An Interview with Blancpain CEO Marc A. Hayek

Marc A. Hayek, President and CEO of Blancpain, is a passionate diver. That’s why last year was a particularly exciting one for him, the year Blancpain celebrated the 70th birthday of its iconic Fifty Fathoms diving watch. There were three anniversary models of the famous dive watch — Act 1, 2 and 3 — and the brand also suddenly raised its profile among younger audiences by introducing the Blancpain x Swatch Scuba Fifty Fathoms with its sister brand, Swatch. In this interview, Hayek reveals his priorities for 2024 and 2025.

Mr. Hayek, at Blancpain, the Fifty Fathoms has recently benefited greatly from its 70th birthday, including three exciting anniversary models. Is it conceivable that we will soon see one or two of these watches again in a modified form?

Yes, and there will be several of them. In the future, we have decided to offer the Fifty Fathoms with a case size of 42.3 mm — the same size as the Act 1. It complements the classic size of 45 mm and the small version with a diameter of 40.3 mm. There will be a slimmer, “civilian” version of the Fifty Fathoms Tech, a three-hand watch with a bezel calibrated for one hour. The Tech will develop into a line in the Fifty Fathoms collection. The Act 3, on the other hand, will remain something special. However, you can definitely expect to see watches that are derived from other historical models in the near future.

Blancpain was the first brand other than Omega to use bronze gold, namely in the Act 3. How did that decision come about?

We were looking for a stable bronze in the Swatch Group years ago. It wasn’t specifically about making a gold bronze. However, this alloy with a high gold content of 37.5 percent, 9 karat, ultimately proved to be the technical solution for a bronze that hardly develops any patina. Omega and Blancpain were both heavily involved in its development. Omega then introduced the first product made from this material because it was associated with an anniversary. It was important to us that we didn’t have any bronze that would develop gaps in its patina after only 10 years. I find that unacceptable for a valuable watch. The gold bronze is very stable. I generally like a bronze whose color changes slightly over time, but without the material suffering. We are currently developing several other innovative materials that we plan to use in the next few years.

2023 was also the year of the Blancpain Swatch. We experienced a similar hype as with the MoonSwatch. What special experiences did you have in the context of the launch?

I’m pleased that it has given us greater visibility and more contact with new customers, and that there is now more discussion about the Blancpain brand overall. As beautiful as our high-end products are, their prices inherently exclude a large proportion of people as potential customers. Even if we disregard Blancpain, the threshold to purchase a purely mechanical Swiss watch is very high for many people. With the Bioceramic Scuba Fifty Fathoms, we set this threshold significantly lower and are offering a watch that has an incredible amount to offer: a purely mechanical movement with very few components in its caliber and a diving watch that’s not a gimmick, but essentially an instrument watch in which the entire history of the development of dive watches from instruments to lifestyle objects is reflected. Of course, this watch has given us an incredible number of new contacts with customers and a massive increase in traffic. Even though the initial peak has subsided, it’s still keeping us at a level that is around twice as high as before the launch. And, of course, there are also many potential new customers for Blancpain. But what is most important to me is that we are opening up the world of Blancpain, the Ocean Commitment, the Fifty Fathoms and the mechanical Swiss watch as such to a much larger circle.

Blancpain has long been involved in marine conservation initiatives as part of the Ocean Commitment. What are the most important projects currently?

On the one hand, we continue to support the Gombessa expeditions by Laurent Ballesta and World Ocean Summit by The Economist [the weekly British business magazine]. On the other hand, and this is also very important to me, we have our partnership with PADI [the Professional Association of Diving Instructors and the world’s largest commercial divers’ training organization]. With it, we reach millions of people, including those who are hearing about Blancpain for the first time. What I particularly like about PADI is that it is not just aimed at professional divers, but basically at everyone. For once, it’s not about science, action or pushing limits, but about fundamentally taking away people’s fears of the sea and diving and introducing them to the beauty of the underwater world. In addition, we are involved in a large number of micro-projects, which are often local, but which are also important to us and complementary to the larger projects.

Do you have the feeling that more and more consumers are demanding that a brand takes action for the environment or climate?

Yes, massively. I am sure that authentic and effective involvement in these issues will be by far the biggest marketing argument for the majority of future generations. They will also look closely at how seriously a brand pursues its commitment. Whether you only spend a little money in the short term in order to look like one of the “good guys,” such as practicing greenwashing, or whether you commit yourself consistently over many years.

You are a passionate diver. What watch do you prefer to wear when diving?

I now prefer diving with the Fifty Fathoms Act 2 Tech Gombessa. I mostly do technical diving with a rebreather, so it’s less about the minutes and more about the hours. And the Tech, with its three-hour scale on the bezel, is much more helpful for me than a conventional diving watch.

For many people, the Fifty Fathoms is Blancpain’s most important line. Are you satisfied with this situation or is your goal to create more “hero” models?

Things have been cyclical at Blancpain in the past. In the 1950s to the 1970s, the focus was clearly on the Fifty Fathoms. After that, it was on the Villeret for a long time. It was the same when I started my career at Blancpain about 20 years ago. You can see this in the references. We have about 180 at Villeret compared to around 40 at Fifty Fathoms. The development at Villeret was stronger over many years. Recently, however, we’ve tried to bring these back into balance. In 2023, Fifty Fathoms was naturally the focus of attention because of the anniversary, but I can tell you that we have been working intensively on new movements for the Villeret in recent years. You will see several of them starting in 2025.

2025 marks the 190th anniversary of the Blancpain brand.

Exactly, and we plan to celebrate it accordingly. It takes around five to seven years to develop a new movement with a sophisticated complication. And we will be launching several complications, including some really high ones, with more than 1,000 components. Each of these is a completely separate development in which no two screws are the same. We’ll start with the most complicated one in 2025, and further new introductions will follow in 2026 and 2027. In this respect, things have never been quiet internally around the Villeret in recent years, although it may have looked that way from the outside.

Blancpain stands for very thin watches, among other things. But such a highly complicated watch surely needs to have a decent height, doesn’t it?

Let’s put it this way: Considering all that it contains, the anniversary watch will be quite thin. It will also include something that Blancpain has never done before. It will be the most complex Blancpain since the 1735.

Many major watch brands are relying more and more on their own sales channels, i.e. boutiques, and are reducing their presence at traditional specialized retailers. What are your plans for Blancpain?

We intend to increase the proportion of our own boutiques, while simultaneously reducing the total number of our sales outlets worldwide. Today, our own stores currently account for a good 10 percent of our points of sale and we plan to increase this figure. But we will keep the traditional specialized retailers as partners.

My final question: What watch are you wearing today?

The Fifty Fathoms Act 3. I simply had to have it. I have been wearing it ever since its presentation and not only today. I have also gotten a model for myself personally, with my favorite number: 24.

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This article is from the WatchTime Archives and was originally published in the May / June 2024 print issue. To subscribe to WatchTime Magazine, click here. 

To learn more about Blancpain, visit the brand's site, here.