House of Brands’ Georges Kern On Universal Genève’s Relaunch

“We are not going to be a dusty vintage brand with reeditions, the point is to make a contemporary, modern brand.”

So said Georges Kern, chief executive officer of watchmaking group House of Brands, at a Paris showcase for the first Universal Genève designs in this new era.

Put aside for a moment the hankering for new generations of Gérald Genta-designed Polerouters or the Compax chronograph. They’re part and parcel of the relaunch, of course, but they’re taking the back seat to a slogan that doubles up as a roadmap for what’s to come.

Universal Genève is a “couturier de la montre,” or couturier of watches in English, a tag line that appeared in its 1950s advertising.

These days, it’s the matrix Kern, who is also CEO of the brand, used to structure product, storytelling and even retail to address a consumer who “has everything” and is “tired of seeing the same watches” in the segment where Universal Genève sits with its timepieces starting at around 15,000 Swiss francs.

Cue four collections landing at the same time. In addition to the Polerouter and Compax family, the brand is trotting out the Art Deco-coded Cabriolet and a new line called the Disco Mini.

Dotted in are collaborations with the estate of Tamara de Lempicka, for handpainted renditions of some of her striking paintings on the backs of watch cases, or with French couture ribbon-maker Julien Faure. The Couture gem-set creations wouldn’t look out of place in a high jeweler’s July lineup.

Universal Genève, which he hopes watchmaking history will one day remember as “the most successful relaunch of the century,” reads as the nascent second pillar of the newly minted House of Brands, formalized in April and led by Kern.

Breitling, where Jean-Marc Pontroué became CEO in May, remains the industrial backbone. Gallet, relaunching on Sept. 3, will occupy a more accessible segment in the four-figure range.

Here, Kern tells WWD why being a watch couturier is the way, how it fits into the wider House of Brands and why jewelry could be the new group’s next frontier.

WWD: Why did you build Universal Genève around the language of couture?

Georges Kern: After 30 years in watchmaking, I think 90 percent of brands have lost any coherent brand language. You no longer know what they stand for. Then I came across the [1950s Universal Genève] slogan, “le couturier des montres,” I was blown away.

We built the entire brand around that idea: couture for one-off pieces, capsule collections, men’s and women’s ready-to-wear, all with clearly defined price levels. Without that framework, launching so many products would have made no sense.

The boutiques will be designed like couture ateliers, with separate women’s and men’s floors, just as you would find in a fashion house — and this whole story will help us.

Earlier, [a guest] said the reception given to Universal Genève is so positive because people are tired of what currently exists and that we already see 20 times. Everyone wears the same thing in that price segment. We’re offering something genuinely new.

WWD: Is that the way forward given today’s watchmaking landscape?

G.K.: I’m not saying everything [about the industry] is bad. We have made deliberate choices, first with a clear structure that allows us to be 50 percent for men, 50 percent for women. Secondly, we wanted to be innovative in a framework. We are a tasteful and aesthetic brand and we didn’t want to say “form follows function” but “function follows beauty” — that’s how we distinguish ourselves from other brands and create real added value for clients.

WWD: How do Universal Genève, Gallet and Breitling fit together within the House of Brands?

G.K.: Gallet has its own history and identity; it’s not a Breitling clone. It’s very much an outdoor brand, so in spirit it’s closer to Breitling than Universal [Genève]. Universal [Genève] is more refined and more elegant. It will also operate completely independently: different teams in Geneva, different management, different distribution and different production.

Gallet will effectively become Breitling’s sister brand, sharing the same retail network and Breitling boutiques, but in the 2,500-to-5,000 Swiss francs price bracket. I don’t believe you can stretch one brand indefinitely both upmarket and downmarket, which is why we’ve built this architecture.

WWD: What opportunity does Universal Genève represent?

G.K.: Luxury doesn’t respond to demand, it creates it. In consumer goods, gaining half a percentage point of market share is a major achievement. In luxury, one successful collection can change everything.

Nobody needs a Universal Genève [watch], but plenty of people want one. That’s what makes this business so fascinating: you’re working with human desire. We’ve already sold almost three quarters of this year’s production — around 2,000 watches — through [trunk show-style] events alone.

WWD: What production levels are you ultimately targeting?

G.K.: In the medium term, it’s difficult to say because manufacturing capacity is the limiting factor. But in principle I see no reason why we couldn’t reach the scale of some of the established houses, producing 40,000 to 70,000 watches a year and generating between 1 billion and 2 billion Swiss francs in annual sales. But it won’t happen overnight. In three decades in this industry, I’ve never seen a collection receive such consistently positive feedback across every region — the Middle East, Asia, Europe and the U.S.

WWD: Has the industry become too concentrated around a handful of dominant players?

G.K.: Unfortunately, yes. Taste has become globalized. Everyone watches the same series, listens to the same music and wears the same brands. We’ve lost an enormous amount of diversity over the past 20 or 30 years. The market is polarizing: on one side, perhaps 10 genuinely powerful brands with the resources to compete, often backed by large groups; on the other, niche makers producing 500 or 1,000 watches a year. The middle ground is disappearing. Without storytelling, a clear brand identity and a distinctive aesthetic, you simply won’t survive.

WWD: So the winners are either powerful brands or diversified portfolios?

G.K.: Yes — and I think it’s part of a much broader societal trend. Everything is becoming simplified and standardized. You can even see it with ChatGPT: Language itself is turning mechanical, it’s dramatic. Local cultures, traditional skills and craftsmanship are disappearing. I find that deeply regrettable.

WWD: Can collaborations and the revival of traditional crafts help preserve those skills?

G.K.: Absolutely. We’ve brought back historic dials, worked with specialist dial makers and collaborated with Julien Faure to weave straps on antique looms that had previously only produced labels. Those stories matter because customers connect with them. One craftsman specializing in Polish mesh bracelets has even been able to hire apprentices thanks to the work we’ve given him. Production has gone from 10 bracelets a year to 30 — a 300 percent increase. These are skills, machines and techniques that could have otherwise easily disappeared.

WWD: What is your retail strategy for Universal Genève?

G.K.: We’ll open our first boutique in Geneva in September or October, spread across several floors. Then come London, New York on Greene Street and Milan. Paris hasn’t come together yet, but it’s still very much part of the plan. Beyond that, we’ll expand into other major cities. My priority is the U.S., Europe and the Middle East before Asia, although we’re already planning roadshows in Thailand and elsewhere. Unlike Breitling, Universal doesn’t require a dense retail network. In this segment, a single point of sale can be enough to serve an entire market such as Argentina or Vietnam.

WWD: How do you build distribution while production remains relatively limited?

G.K.: We’ll move from 2,000 watches this year to around 6,000 next year, a threefold increase. That’s meaningful, but it’s still a relatively small number. At the end of the day, you don’t need to blanket the world with advertising.

Our clients already know the leading houses. They read the specialist press, follow blogs and understand the market. Roadshows with retailers are enough to put the watches in front of them. In this segment, beauty and rarity matter above all.

WWD: What can you tell us about Gallet ahead of its relaunch?

G.K.: Gallet returns on Sept. 3. It’s completely different from Universal, with a different positioning and a different price point, but it’s a beautiful proposition. One of my biggest clients summed it up perfectly: “Gallet is smart and Universal is brilliant.” Once you’ve seen Gallet, you’ll understand exactly what he meant.

WWD: Earlier, a guest asked if jewelry could be part of the future for House of Brands. Is it?

G.K.: Absolutely. Once you’re working on couture and high jewelry pieces, you naturally start thinking about earrings, bracelets and brooches. The potential really struck me in Dubai, where one client wanted a ruby piece along with the matching earrings. Now it’s about finding the right brand and the right concept, but it feels like a very natural direction.

WWD: What sort of brand would you consider suitable?

G.K.: Right now, I don’t see anything on the market that appeals to us. Either brands lack a real identity, or they have one that’s so strong it wouldn’t fit alongside Universal Genève. It would need to be colorful, expressive and complementary, but that kind of brand hardly exists today. I have a fairly clear vision of what I’d like to create. Stay tuned.