The Montblanc CEO reveals how personal milestones and life events are intimately bound with the passage of time for him—measured by the watches that mark those moments
A luxury watch is often more than just a timepiece; it's a symbol of achievement, an artefact of design and engineering, and a personal companion that quietly records the passage of our lives. The first luxury watch is particularly significant, often marking a pivotal moment or accomplishment in one's life. It might celebrate a promotion, a graduation, a significant personal achievement, or even just the culmination of years of saving and dreaming.
Talking about life and the joy that luxury watches bring with them, Nicolas Baretzki, the CEO of Montblanc, took Tatler GMT on a trip down memory lane, as he opened up about the challenges of constantly elevating the brand, creating desirability, and maintaining an obsession with client satisfaction. From personal anecdotes about his first watch to the significance of special pieces in his life, we delve into the intimate connections between timepieces and life’s milestones. We also take a sneak peek into the Baretzki’s personal collection and the watches that hold a special place in his heart.
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As the CEO of Montblanc, what challenges have you faced?
I think the life of a CEO is a life of dealing with challenges. [One consistent challenge] is: how do I make sure that I can continue to elevate Montblanc? How do I make sure that I create desirability? How do I make sure that whatever we do, we keep client obsession? Coming from a retail background, for me the biggest challenge is to create a seamless journey for all our clients. It seems easy but it is probably the most difficult thing to achieve.
Can you tell us a little bit about your first watch?
I’m from a watch and jewellery family. So I got my first watch at a very early stage: I was six or seven years old and it was a Seiko plastic digital watch with a calculator, chronograph, alarm and so on. I thought it was the most amazing watch at that time. Since then, I have had a lot of first watches.
