Kern, Georges

Georges Kern is a German watchmaking executive best known as CEO of Breitling and formerly of IWC.

Biography

Georges Kern was born in Düsseldorf, Germany in 1965 and studied in Strasbourg and St. Gallen. After working at Kraft Foods from 1989, Kern joined TAG Heuer in 1992 just as the renaissance of mechanical watchmaking was taking hold. He joined the Richemont Group in 2000 and became CEO of IWC in 2002, tasked to develop the newly-acquired brand beyond the technical watch market.

By 2011, Kern was named Head of Watchmaking for Richemont and also named manager of Roger Dubuis and Baume & Mercier. Control of the former was transferred to Jean-Marc Pontroué in 2012. In 15 years, Kern increased sales for IWC ten times over, and was highly respected for his energy and vision.

Kern moved to Breitling when it was acquired from the Schneider family by CVC Partners in March 2017. He was replaced at IWC by Christoph Grainger-Herr. At Breitling, Kern focused on rebuilding the brand's sales in Asia and sharpening focus on the model lines. These are organized according to the theme of land (Transocean), sea (Superocean), and air (Navitimer).