Jean- Christophe Babin
Background
JEAN-CHRISTOPHE BABIN was born into a family of lawyers. He was exposed to quality timepieces at an early age through his father’s collection of 17th- and 18th-century grandfather clocks. He served as a flag lieutenant in the French navy right after finishing his MBA at HEC Paris. Once he completed his service, he began a career in marketing and sales at Proctor & Gamble, and after a few years moved on to join Boston Consulting Group. In 2000, he become Tag Heuer’s president and CEO, and spent 12 years with the company before taking the helm at Bulgari this year. BUSINESS ACUMEN
BABIN BELIEVES his role as a CEO is mainly to motivate staff. He thinks that putting the right people together creates momentum, and he operates on a strategy that is simple, clear and consistent. AMONG THE NEW timepieces that Bulgari presented this year, Babin is most proud of the Octo Finissimo Tourbillon. He says, “This innovation represents the ultimate expression of the brand’s Octo range, of the ultra-thin tourbillon, and of Bulgari’s in-house expertise, which includes case, dial and calibre production.” The Octo Finissimo currently holds the record for the watch with the world’s thinnest tourbillon movement at 1.95mm.
DESIGN FOCUS