Why Even Heritage Brands Must Reinvent Themselves
Executive Summary
Many companies assume that a strong heritage guarantees future success. Breitling's recent transformation suggests the opposite. According to CFO Lars Kaestle, long-term relevance requires continuously reinterpreting a brand without abandoning its identity. By combining traditional Swiss craftsmanship with a modern understanding of luxury, Breitling has repositioned itself for a new generation of customers while preserving the values that made the brand iconic.
Key Takeaways
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Heritage should provide direction, not limit innovation.
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Successful transformation modernises a brand without losing its identity.
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Customer experience has become as important as product excellence.
The Insight
For many established companies, history can become both an asset and a constraint.
Strong brands benefit from recognition, trust and loyal customers. At the same time, they risk becoming associated with a world that no longer exists. The challenge is not preserving the past, but making it relevant again.
Breitling's transformation illustrates this balancing act. Rather than abandoning its heritage in aviation and precision watchmaking, the company broadened its identity. It repositioned itself around what it calls "neo-luxury"—a more casual, inclusive and sustainability-focused interpretation of premium products. The watches remain unmistakably Breitling, but the brand now speaks to a much wider audience than before.
This evolution extends beyond marketing. Digital customer experiences, blockchain-enabled product passports, sustainability initiatives, and a stronger direct-to-consumer strategy all reinforce the same objective: building deeper and longer-lasting customer relationships. Innovation, in this context, is not replacing heritage—it is making heritage meaningful for the next generation of consumers.
For leaders across industries, the message is clear. The strongest brands are rarely those that remain unchanged. They are the ones that understand which parts of their identity are timeless—and which must evolve as customer expectations change.
Continue the Conversation
This article explores one of the key themes discussed with Lars Kaestle, CFO of Breitling. The full conversation also examines luxury branding, digital transformation, sustainability, omnichannel strategy, finance leadership, and how Breitling has accelerated growth while reinventing its market position.