Interview with Jean-Christophe Babin CEO of Bvlgari

SO: Welcome to Horobox Mr.Babin.. I would like to thank you for being with us..

JCB: Thank you..

SO: Well, you are the CEO of a major luxury watch manufacturer.. In the meantime, you are also a watch enthusiast as well. Does being the CEO of a luxury watch manufacturing company effect your watch choices for deciding on which watch to wear today to work or which watch to buy next to add your collection..?

JCB: Not really. I am a watch collector.. I’ve been collecting watches for more than 20 years therefore my collection cannot be limited to Bulgari watches only.. I was born with that passion for watches and that was long before I became the CEO of Bulgari so it doesn’t affect my choices except some specific occasions like appearing in public wearing another brand as it’d be un-fair to the company.

SO: We have seen a couple of world record breaking timepieces from Bulgari in such a short time.. Especially focused on the thickness part.. What should be expecting next..?

JCB: You know we are very familiar with ladies products.. We are experienced with that through our jewellery section which provides perfect products triggering ladies dreams. We tried to do the same with man.. We aimed to design timepieces which will make a man feel the similar emotions with a lady looking at a beautiful piece of jewellery. We believe ‘’ elegance ‘’ is one of the ultimate luxuries for men.. And elegance often means sleek and slender.. Surprisingly there not many watch brands focus on ‘’thinner’’ timepieces.. There are some brands that specialize in that but generally they are quite less in number.. Bulgari is very powerful in designing men’s watches thanks to its Italian roots and design pedigree.. When it comes to thinner watches it’s always a challenging phase because thinner you go, less character you get.. In Octo, there are 110 facets.. I think this means a lot for a watch because it brings you the elegance without compromising the character.

SO: Bulgari is a very strong brand for designing and manufacturing ladies watches. For about a couple of years, I see many brands investing on new ladies watches collections. How will Bulgari be affected with that new hype..? Is is going to be better for the brand as it’s long time expertise products are getting even more popular..? Or is it going to be a slight loss of market share to other companies investing on ladies timepieces..?

JCB: Though the movements and complications are being appreciated by the ladies lately, they are not the major criteria regarding women’s collections. Jewellery relation, luxury and design are the ones which take the most credit. We have the advantage of being a jewellery designer and manufacturer company in terms of style and fitting. We are also experts in perfect craftsmanship as well which enables us to design and produce watch cases and bracelets in a way that no other watch manufacturer can perform without being involved in jewellery like us. So, the market is getting more feminine..? Well, that’s good news for Bulgari because women are more familiar with the name Bulgari then men.

SO: As a watch enthusiast and the CEO of Bulgari, you have to follow up the up-to-date information about the watch industry. What are your favorite sources in this regard..?

JCB: Due to my work routine and frequent time zone changes, I am mostly connected. My favorite method of being informed is digital as I have no limitations in terms of location and content.