Have you noticed? A lot has changed at Chrono24! A new logo, a more modern design, and a clearer brand identity: Under the new slogan “Time Is Our Thing,” we have realigned and rebranded the Chrono24 website. Realignment – or rebranding – is very normal in retail. Even luxury watch brands realign their positioning and product design in order to adapt to the constant changes in consumer behavior and the market. In this article, we’re presenting three watch brands that have successfully adapted to market changes over the years. The fourth manufacturer on this list, however, splits opinions when it comes to current models.
Tudor: Back on the Road to Success Since 2012
The Geneva-based luxury watch manufacturer Tudor has been around since 1926. Founded by Rolex father Hans Wilsdorf, the brand was positioned as a more affordable alternative to the luxury timepieces of the parent company. The main difference between the two brands lay primarily in the movements used, which have always been manufactured in-house at Rolex, but were supplied to Tudor by the movement manufacturer ETA for a long time. The cases and bracelets, however, were identical. While Tudor’s brand image changed as early as 1969 with a new logo, the first fundamental rebranding was not tackled until many years later: In the early 2000s, Tudor experimented with independent designs, the results of which can be found in models such as the Grantour or the Hydronaut. These watches were high quality and once again fitted with ETA technology. While they weren’t necessarily unsuccessful, they didn’t achieve a major breakthrough. This finally materialized in 2012, when Tudor returned to its roots and presented the first Heritage Black Bay ref. 7922OR, an attractive reinterpretation of a diver’s watch that the manufacturer had first presented in 1954. A unique feature of the 41-mm watch is its burgundy-colored bezel, a real eye-catcher then as now. In addition, the Tudor shield previously used in the logo made way for the original Tudor rose in this model. Inside: an ETA movement. The first Black Bay was far enough removed from a Rolex Submariner to be perceived as a luxury watch in its own right. Tudor has since added countless models to the Black Bay collection, which are available in many sizes and color combinations. With the introduction of its own in-house movement and the expansion of the entire product range with models such as the Pelagos and Ranger, Tudor has finally broken away from the powerful parent company Rolex and is now seen far less as an alternative to it. Thanks to an extremely successful rebranding, Tudor can now practically meet the crown on equal footing with a large number of its own models.
Omega: A Big Breakthrough With James Bond
Speedmaster, Seamaster, Railmaster: Biel-based luxury watch manufacturer Omega has been known as a manufacturer of outstanding tool watches ever since the presentation of these three legendary models in 1957. Not only the three models mentioned, but also the brand as a whole has changed considerably over the past decades. The rebranding was rather soft and shows an evolution from a manufacturer of pragmatic timepieces to a producer of expensive luxury watches. Omega came under severe pressure as a result of the quartz crisis in the late 1970s. In order to avoid bankruptcy, the brand was transferred to the Swatch Group, to which Omega still belongs today. The first major repositioning was carried out in the mid-1990s by then-CEO of the Swatch Group, Nicholas Hayek. His aim was to position Omega within the Group in the higher luxury segment, which he ultimately succeeded in doing. Hayek’s big marketing coup was the product placement of an Omega Seamaster 300M (ref. 2531.80) on Pierce Brosnan’s wrist in the James Bond film Goldeneye . Omega replaced Rolex as Agent 007’s watch supplier and has been inextricably linked to the character ever since. James Bond was a central tool in the rebranding of Omega away from the upstanding citizen image to a brand for adventurers. However, the realignment did not only take place on the big screen. The focus was and is also on a technological realignment. Since 1999, Omega has relied on the patented Co-Axial escapement and METAS certification of its in-house movements, such as the 8500 and 8800. An example of the continuous repositioning is the development of the Omega Planet Ocean 600M, which is based on the Seamaster 300 (CK2913) from 1957. In 2005, Omega presented the first reinterpretation of the watch with the reference 2201.50.00. In this version with an aluminum bezel, the ETA-based caliber 2500 sets the pace. The modern Seamaster Planet Ocean 600M (ref. 215.30.44.21.01.001) features the Co-Axial caliber 8900 and a ceramic bezel.
TAG Heuer: On a Winding Race Track
The history of TAG Heuer’s redesigns is a turbulent one. However, it only really took off in the early 1960s. Back then, Jack Heuer took over the family-run company from his grandfather. Up to this point, the Saint-Imier-based manufacturer primarily produced stopwatches and on-board clocks that were used in the cockpits of airplanes and racing cars. In 1962, with the advent of Formula 1, Jack Heuer introduced the Autavia wristwatch on the wrists of numerous prominent racing drivers, which quickly created a hype around this model. With the Carrera (1963) and the Monaco (1968), two further racing chronographs followed that are still well-known today and are practically synonymous with Heuer’s new direction in the 1960s. The success of these chronographs lasted for around 20 years, until Heuer also fell victim to the quartz crisis. In 1985, the Techniques d’Avant Garde (TAG) group took over the ailing company. With the takeover, the brand name changed to TAG Heuer and the product range also changed practically overnight. With the Formula 1 collection, the brand presented a sports watch series that had nothing in common technically – and even less visually – with any other Heuer model. The Carrera and Monaco collections also underwent design changes, while the Autavia disappeared completely from the range for many years. In 1999, the luxury goods group LVMH took over TAG Heuer and gave the company a somewhat more luxurious image. Under CEO Jean-Claude Biver, for example, the world’s first smartwatch from a luxury watch manufacturer was created with the TAG Heuer Connected. In addition, in-house calibers such as the Heuer 02 chronograph movement and the TH81-00 split seconds caliber found their way into TAG Heuer watches. These innovations enable the brand to once again present exclusive timepieces of the highest quality. Examples include the Carrera Chronograph Tourbillon Extreme Sport (ref. CBU5050.FT6273) and the strictly limited versions of the Monaco Split-Seconds Chronograph.
Breitling: The watch brand for everyone?
A particularly vivid example of the realignment of a luxury watch brand – and quite similar to that of TAG Heuer – is Breitling. In its more than 140-year history, the company has essentially undergone three major restructurings or redesigns, which have had an impact on the brand essence and style of the entire collection. Between 1932 and 1979, Breitling was under the leadership of Willy Breitling. During this time, the entrepreneur established the brand as the leading manufacturer of pilot’s watches. In the 1940s and 50s, for example, Breitling presented the legendary Navitimer and Chronomat chronographs, pioneering wristwatches of their time. Like Omega and Heuer, Breitling was one of the many victims of the quartz crisis in the late 1970s and was literally on the brink of extinction. Willy Breitling stepped down in 1979 and handed the reins to the pilot and entrepreneur Ernest Schneider. Under his leadership, Breitling presented quartz watches with a completely new look for the first time, one example being the Aerospace model, which was launched in 1985. Breitling underwent further changes from 1994, when Ernest Schneider’s son Théodore took over the baton. The Breitling Emergency, for example, came out under his view. When mechanical wristwatches suddenly became popular again at the end of the 1990s, Breitling reacted once more and presented strikingly ostentatious wristwatches as a priority. Trends change over time and tastes shift. Breitling recognized this and handed over the helm to Georges Kern in 2017. His motto: to move away from the dusty image and become a modern brand for all fans of high-quality watches with completely revised collections. This change may have been deemed successful by some, but for many Breitling fans, things went too far in terms of color choice and designs. The Navitimer and Superocean collections, in particular, featured models that were very far removed from the original designs. Watch enthusiasts, therefore, talk about the pre- and post-Georges Kern era. If you ever come across the term “pre-Kern” in a Breitling listing, it means the watch was launched before 2017.
