BREAKING NEWS: Jean-Christophe Babin leaves TAG Heuer for Bvlgari

[Ernie Romers]

Read all about his leave in this article on WorldTempus!

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Picture courtesy of Calibre11.com

[Wisconsin Proud]

Not sure I have an opinion either way. He's been the spotlight guy for TH for quite some time. Wonder if he'll keep the red glasses?

[Eeeb]

LVMH is shuffling execs. Watch out Swatch Group - the high end of LVMH is about to show some real energy!

[drunken monkey]

Interesting.

It was Babin that took TAGHeuer back along the historic Carrera/Monaco road and for that I am sure many fans are grateful. It was also Babin that created the R&D/Haute Horology division after that chance encounter with Guy Sermon that lead to his invitation to join in the V4 development team so it is obvious that Babin has been a keen driving force behind what TAGHeuer is today.

It's a shame that someone with an obvious eye for where TAGHeuer should be is leaving, especially with what Guy Sermon's team (Babin's strongest legacy) has achieved in the short 5-6 six years since it was started. The article says Babin will be leaving TAGHeuer by June-ish. I hope that they get their dual COSC and Besancon certification set up/recognised before he leaves, to complete what the dual architecture watches started.

In the mean-time, while it is said that he will be leaving TAGHeuer, the immediate question is will he still be chairing LVMH Swiss Manufactures SA?
There's a little part of me that thinks it wouldn't be entirely out of the question that his appointment to Bvlgari CEO could be so that he could reorganising Bvlgari in preparation for a possible future integration into LVMH Swiss Manufactures SA.

[enricodepaoli]

For real ??? He seemed so excited about TAG HEUER... BVLGARI is so different. Of course I know it is a job, but some things are just hard to imagine.

[Wisconsin Proud]

For real ??? He seemed so excited about TAG HEUER... BVLGARI is so different. Of course I know it is a job, but some things are just hard to imagine.

$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

[enricodepaoli]

$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

Good answer !

[Eeeb]

Some articles in the trades:

LVMH reshuffle continues | IR News | Inside Retail

UPDATE 1-LVMH appoints TAG Heuer CEO Babin to head Bulgari | Reuters

LVMH Appoints Jean-Christophe Babin Bulgari CEO | Fox Business

It looks to me like JCB gets to move to Rome I suspect LVMH sees this as the critical link to making Bulgari a productive asset. If he does half as well as he did with TAGHeuer, they are probably right. I can only hope his TAG successor is as good as he has been. We'll see if the successor signs up as a WUS member like JCB did...

[drunken monkey]

Y'know, it could be because I'm a guy and don't tend to follow it (jewellery) but I have no mental image of what Bvlgari is.

I know they are a company that produces items of jewellery and watches but it doesn't stand out as a jewellery name to me like Cartier does and it isn't instantly a watch name either.

It sounds like a long journey if the aim is to create more kudos for their watches, especially if the competition is Cartier, Channel and Piaget.

[Wisconsin Proud]

Y'know, it could be because I'm a guy and don't tend to follow it (jewellery) but I have no mental image of what Bvlgari is.

I know they are a company that produces items of jewellery and watches but it doesn't stand out as a jewellery name to me like Cartier does and it isn't instantly a watch name either.

It sounds like a long journey if the aim is to create more kudos for their watches, especially if the competition is Cartier, Channel and Piaget.

According to their website, Bvgari consists of 41 companies. You may have heard of some of the brands they own. Appears more than half of their sales are in Asia. Not very big in the US