What to Expect from Universal Genève when it Relaunches in 2026? Georges Kern Gives us all the Answers

About a year ago, Georges Kern, also known as the CEO of Breitling, made a resounding announcement for the watch community; the acquisition of historic brand Universal Genève and its planned return as a watchmaker in 2026. A brand known for its innovative designs and movements, benefitting from a certain aura in the collecting community, the so-called Couturier de la Montre is set to be back with a collection of high-end watches that “promises to restore the prestige of a hallowed name in the world of luxury timepieces.” This, however, is a well-dressed speech from a press release. However, on the occasion of the 70th anniversary of the Polerouter model, which gave us 3 unique pieces that you can discover here, we decided to take some time to talk to the brand’s CEO, Georges Kern. Why buy Universal? Where does he want to position the brand? What price segment and what overall concept can we expect? We have all the answers.

Brice Goulard, MONOCHROME – First, an easy yet complex question… Why Universal Genève?

Georges Kern, CEO of Universal Genève – I have asked historians and our heritage team to identify dormant brands that are worth acquiring. Universal Genève was the first on their list. You can’t stretch a brand too far, neither to the lower nor to the higher end. There are limits, for most brands by the way, and so it is for Breitling. Therefore we intended something distinctly positioned in the high-end segment. 

To be honest, from the existing brands, excluding the major players, we found none compelling enough to acquire. And by relaunching a dormant brand like Universal Genève, you avoid buying an infrastructure that you don’t want, capacities you don’t need, surplus stock, managing frustrated retailers, etc…

It’s much easier to start from a clean slate and then do it right. As you know, we have an advisory board, and we are committed to doing things right from the beginning. Right product, right pricing, right movements, and right storytelling. With Universal Genève, you have phenomenal storytelling, a distinct positioning in the high-end segment that will be very different from what you have in the market, and iconic designs that stand out. You have everything to be successful. 

We will start most likely around CHF 15,000 for a non-complicated steel watch

While we’re on the topic of positioning, what’s your vision for the relaunch of Universal Genève? Where do you want to position it, not only next to Breitling but mainly within the whole spectrum of the industry? Who do you want to compete with?

At the end of the day, you’re competing with everyone. I don’t want to reveal too much now, as it’s too soon, but let me put it this way. In the high-end, super-luxury segment, there are two types of products. You have the Rolls-Royce type, very classic, but also fragile. And then you have the Lamborghini type, very extravagant, designed to stand out. But what is there in the middle…? Something that is both practical and luxurious, balancing sophistication with utility. 

And while I’m not going to give the answer yet, as we’re still refining our vision with the advisory board. Our question now is “What car would we be?” If it’s not a Rolls or a Lamborghini, what would it be? I’ll give you the answer in September 2026… 

So then completely different from Breitling, without overlaps?

In terms of positioning, zero overlap. 

We have ambitious plans for its relaunch. We want to play a major role in this market, which is a resilient but not very innovative market

So where do you stand in the market? Not mass market. So high-end but not too niche? 

Exactly. We want to be high-end but still commercial and successful. Historically, Universal Genève was never a super-niche brand. And we have ambitious plans for its relaunch. We want to play a major role in this market, which is a resilient but not very innovative market. It’s also a market where retailers don’t have a lot of offerings, as most of the high-end brands are focusing on vertical integration and exclusive boutiques. This is where we see an opportunity to stand out. We’re not here to have a new hobby. It will be a serious business, with ambitions. 

It will also be a very cool business, and it will make many people happy, as they will finally find something at that price point that is very different from the two extremes I mentioned before. 

Talking about price points…? As a range, are we talking CHF 10,000, CHF 100,000? 

We will start most likely around CHF 15,000 for a non-complicated steel watch, with an increase for gold models, complications or métiers d’art.

Universal Genève is known as Le Couturier de la Montre (the matchmaking tailor). What does it mean?

It’s a spirit of exclusivity and of style. But couturier could either be ready-to-wear or haute-couture. It signals a style, an emotion and a unique identity. There are few slogans I find as strong as this one. It perfectly captures the brand’s essence, and positions Universal Genève as sophisticated and different. 

Talking about the products, which we should see in Autumn 2026, are we talking pure vintage re-editions, modernized icons or something fully contemporary?

Since we’re reviving an established but dormant brand, we’re not going to be fully contemporary and novel. What we have bought is a history, a Genta design, a watch nicknamed the “Nina Rindt”, and so on. We acquired a brand equity, which is design and history, so of course we’re going to use it. 

But, at the first advisory board meeting, we made it clear that we won’t become a re-edition brand and told the board not to come with all the vintage re-edition projects and they fully understood. No matter what we do, there will be critics. If we change too much, some will say, “Why did you change it so much from the original?” If we stay too close to Universal’s roots, others will say, “Why just a reissue?” So, it’s about striking the right balance between modernizing the brand and preserving its essence.

Jokes aside, we won’t do it wrong. We will position ourselves right where we need to be. Starting in 2026 you’ll see the vision unfold. We already have a 10-year roadmap for Universal Genève. 

Would you say that the future Universal Genève watches we’ll see in the coming years are a continuity of what the brand could have produced without the break in the middle of its life?

Yes, this is right. The challenge is to envision what the product would look like if Universal Genève had continuously evolved its iconic products such as the Polerouter, the Compax, the Cabriolet, and so on. Take a look at the Porsche 911… it has maintained the same base design for over half a century, yet it has evolved. But there was no gap in its history like it’s the case for Universal Genève. There’s been about 4 or 5 generations of Porsche 911 in this time. So, we have to bridge the imaginary gap in the history of Universal… 

Our goal is to retain a historically relevant overall concept that preserves the brand’s DNA, blended with modern execution, refined designs, new movements, etc…

Regarding production, we can expect synergies with Breitling? Or do you imagine UG as a completely stand-alone company with its own production, its own movements, its own distribution? 

Yes. Of course, there will naturally be some overlaps at key retailers. And regarding production, we’ll rely on external partners to support us. 

Developing an entirely new and high-end chronograph movement is extremely costly. It would potentially push the price for a stainless-steel chronograph to CHF 25,000 or more. That’s not where we want to position ourselves. Our approach to movements will vary depending on the type, whether it’s a classic automatic, a micro-rotor or a chronograph. 

There may be limited synergies with Breitling on some parts, some specific components for a chronograph movement, but the final engines will be very different. However, in the long run, our strategy is for Universal Genève to have a totally independent production capacity. 

Last but not least… Following the acquisition of Breitling, we could have had concerns about financial partners being involved, only investing for the short run. Yet, CVC Partners is still there, Partners Group has joined, and now you’re acquiring a second brand. Are we seeing the creation of a new watchmaking group?

No… Even if we were to acquire additional brands, I wouldn’t classify it as a traditional watchmaking group. I strongly believe in independent management, where each brand is structured around authenticity and responsibility of every manager. Of course, there are synergies to be leveraged – e.g. in distribution, supply chain, finance, and support activities. Breitling now is a big machine so we have all of these resources in place. However, these support functions are not what differentiates brands. 

What truly sets a brand apart is its design, manufacturing, product, content and movements. We would be well positioned to integrate Universal Genève and potentially others. But this isn’t a group in the conventional sense.

A group is not synonym for success. You always have successful and underperforming brands within a group. A group is an addition of managers and management teams that are more or less efficient and good at what they do. Simply adding a brand doesn’t automatically ensure its success. What matters most is the culture of the team, the alignment of the managers, and the creation of an environment where each brand can express itself. 

For more details, please visit UniversalGeneve.com.

Editor’s note: This interview has been edited for clarity.