Omega CEO Raynald Aeschlimann emphasises the importance of social media

Raynald Aeschlimann is no stranger to the Omega legacy. Since joining the Swatch Group in 1996 as a sales and marketing project manager, he has spent the past 20 years swiftly climbing up the corporate ladder. Last year, he was named as the new president and CEO of Omega, a role which officially started on June 1. He took over from Stephen Urquhart, who served as the president of Omega for 17 years.

We caught up with Aeschlimann earlier during Baselworld this year for a quick chat on what it’s like being at the helm of the company – and which direction he is planning on steering it towards.

You officially began your new role as president and CEO on June 1, and it has been about 10 months since then. How has it been like so far?

I think one of the most important things [to remember] is that I’ve been here for many years, and taking over was for me something that was very much linked with the passion I had for this brand.

Omega is one of the strongest brands in the world. Omega has a lot of tradition … and we’re moving – we’ve a very dynamic brand. So to be the head of this company and to also push it a bit – sometimes quicker, sometimes a bit more different – is a very good feeling. This brand has a lot of magic.

Now that you have taken over the helm at Omega, is there anything you will be doing differently?

This brand is an amazing platform to create a lot of emotion and I think the best I can do is to respect it and continue to have the support of all the teams around the world. But definitely, as Mr Hayek always says: create the best products, because the products make the difference. And in Omega, we have a track history which is very good.

The watch industry has been challenging. How has the first quarter been like so far?

For our brand, it has been [filled with] highlights already. If you think about Speedy Tuesday, which we just launched in January, we showed how strong our brand is in terms of appealing to consumers. If you look at that and the watches we’ll be delivering [this year], if you look here [at Baselworld] at the result, we already have a lot of deposits for some watches that will only [arrive] in September. I think – looking at the sales – the first three months are encouraging months, and I’m looking with a positive way for 2017.

So you have a positive outlook for 2017?