With 139 years of experience as a Swiss watch brand, Breitling impresses the world with its timeless design, crafted from premium materials and appealing to watch enthusiasts.

Joining Breitling in 2015, with a solid foundation and experience, Mr. Alvin Soon is currently the President of Breitling in Asia. During his 8 years in the Asian market, with dedicated leadership in the industry, Alvin Soon continues to bring special stories in brand development as well as attracting and expanding the market.

On the occasion of Breitling opening its first boutique in Ho Chi Minh City, Travellive interviewed Mr. Alvin Soon - President of Breitling in Asia.

Breitling is still a new brand to Vietnamese people. Can you introduce some details about Breitling watches, their history and the special qualities that Breitling possesses?

Breitling is a 139-year-old independent Swiss watch brand with a long history of watchmaking heritage, pioneering the wrist chronograph since 1884. Our brand DNA is all about holistic luxury, casual, conscious and with a sense of fun. This is evident from the modern-vintage industrial style of our boutiques, which combine versatility and sportiness yet still remain relaxed so that all our customers can immerse themselves deeply in the Breitling universe.

A watch typically has two values: a piece of jewelry and a functional timepiece. Famous for its tool watches, what makes Breitling different from other brands?

Breitling has been focused on timekeeping since 1884. It is the only Swiss luxury watch brand in the world that insists that all Breitling watches be COSC certified (Contrôle Officiel Suisse des Chronomètres - Official Swiss Testing of Watches). To ensure quality, precision is never compromised, which increases the cost of making a watch.

Additionally, Breitling is one of the few watch brands to introduce regular capsule collections, so customers are constantly exposed to new and exciting timepieces throughout the calendar year, rather than the traditional once-a-year launch concept in the watch industry. This strategic move will bring more excitement and choice to customers, giving them more reasons to visit stores to see new collections.

In the past, Breitling was considered a brand mainly for men because of its sturdy design. But recently, some opinions say that, in order to conquer more customers, Breitling has changed the traditional values ​​of the brand?

All brands undergo periodic brand evolutions to bring something new to their customers, and Breitling is no different. Over the past few years, we have streamlined and modernized all of our product lines to ensure our watches are more versatile.

We are gradually opening up to a larger market, because the modern era of the consumer is very different. The line between ruggedness and style has started to blend, the same goes for luxury and casual fashion where we see collaborations today between brands like Dior x Nike, LV x Supreme... All luxury brands need to rejuvenate to ensure they are relevant to their target audience and yet stay true to their brand DNA, at the same time, history and heritage are still very important.

Breitling's transformation is rooted in its aviation and watchmaking history. Embracing the new era with modernized products and stores that extend our world from air to land and sea.

Breitling has introduced several women's collections in recent years. How is the brand doing in gaining market share among women?

We have definitely been gaining market share for women in recent years, actively launching collections for women, namely the Navitimer 32/36, the Chronomat for women, the Superocean in smaller sizes and some unisex models where the customer base has historically been 95% male.

There will certainly be more women’s collections added to the line in the future. We can clearly see that the trend of today’s modern ladies is also looking for a stylish and useful luxury watch to enrich their wardrobe.

What does Breitling expect from the Vietnamese market when it opens two stores in Hanoi and Saigon? How has the boutique business in Hanoi developed over the past year?

We strongly believe in the future potential of Vietnam as one of the key strategic markets across Southeast Asia. Therefore, we have decided to invest heavily in not just one but two Breitling boutiques in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City.

The new stores allow us to introduce the world of Breitling to our customers and, more importantly, strengthen our brand presence in Vietnam, which is truly committed to developing this important market over the long term.

As for Hanoi, the first store in Vietnam has been very well received by customers, where business is growing steadily. We are working very closely with the retail team in Hanoi to organize more exciting events in the store over the next 3 to 6 months. We hope to see the Breitling community in Vietnam grow at an even faster pace and have exciting times ahead.

In your opinion, which Breitling watch is a must have and why?

In my personal opinion, there are 2 Breitling watches that you should have in your collection: the first one is the Navitimer which was created in 1952 and is the most iconic pilot's chronograph to this day, due to its highly functional slide rule, distinctive design.

The second watch is the Chronomat, a versatile sporty dress watch with a bold dial that suits every occasion, from work to play and from night to day.

Thank you very much!