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Watches with the Pioneer Spirit as a message
Basel - By Roberta Naas
With two years in place as the CEO of Zenith, Jean-Frederic Dufour has implemented some high-profile changes to the product, the positioning and the overall marketing strategies of the prestigious brand. Here, he shares his thoughts on those changes and his visions for the near future, as well as some product insights.
AWJ: Now that you have been at the helm for two years here, have you accomplished what you wanted to thus far with the brand?
“I came in June 2009 and the challenge was to completely concentrate on the product at first. I studied our history deeply because that history is so rich and I wanted our product strategy to be consistent with our roots. It is a blending of history and strategy. I eliminated 850 lines. We eliminated the collections that were not a synthesis with our core concept and introduced clean, classic looks. We have 130 new references. I also developed a concise direction of Pioneer Spirit that ties our history to modern day, and we have begun new partnerships with ambassadors that tie in to that recurrent theme. We are strong and bold and have something nobody else has; we just have to bring that to the forefront.”
AWJ: Can you share your ideas behind the ‘Pioneer Spirit’ Concept for the brand?
“When I researched our 146-year-old history, I found that we had many pioneers in our past. This is how we came into being and how we developed such important products like the El Primero. I thought that we should focus on the Pioneer Spirit as the message we give to our consumers about the watch they buy, and we have our modern pioneers now, too, with our ambassadors. The pioneering spirit -- we have this in our roots and as long as I am here, it will be here as our spirit.”
AWJ: Will you be further expanding your ambassadors and partnerships?
“We have moved forward with interesting ambassadors now and will continue with those how also are real-life pioneers, such as [Jean-Louis] Etienne who wore the El Primero Striking 10th on his wrist when he flew over the icy North Pole in a balloon, and with other ventures. Today’s explorers have great stories to tell and we want to be a part of this.”
AWJ: What about the product strategies for the brand? You have shifted away from the outlandish and back to the classics and complications. Will this be the continued direction, and what are your thoughts about new materials?”
“Our product shift has gotten us great attention. The new Captain line watches unveiled this year, especially the classic looks and the moonphase, are being so well received. It was time to focus on the men’s watches and offer classic looks, important useful functions such as the moonphase, the calendar, the dual time zone. We also wanted to offer the cutting-edge sports pieces like the Charles Vermot pilot watch and the new El Primero flyback that was inspired by the first El Primero from 1969. We also have a new Open Heart model so we can appeal to all of our various types of customers. I n terms of materials, we are using Alchron now – an alloy of steel and aluminum that is used in the auto and plane industry. We offer a synthetic fiber strap, too. We could have come out with rubber but then I am just like everyone else. This strap is very elegant and modern. In the complications, we will be taking the Christophe Columbus line to a new level in October when we launch it with an Equation of Time. It is a very important piece, so completely in connection with the idea of precision of this watch mechanism. Complications will always be an inherent part of our collections.”
AWJ: How have you adjusted the pricing of the line?
“For me it was important to address the pricing of our line. We have watches that sell from $4,000 to $250,000 for a top complication, but when you are selling a watch that costs $10,000, it isn’t anything that you buy every month. You have to offer genuine value as a watchmaker for the money consumers are paying. I think our prices now are right for the different collections.”
AWJ: Can you share some insight with us into your plans for the Middle Eastern Market?
“The Middle East market is important for us. We opened a flagship store in Dubai, as you know, about a year and half ago, which is one of our biggest in terms of space, and we have mini boutiques in Doha, but we do not want to outsell our retail partners. Our stores are set up for image; we will continue to be close partners with our retailers.”