cowell as judges together! , I got a feeling it’s not going to be for the weak and someones gonna get hurt!
So here are my thoughts for Breitling USA President. Marcia Mazzocchi, she is poised elegant sophisticated and well versed, but shit her brother got kicked to the curb by Breitling literally and she was just demoted! Moving on of course there is Jean Claude Biver who’s legendary reconstruction of many brands has lead to major victories as well as making a huge dent in the watch industry of iconic and epic proportions,but it would probably end up in a celebrity death match between him and Marie for ultimate power. Larry Patenelli , who is a Rock Star, humble and great businessman would be another obvious choice, but then again he is running that little brand Patek Phillipe you may have all heard of? Scott Montemuro. He is probably the most qualified, his experience in the watch and jewelery industry starting his career with working in retail at Tourneau, then he was of to Bulgari traveling the world of fashion accessories and incredibly amazing jewelery and timepieces, next he was off to Vacheron Constantin as director, finally, capping of his triumphant run not so long ago as Vice President of Hermes in the fine time piece watch division has given him a serious edge over all of his counterparts making him the true definition of luxury! The fact is that before Scott Montemuro came on board with Hermes, the brand was hardly on the radar and not taken seriously, but he totally helped put them on the map especially in the United States as a tride and true watch for collectors to be taken seriously with the utmost respect that it deserves.
All in all, unless Breilting makes a serious move to take control of this situation and put someone, hopefully with big brass balls with unparalleled experience in the watch industry to take charge there will always be something missing and make you wonder what is the future of Breitling’s success in the United States?
JOHNNY FLYBACK 