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Winnie Chung

The latest instalment in our On Work / On Play series with luxury CEOs. This month: Catherine Rénier, CEO of Jaeger-LeCoultre
JOB EXPERIENCE
2018-present: CEO of Jaeger-LeCoultre
2013-2018: President, Asia-Pacific, Van Cleef & Arpels
2011-2013: Managing director, Hong Kong and Macau, Van Cleef & Arpels
2008-2011: Commercial director, Asia-Pacific, Van Cleef & Arpels 2003-2008: Deputy international marketing director, Van Cleef & Arpels
1999-2003: Retail development director, North America, Cartier
ON PLAY
Q. If you could only keep one of your watches, which would it be?
A. I would have to say the Reverso because I will have to keep the icon of the maison. For me, it is a fantastic symbol of elegance and complexity in the making.
I love our high-watchmaking like the Gyrotourbillon, and we have some beautiful things to come, which have inspired me very much

Q. What are your best and worst memories from your first job?
A. My best memory was I think, getting the job. I was so happy to work in New York at that time for a prestigious maison in the field. I was passionate about luxury. I just couldn’t believe it. I was so proud of achieving that job and getting to the US. My worst memory was that I had to work – the reality of which I had to enter orders for watches, a lot of watches, on very complex [IBM] AS400 systems. My job was on green screens entering orders, and there was nothing luxurious or glamorous about it. And it was tough sometimes, as I was far away and New York is a tough city for a young new worker or employee.
Q. What would you be doing, if you were not in this industry?
A. If I were not in the luxury industry, I would have been a teacher. I would have loved to explain and share with my students. I’d probably be a history or geography teacher, but not storytelling or making up things. I would know the details, such as ‘how we got here’.
Q. If your house was on fire, what would be the three things that you would take with you?
A. My three kids. Ha ha, my husband can take care of himself.
SIHH 2019: Jaeger-LeCoultre’s ‘midnight blue’ Master Ultra Thin Moon Enamel shines
Q. Now that you are in the watch industry, would you prefer to go forward or back in time?
A. Forward in time, like five years, and see where we are. To make sure everything I have been dreaming of has come true and we are exactly where we wanted to be. I am not a patient person. I always want to know the sex of my kids, I want to know things. So I would want to go forward. I don’t want to look back too much, although I respect the heritage and things in the past and their beauty.
ON WORK Q. When Jaeger-LeCoultre asked you to take on this role, what was their mission for you? And what is your mission as you see it?
A. My mission is to make this maison shine today, and become solid for the future. My role and that of the team is to protect the maison for the future, and build equity and a solid foundation for it in the decades to come, even when I am not here to work with Jaeger-LeCoultre.
Q. You dealt a lot more with jewellery than watches in your previous job at Van Cleef & Arpels. How has the transition been into the watch world?
A. The products and the offerings of the two maisons are different, but the value and philosophy are similar. We talk about heritage, we talk about protecting craftsmanship, we talk about elegance, we talk about high technology, high-watchingmaking, high-jewellery-making and expertise. It was an easy transition for me to Jaeger-LeCoultre in that sense.
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Q. What are the strategies moving forward?
A. In terms of products and high-watchmaking, I want our maison to continue to shine in the field. We have always been at the forefront of innovation in watchmaking. For us, high-watchmaking is our heart. And we want to offer experiences to our clients through our mission. Our dream is for all the clients to be able to visit the manufacture and understand what Jaeger-LeCoultre is about.
I was so happy to work in New York at that time for a prestigious maison in the field. I was passionate about luxury. I just couldn’t believe it

Q. You have been in Asia for 14 years and are now looking at the global market. What has your discovery been about the market or the customers’ demands?
A. I also lived in the US for seven years, so I know that part of the world to some extent. Of course, Asia has been closer to me in the past 10 years. I discovered that you need to know who you are as a maison very clearly. You need to know your identity, and what your signatures are. You need to understand the market, which is more volatile than ever before. But you will not be able to predict anything. You need to be true to who you are, listen to the market, talk to the clients, talk to the experts. And then, have a clear plan. We have a lot of projects – we have a clear vision of where we want to go.
Richard Mille’s new boutique in Beijing puts luxury watchmaking secrets on show
Q. So, what do you think are the challenges that Jaeger-LeCoultre needs to face in the coming year? And how are you preparing for them?
A. One of the main challenges for the entire watchmaking industry is that we are working in a very competitive market. You have to make sure your voice is heard, and that it is showing your difference in the watchmaking world. This requires a lot of creativity and also that you don’t make any mistakes. You have to be relevant to the people who have heard you and you have to be different. The [biggest] challenge is how to get the time frame for everything to come to life. Very often, our research and development teams work on pieces that may come to life in three, four or even six years. In a world where everything is fast and immediate, where people expect to have it now, to plan and look at six years from now is challenging.
Q. There are obviously expectations outside that because you are a woman and have taken over a serious watch maison. They are expecting you to shore up the women’s collections. What do you say to that?
A. Jaeger-LeCoultre has always been balanced between men and women. My job, just like the job of the previous CEOs even though they were men, is to protect this balance. I love our high-watchmaking like the Gyrotourbillon, and we have some beautiful things to come, which have inspired me very much. We also have to protect the very strong women’s business, which has seen a strong growth in the past year.
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