Breguet welcomes Lionel a Marca, a veteran from the Swatch Group, as its new CEO. The House of Breguet announced in a press statement that a Marca will succeed Marc A. Hayek, the scion of the Group while still remaining as the brand’s president.

The succession comes after Hayek took over the position in 2020 when the then CEO, Thierry Esslinger left the company. A Marca started his career with the Group over 30 years ago and has held numerous positions within the company, including working for its ETA Manufacture Horlogère and as a consultant for the different brands under the Group. He has been working with Breguet since 2019.

• READ MORE: 220th Anniversary of Abraham Louis Breguet’s Invention of the Tourbillon

A Marca joined the Swatch Group as an apprentice in 1992 at movement-maker Frédéric Piguet then he moved to ETA to work and develop watchmaking complications. Subsequently, a Marca was appointed to the executive boards of Blancpain in 2004 and Harry Winston in 2014. Five years later, he joined the Extended Executive Board of the Swatch Group.

“If today Lionel a Marca is one of the rare watchmakers at the helm of a renowned watch brand, then he will undoubtedly be able to steer Breguet toward the brightest of futures on the eve of its 250th anniversary,” said the high-end watchmaker, which was founded in 1775.

• READ MORE: Blancpain Supports World Oceans Day 2021

The Swatch Group is home to a number of brands such as Blancpain, Jaquet Droz, Harry Winston, Omega, Longines and other more accessible labels like Swatch and Hamilton. In the Half-Year financial report released by the Group, the watchmaker recorded an approximately 54 per cent increase in its net sales when compared to 2020. Furthermore, the Group is expecting further growth in the second half of the year, with sales above its 2019 levels. 

For more reads on watches, click here.