Do you live by the clock?
Yes, and no. Time is an issue for everyone, especially those in business. But I don’t let the clock keep other things I consider important.
What is this Swiss fixation with watches?
Legends go back centuries. One story holds that the severe winters confined farmers to their homes, compelling them to fiddle with bits and springs which led to Swiss timepieces.
What tells Breitling apart from other Ivy League watches?
Our reliable technical features (especially the mechanical chronograph) and our association with the aeronautical world are our markers.
How long is this association?
It runs parallel with the history of aviation. From 1915 to the present.
So Breitling is in India.
We have authorised retailers in Mumbai, Delhi, Calcutta, Chennai andBangalore.
John Travolta is your ambassador; will there be a local poster boy as well?
We haven’t gone in that direction yet. But I believe several Bollywood actors wearBreitling.
Which are your best selling lines?
We have two collections: Breitling and Breitling for Bentley. Of Breitling’s range the Navitimer and Chronomat are popular, and in the Bentley line figure Bentley Motor, B-675 and the Flying B Chronograph.
Profile the Breitling buyer.
Ninety per cent are men above 25 years. They’re independent, keen on precision and detail. Much like the watch itself.
How do you counter fakes?
We work closely with the Federation of the Swiss Watch Industry. But we’d rather focus on R&D, design and distribution and develop quality products than play police.
Are you acquainted with our local reading of time—Indian Standard of Time?
(Laughs) Yes. I’ve also become acquainted with the factors that run it, like the traffic!