Known for its capable, functional, robustly built, and accurate luxury timepieces, Breitling watches have been the choice of astronauts, athletes, and adventurers, from CIA operatives to private security forces and militaries. Kern says Breitling pursued the multi-million dollar NFL agreement to reinforce its Anglo-Saxon style as a Swiss watch brand.Â
The NFL is the number one sports league in a country that is the number one destination for Swiss watches. In the luxury watch market, the U.S. has been an outlier, pacing gains in Swiss watch imports while much of the world, particularly China, is pulling back. Of course, the recent imposition of 39% tariffs on Swiss goods imported into the U.S. has presented a significant challenge for all Swiss brands, including Breitling. Kern has stated that the company shipped several months’ worth of stock to U.S. retailers ahead of the latest shock tariff rates and remains confident that a more equitable trade deal between the two countries can be reached soon. “I can not imagine it will stay at that level,” he says.
