Georges Kern
Of course, I wanted to become an astronaut. Classic. All boys at that time wanted to be an astronaut, right? I was a big fan of Star Trek as a child; Captain Kirk and Spock were my heroes. And now I’m selling watches. What a failure.
You have to adjust your life to what you’re capable of and, more importantly, what you’re not capable of. Take an outstanding footballer: no one would think of putting Messi in goal. Know your weaknesses. I would have loved to be a drummer. I would have loved to have a talent for designing; I don’t have either. I can’t be an actor, but I produce movies. A CEO of a company is also a producer, in a way, because he has all the elements in his hand to tell great, emotional stories.
I would compare successful CEOs in the luxury industry with big chefs. When they cook, they put in ingredients, but not one milligram of this or two of that... it’s intuitive. You need beautiful products – I think we at Breitling today have the most beautiful collection in the industry – and phenomenal brand language, great stories and brand associations. And then you have to fit it in with the storytelling and with cool factors. But you can’t explain it, right? You can’t learn it. There are no recipes to apply, because you’re selling emotions.
People believe there’s a correlation between money and style. Unfortunately, not always. You can go to Ikea and decorate your house in a tasteful and cool way. It is astonishing, being in the industry for so many years – rich people sometimes have little style, despite their financial means. I applaud people who are tasteful with little money.
I never had a mentor, but I always had very good bosses. When Franco Cologni [of Richemont] gave me the job at IWC, I was 36, which was extremely young. He certainly took a risk. The worst thing is to work for someone and realise you’re better than them. That is frustrating. But the bosses along my way were phenomenal.
I don’t understand how people can say they’re in love with a job. But you can be passionate, and when you’re passionate, you perform. If you’re not passionate, change jobs.
I don’t believe in [IOC founder Pierre de] Coubertin’s statement that participation is the ultimate thing at the Olympics. No. You go to the Olympics to win. I’m not going to Breitling not to be the leading brand. Even if I play table tennis, I want to win.
You feel much better when you’re fit. I cycle roughly 3,000km a year. In my age group, I’m very good. I do it to keep in shape. Doing sport makes me feel good.
The meaning of life is happiness. That’s it. Many people suffer because they have no choice. Such as the children in Pakistan now it’s flooded; Ukrainian wives and children in Europe whose husbands are fighting for their freedom. I don’t understand people who have destiny in their hands and don’t do everything they can to be happy.