Sylvain Dolla, CEO of Tissot, on the success of PRX and the new PRC 100 Solar

That is really vital. The fantastic thing about Tissot lies in its capability to satisfy each client want. We provide traditional watches, sports activities watches, women’ watches, males’s watches, pocket watches and linked watches – protecting an unlimited array of preferences. From a product standpoint, that is implausible. We obtain this due to our substantial manufacturing volumes and the commercial energy of the Swatch Group, which additionally permits us to supply these watches at an unequalled, aggressive value. It’s an unbelievable playground.

Having stated that, from a advertising perspective, this energy generally is a problem as we can’t help each single product line. So, we’ve got determined to stay a generalist model however to focus our advertising efforts on the media and the content material that may contact the younger era – what we name at Tissot “The Younger and Formidable.”

By way of classes, we’ve got the “Sport” and the “Traditional” strains. Inside “Sport”, we’ve got the tactile watches and the standard sport watches, the Supersport, the look ahead to the NBA, the look ahead to biking, and so forth. In “Traditional”, we’ve got the Traditional conventional like the Le Locle line and the Traditional up to date, for instance, the PRX line.

As we speak in regards to the PRX and its large success. What was the technique behind the launch, and what did it change for Tissot?

Nicely, I keep in mind the day we launched the watch. I referred to as a number of of our boutiques, and so they had been all telling me that they’d very younger shoppers coming to purchase the watch. The PRX has been instrumental in rejuvenating the brand. However in fact, it doesn’t contact a younger clientele solely. We contact all people with the PRX – together with an unbelievable variety of high-end watch collectors.

How was the launch determined? Intestine feeling. Once I joined Tissot, we had been in a gathering reviewing a design from the previous. This one was merely “wow.” Fortunately, a product supervisor had already began engaged on its development. I requested for the watch to be launched in six months – we did it in eight, which was already an achievement. Gross sales ended up being 20 occasions the preliminary forecast. That is what I like about watches. We’re not simply in a data-driven business; we create emotional merchandise. 

You at the moment are launching a watch which may be very linked to Tissot, the brand new PRC 100 Photo voltaic. Are you able to inform us about its know-how?

The PRC 100 Photo voltaic is the primary analog quartz watch to be outfitted with the Lightmaster Photo voltaic Know-how. Our first photo voltaic watches date again to 2014. We now have all the time been serious about photo voltaic know-how, specifically for our linked watch, for power harvesting functions. We did a partnership with the CSEM in Neuchatel, developed our personal know-how and invested in manufacturing services right here in La Chaux-de-Fonds. The thought is to be impartial, similar to our mechanical watches. No such know-how existed in Switzerland. Every little thing was Asian-based. 

Not like conventional photo voltaic watches that use seen photovoltaic panels, the brand new PRC 100 Photo voltaic integrates its mild supply beneath the sapphire crystal, with microscopic honeycomb-structured photo voltaic cells permitting for an extremely clear design. Its rechargeable accumulator can guarantee a 14-month autonomy on a single cost. By exposing your PRC 100 to simply 10 minutes of synthetic mild or 1 minute of full daylight, you get 24 hours of battery life. As I stated, the design of the watch is just superb.

How does this resonate with sustainability at Tissot?

Sustainability is a broader dialogue. At Tissot, we’ve got made vital strides, corresponding to drastically decreasing paper by digitalising all our product catalogs – saving tons of paper. We now have additionally put in photo voltaic panels that generate power for your entire constructing (reaching 105,25 MWh, economising about 50 tonnes of CO2). Naturally, our Photo voltaic know-how aligns with this dedication, and it was vital for us to develop it particularly for watches right here within the Canton of Neuchâtel.

You talked about the digitalization of the corporate. Are you able to inform us how Tissot handles its omni-channel technique?

Tissot has a broad wholesale community with 11.000 factors of sale around the globe. We cowl 160 markets with this robust community of companions. On prime of that, company e-commerce generates about 10% of our turnover, and the 240 Tissot boutiques generate one other 10% of our enterprise. The thought is to stay a wholesale-driven model however spend money on boutiques, Tissot invests in strategic places, and additional growing our e-commerce.

Do you’ve any unique information or upcoming developments you may share with us?

Nicely, be ready to see a implausible women’ assortment coming this 12 months. Tissot in China is 50% males and 50% ladies, however not but within the USA and Europe, so we’ll give a powerful push there. Final however not least, be able to see some distinctive supplies for the PRX…

For extra info, please go to www.tissotwatches.com.