Latecomer Breitling’s Bold and Speedy China Expansion

A little over a year later, Breitling’s aggressive Chinese expansion plan, which has featured everything from brand-ambassador deals with Brad Pitt and Daniel Wu to an online strategy geared for future Gen-Z buyers, has finally taken shape. Since November, the 135-year-old independent Swiss luxury watchmaker has unveiled a slew of online and offline initiatives to communicate Breitling’s century-old yet forward-looking brand image to the country’s affluent, young and digital-savvy consumers.

Some highlights include the introduction of a new product line “Premier (璞雅)” — a less-bulky sport watch series that theoretically fits Asians’ wrists better; a glamorous gala night in Beijing to introduce Breitling’s brand ambassador “Cinema Squad” to the market; a widespread ad push on major Chinese media channels such as Toutiao (今日头条), GQ, Hupu (虎扑), Pengpai (澎湃), and Huawei (华为), led by the French digital agency Fabernovel; as well as the launch of online stores on Alibaba’s Luxury Pavilion and Tencent’s WeChat, plus the upcoming official e-commerce site (to go live in the first quarter of 2019).