How Omega’s enigmatic CEO, Raynald Aeschlimann is futureproofing the watchmaking legend

“Omega is not an arrogant brand, so if the CEO starts to be arrogant, you better change him!” laughs Raynald Aeschlimann, president and chief executive at Omega. Aeschlimann is a bit of a superstar in the watch world: handsome, straight-talking, impeccably dressed and known for his sharp wit, he has brought his own brand of dynamism to the table. Having spent 15 years as vice-president and international sales director of the Swiss watchmaker, he understands the Omega customer better than anyone.

Precision, quality and heritage could easily be a strapline for Omega, which is synonymous with heroic endeavours – Neil Armstrong, James Bond and the Olympics are just some of the names in the company’s genealogy that continue to make customers dream and buy into the brand.

What Aeschlimann is touching on is the attainability of the Omega name within the prestige watch market. “We’re the achiever’s watch; the watch that people look at with a smile,” he explains. “If you look at some of our competitors... well, let’s just say that some people show you their watch and excuse themselves for having it!”

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

Aeschlimann took on the top job in June 2016, following the 16-year reign of Stephen Urquhart. Big shoes to fill, some might say, but Aeschlimann’s strategy is a straight-forward and determined one: to increase production; to focus on the emotive aspects of the Omega name; to communicate its legacy to a younger audience; and to guarantee precision and quality thanks to pioneering performance tests. The latter are undertaken thanks to Metas, the Swiss Federal Institute of Metrology, an independent body that supervises the application of measuring instruments in the fields of commerce, traffic, public safety, health and environment.

Aeschlimann’s office is located in Omega’s new state-of-the-art production factory in Bienne, which opened its doors in November 2017. The 16,000m2 site has at its core an automated storage system that rises three floors and counts 30,000 boxes served by robotic arms. An increase in production, therefore, is very real. What’s more, Omega is currently the only watch brand to utilise the Metas system, a cachet that arguably adds to its reputation as a leader in Swiss watchmaking standards.

But of course, the aspirations and strategies of a CEO are not what sell watches – not directly so, anyway. Aeschlimann’s take on this is to always run with what the customers want to see more of. “It is important to look at every single element of what makes Omega better and different. One of the most important things was to invest a lot in the Speedmaster, because it is an incredible watch. But, more importantly, it speaks about the very DNA of Omega.” The iconic timepiece was famously the first watch on the Moon, and under Aeschlimann the company has capitalised on this history in surprising ways.

In January last year, Omega’s limited edition ‘Speedy Tuesday’ watch sold out within hours after it was offered exclusively on Instagram. The special-edition Speedmaster was created as a response to the hashtag #speedytuesday, which fans have been using on the social media platform, accompanied by images of their own Speedmaster timepieces, since 2012.

Last year was also the 60th anniversary of the Omega Seamaster 300, Railmaster and the Speedmaster, which the house feted with a trio of limited tribute pieces. Next year, the manufacture will celebrate 125 years of the Omega brand name, as well as the 50th anniversary of the Moon landing, which will be marked with a special collection. “Not all are limited editions either,” Aeschlimann offers as a scoop.

That’s not to say this year is merely an ‘in-betweener’ in terms of releases. “Trésor [the ladies’ collection launched in December last year and modelled by Cindy Crawford and her daughter Kaia in a glossy campaign] will be a main focus for the rest of the world, having launched strongly in States and Japan,” says Aeschlimann. “We also have the new Seamaster Diver 300M collection,” he adds, referring to the iconic ‘Bond watch’ first seen on 007’s wrist in GoldenEye. Daniel Craig famously wore his on a sporty Nato strap in Spectre.

To mark the 25th anniversary of the original watch, the latest models have been given a brand new Metas-approved Master Chronometer Caliber 8800, as well as a larger 42mm case. The signature bezel is now offered in ceramic, with the diving scale in Ceragold or white enamel. “For you British, [the Seamaster 300M] is a big thing, and there are some good surprises for you guys,” he says. “The watch has a tremendous history in design and materials; we are working very hard on that – there’s a blue dial with a blue bezel, of course, like the master chronometer his Royal Highness [Prince William] wears every day. But that is just a part of what is to come!”