SHIFTING GEARS

Julien Tornare, who is no stranger to firing up esteemed watchmaking houses with bold new ideas, on managing one of the most progressive brands in the business during his six-month tenure as TAG Heuer's CEO.

- Alvin Wong

Julien Tornare's tenure at TAG Heuer may have been brief, but he follows an illustrious cognoscenti of predecessors. These names include Jack Heuer, greatgrandson of the eponymous founder and creator of iconic watches such as Carrera and Monaco; Jean-Christophe Babin, who is now the CEO of Bvlgari; and Jean-Claude Biver, a living legend who was behind the revitalisation of brands such as Blancpain, Omega, Hublot and, of course, TAG Heuer.

The 50-year-old, who helmed Zenith for seven years before joining TAG Heuer in January 2024, will soon be taking over the helm as Hublot's new CEO. This follows a reshuffle of the top brass at the LVMH conglomerate, which owns the three watch companies, in July. Antoine Pin, who was the general manager of Bvlgari Horlogerie, will be taking over from Tornare.

Even so, Tornare hadn't taken his time at TAG Heuer lightly. He not only sought the blessings of Jack Heuer prior to stepping into the role, he also immersed himself in the company's heritage and DNA in order to get his bearings right.

"You have to understand the fundamentals of the heritage before you are able to think about what you can bring to the brand," he said.

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