Gregory Kisling, who served as vice president at Omega, was involved in various products at the company before leading the Swatch x Omega project to success and being promoted to CEO of Breguet. Not only does he have a technical background, but he also has connections with many collectors, making him the perfect fit for Breguet right now.
Photograph by Yu Mitamura
Masamasa Hirota (this magazine): Interview and writing
Text by Masayuki Hirota (Chronos-Japan)
Edited by Yukiya Suzuki (Chronos-Japan)
[Article published in the July 2025 issue of Kronos Japan]
"We need to preserve the genius of Breguet."
CEO of Breguet. Born in Switzerland in 1976. After graduating from the Haute Ecole Arc and the Geneva Business School, he worked at Cartier before joining Omega in 2004. In 2008, he was appointed Head of Product Development, where he was involved in the development of various new products. In 2022, he became Vice President of Product Development, where he led the successful collaboration with Swatch. He has held his current position since October 2012. With a thorough understanding of everything from mechanisms to marketing, he is one of the most outstanding managers in the world.
"For me, as an engineer, Breguet is a reference in the world of watches. I am honored to become CEO and discover great things that I had never known before. One of them is expertise. I have met many different people and discovered the expertise, tradition, and know-how that are necessary for a brand to shine and are the foundation of all modern watches, but few people know about them. This year marks the 250th anniversary of the company's founding, and I would like to spread this knowledge even further."
He emphasizes history and, equally, the present: "Three things are important for Breguet: making good products, communicating them well, and distributing them. We are fortunate to have a large heritage and have been able to acquire several pieces over the past few years. There is always a connection between past and new creations. It is this mixture of tradition and innovation that will allow us to continue in this direction well into the future." His perspective is philosophical.
"Listen, we're still working tomorrow. We need to maintain the Breguet genius that has always been about improving our products and finding new inventions for watches, aesthetically, ergonomically and technically."
Equipped with Breguet's thinnest tourbillon movement, Cal. 581, this automatic watch boasts a case thickness of just 7.45mm, and features the striking, deep blue Grand Feu enamel dial, making it a masterpiece that is quintessentially Breguet. Automatic (Cal. 581). 33 jewels. 28,800 vph. Power reserve of approximately 80 hours. Pt case (diameter 41mm, thickness 7.45mm). Water resistant to 3 bar. Price: 28,754,000 yen (tax included).
So, in what direction does he want to take Breguet in the future?
"I have many ideas, but I don't want to reproduce anything from the past. You can tell a Breguet when you see it. The same goes for the layout of the dial, and even an asymmetry doesn't look out of place. Rather than destroying the past, I want to create modern watches while preserving its good points."
What's interesting is his attitude towards new material.
"Breguet uses titanium for its tourbillons, and new materials are acceptable as long as they are functional. But what about carbon? Breguet watches must be able to be repaired even 100 or 200 years from now, and we see old watches in our restoration workshop. But carbon cannot be repaired after 200 years, so the only option is to replace it. That said, we will of course continue to release new products using new materials."
By the way, Kisling let slip an anecdote that may provide a hint as to the model he has in mind: "I'm from the village of Peuseau, near Neuchâtel."
