Neha Mehrotra
23-Jul-2025
As the Superocean Heritage launches in India, Breitling India talks about heritage and legacy and shares plans to roll out curated capsule exhibitions alongside new launches.
Back in 1957, Breitling introduced the SuperOcean, a diver’s watch built to brave the depths of the ocean with precision, durability, and high readability. Fast forward to 2024, and the very same DNA is powering one of the Swiss watchmaker’s most iconic collections, only now it’s found on the wrists of style-conscious city dwellers, not just deep-sea divers.
At the India launch of the new SuperOcean Heritage, PEAKLIFE sat down with Pradeep Bhanot, Managing Director, Breitling India, to explore the evolution of this classic timepiece, the brand’s growing presence in the country, and to reveal what’s next for the brand.
“Going forward, every major launch will be accompanied by curated capsule exhibitions showcasing archival timepieces from the same family,” he revealed. For a generation that cares as much about narrative as they do about nuance, it’s a move that could redefine how India shops for luxury watches.
Excerpts from the conversation below:
1. How important is India as a market for Breitling?
India is a very important market for Breitling. In fact, Breitling India is a fully owned subsidiary of Breitling Switzerland, established back in 2014. What makes India particularly significant is the global footprint of Indian consumers. Many Indians travel abroad and shop in international markets. At our boutiques and points of sale worldwide, we track the nationality of our customers, and over time, the data clearly showed a strong interest from Indian buyers. This insight led to the decision to directly enter the Indian market through a wholly owned subsidiary rather than a distributor model. In 2014 we started our first subsidiary in India, and we've grown considerably both in terms of distribution and brand presence. Today, we’re among the top three Swiss luxury watch brands in the segment ranging from INR 4 lakh to 12 lakh.
2. Breitling has expanded significantly in the past few years in India. What is your strategy?
India continues to be a high-growth market, and one of the key reasons is the evolving demographic. India has a predominantly young, educated population that is well-travelled, aspirational, and willing to invest in lifestyle products. There’s a growing appetite for premium experiences, and luxury watches are becoming an important part of that narrative. At Breitling, we see this shift clearly and believe that India offers tremendous potential.
3. How important is it for a luxury watchmaking brand to have a premium boutique experience? What role does it play?
Initially, our presence was largely through multi-brand points of sale. The challenge with that model is brand visibility. In a store with many luxury brands, identifying a specific brand from a distance is difficult. To address this, our first step was to create dedicated corners within these stores that reflect the brand’s identity with our visual language, merchandising, and display formats.
As the brand began gaining traction in India, our partners saw potential and came forward to invest in exclusive Breitling boutiques. In the boutique, the space is designed entirely around the Breitling universe, and we can showcase our full assortment at a time. A private setting welcomes customers, where they can relax, enjoy coffee, bring friends, and take their time choosing a watch. This kind of immersive and personal experience is not possible in a typical multi-brand environment.
4. And what do you feel about online sales? Do you plan to actively enter it?
We're not present in e-commerce and do not plan to enter it. But all our partners have their own websites on which they display the collections. The customer can read and know about the brand from the online presence. We are not servicing e-com at this point in time because we feel it's about people coming to the boutique corners, putting the watch on, trying it on, and seeing what size and what colours suit them best.
5. The SuperOcean Heritage, first launched in 1957, is one of Breitling’s most iconic timepieces. How does the latest iteration reimagine this classic?
The SuperOcean Heritage was originally designed as a diver’s watch, and its DNA is still very much present in the latest collection. The design elements, like the round 12 o’clock marker, the arrow-shaped hour hand, and the spear-shaped minute hand, are all carried forward. These features were created to enhance legibility underwater, which is crucial for divers. That said, while it’s built for diving, you don’t need to be a diver to wear it.
One of the key improvements is the bracelet, which has been redesigned for a better, snug fit that sits comfortably on the wrist. We’ve also added a high-tech, scratch-resistant ceramic bezel, which makes it everlasting. We have powered the watch by putting in two movements. We have a chronograph moment, which is in-house, called the B01 movement, our proprietary chronograph calibre and then we have our own automatic moment, which is the B31. That's a major differentiator for us. We're not sourcing movements from other manufacturers.
6. Dive watches are entering the lifestyle space, and people are wearing them as everyday watches and not because they are actual divers. What drives that appeal?
If you compare the modern SuperOcean Heritage to the original, you’ll notice that the new version retains the appeal of the classic while introducing key upgrades. What really sets it apart, though, is what’s inside. It’s powered by our in-house automatic and chronograph movements, which are highly reliable and engineered entirely by Breitling. While most Indians aren’t divers, that hasn’t stopped the SuperOcean Heritage from becoming our best-selling collection in India. You may not be a biker, but you could still fall in love with the design of our Top Time Triumph watch. It’s the same reason someone might appreciate a Ford or a Chevrolet-themed dial without actually owning the car. So even though diving isn’t a common sport in India, the SuperOcean resonates because it combines rugged functionality with striking design.
7. The Time Capsule exhibition, hosted last year, was a significant celebration of the brand’s heritage. How was the response in India?
Breitling was founded in 1884, so in 2024, we marked 140 years of the brand. But rather than simply celebrating an anniversary, we chose to celebrate 140 Years of Firsts. For example, in 1952, we introduced the Navitimer, the first watch with a slide rule bezel, designed for pilots. In 1957, we launched the SuperOcean, one of the first diving watches. Then came the Top Time in the 1960s. Another iconic innovation was the SuperOcean “Slow Motion” chronograph in 1965. The Time Capsule exhibition in India brought together these historic pieces, allowing people to connect the dots between Breitling’s past and its current collections.
We now plan to bring smaller capsule exhibits tied to specific product families during our new launches. For instance, if we launch a new Navitimer or SuperOcean, we’ll display select archival pieces from that line alongside it. This way, customers can truly understand the heritage behind the watch they're buying.
8. Watchmaking and weddings are quite interrelated, especially in India, where a watch is often considered a timeless gift. How important is the wedding industry for Breitling in India?
Watches have long been considered symbols of status and legacy. In fact, watches are often gifted not just to the couple but to close family members and relatives during weddings. So when people ask us about our peak season, we usually say, “We don’t have one as India is a year-round market.” That’s because weddings in India happen throughout the year.
Today, the buying mindset has evolved. Unlike earlier times when shopping was reserved for festivals like Diwali or Durga Puja, people now shop all year round. And this behaviour is important for our business model. Unlike destinations like Dubai or Switzerland, India is not primarily a tourist-driven watch market. We're catering almost entirely to domestic consumers. So our growth depends on understanding and aligning with their rhythms, festivities, family celebrations, and personal milestones. That’s what keeps the shelves moving and the brand relevant.
9. If you had to choose one Breitling watch to pass down as an heirloom, which would it be?
Without a doubt, it would be the Navitimer — you can spot it from across the room. It’s been in continuous production for over 70 years, which speaks volumes about its legacy and design.
10. What’s next for Breitling in India?
Breitling introduces new collections every few months. We have a new launch planned for September, one that we believe will really resonate with Indian consumers. I can’t reveal much just yet, but it’s something we’re very excited about. Our launch strategy is also very consumer-focused. As our CEO says, “A watch launched today should be available in stores tomorrow.” We don’t believe in long waits between announcement and availability.
(In Cover Image: Pradeep Bhanot, M.D., Breitling India)
