“Romanticism is the key word of Ernest Borel”
Chief Executive Officer, Renaud de Retz, references the dancing couple in the brand’s logo to emphasise the emotion and passion behind each timepiece from the classical watchmaker
Founded in Neuchatel, Switzerland in 1856 by Jules Borel, Ernest Borel has traditionally concentrated on the sales of its watches in Southeast Asia. According to the current CEO, the brand “is 100 per cent Swiss, and it is considered one of the biggest in mainland China and Hong Kong, and some other parts of Southeast Asia.” He clarifies that the brand also has a few points of sale in Europe. Ernest Borel, with its headquarters now located in in Le Noirmont since 2009, recently set its sights on the Middle East, with points of sale opening in Oman, Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Kuwait since April 2014.
Renaud de Retz claims that the reason it took so long for Ernest Borel to expand outside of Europe and Southeast Asia, is because of the product demand in and around China; he reasoned: “At the beginning of the 20th century Ernest Borel began trading in China, then around 40 years ago, we began to specifically pay close attention to this market. Our history with China has contributed greatly to our success in the market. We have about 900 points of sale in mainland China, and 120 points of sale in Hong Kong, so there is a lot of brand recognition as a result of this.”
“The identity of Ernest Borel is that of a classical brand, that has always wanted to make affordable watches, and I would say that the key word of Ernest Borel is romanticism, as you can see with the logo – there is a dancing couple, and that is why, 90 per cent of our creations are matching sets for men and women,” says Renaud de Retz of the brand. “There are a lot of brands in our affordable luxury price range, however, many of the brands have clearly defined categories, in that some of them are very sporty brands, some are trendy and some are classical. In the classical category, there aren’t that many competing brands,” he adds.
Producing both traditionally styled automatic and quartz-movement wrist watches, Ernest Borel has become synonymous with affordable elegance, with the core collection ranging from CHF 700 up to CHF 2,000. The company is seeking to top its existing production level of 180,000 watches, in order to continue its expansion outside of Europe and Asia. Its competitive edge in the industry is enhanced by its completely Swiss identity and its independence; according to its CEO: “more and more retailers are seeking out independent and Swiss made watchmakers, and Ernest Borel has really established itself as a leader in this field.”
