Is Breitling Still Sketchy?

Why Breitling’s evolution from sketchy tool watch to mainstream status symbol still leaves a shadow.

“Sketchy dudes wear Breitling” has taken on a life of its own. What started as an inside joke between me and our 250k Instagram followers has been parroted throughout the internet and mainstream watch publications. If I’m being honest, I am kind of sick of hearing it myself. But is the Breitling of today still sketchy?

To review, this phrase is neither a commendation nor a criticism, but an observation. Breitling has long held a unique place in the national-security ecosystem, earning a reputation as the watch of choice for “sketchy dudes” on both sides of the spectrum. (Read HERE)

W.O.E.’s Royal Jordanian Breitling Aerospace (Photo Credit: James Rupley/W.O.E.)

From Delta Force unit watches to the Blackwater Breitling, former Soviet arms dealer Viktor Bout’s Breitling B-1, British SAS Officer turned Mercenary Simon Mann’s Breitling Emergency, and Director of CIA George Tenet’s Breitling Aerospace, the real-world examples are numerous. When Leonardo DiCaprio played Danny Archer, a former Rhodesian smuggler turned mercenary in the movie Blood Diamond, he wore a Breitling Chrono Avenger. In the business, we call this a pattern.

This aura was born from the brand’s toolwatch heyday of the 1990s and 2000s, when models like the Aerospace and Emergency became staples for operators, aviators, and adventurers working in the gray. 

Then-Blackwater CEO Erik Prince wearing a Blackwater Emergency in Afghanistan.

But Breitling of today is very different from the Breitling of two decades ago. A couple of weeks back, I attended a talk by Breitling CEO Georges Kern at Dubai Watch Week, which got me thinking, is Breitling even sketchy anymore?

Full disclosure, I am a happy Breitling owner with four Breitlings in my collection. I have visited the manufacturer in La Chaux-de-Fonds on my own dime and have no commercial relationship with the brand.

The Schneider Years - The Origin of Sketch

Prior to 2017, Breitling was owned and controlled by the Schneider family, first Ernst Schneider, a professional soldier turned watch executive, and later his son, Théodore Schneider, an aviation enthusiast and helicopter pilot. The Schneider family DNA was embedded in the brand, which courted and relied on a hyper-masculine customer base. In short, the brand identity was sketchy.

The Breitling Jet Team disbanded in 2021 (Credit: Breitling)

Private Equity Investment & The Arrival of Georges Kern

Georges Kern’s arrival at Breitling was the result of a classic private-equity playbook. In 2017, the Schneider family decided to sell an 80 percent stake in Breitling to CVC Capital Partners, a major private-equity firm looking to revitalize an established but underperforming heritage brand in a rapidly changing watch market. CVC then recruited Kern, fresh off a powerful run at Richemont, where he led IWC by leaning into his proven track record of modernizing legacy brands, sharpening product strategy, and driving global growth. Kern also took a minority stake alongside CVC, giving him real skin in the game.

As with any private equity investment, the goal is to make money. PE firms generally target a 2.5 to 4x multiple on capital invested with an exit after 4-7 years. In order to accomplish this, Kern had to increase profitability and expand the customer base, a tricky task to accomplish while also maintaining the brand's DNA and heritage. In short, he had to make the brand less sketchy and appeal to a broader audience; there are only so many sketchy dudes in the world. We are a small but mighty group.

Arabic Breitling Aviator 8 Etihad Limited "Middle East" Edition in black steel on W.O.E. ZA Strap (Photo Credit: James Rupley/W.O.E.)

The Kern Era

When Kern arrived in 2017, he aggressively streamlined Breitling’s lineup, cut many of the designs that defined the 2000s, and reorganized collections around clearer families like the Navitimer, Chronomat, Superocean, and Premier. He modernized the brand’s marketing and leaned into a “Squad” strategy, leveraging big name celebrity ambassadors, including Charlize Theron and Brad Pitt.

Coincidentally, this transition coincided with the “Me Too” movement.  Just three months after Kern took the mantle, the New York Times published an expose on Harvey Weinstein. There is obviously no connection between the two, but within a few months, Kern would publicly distance the brand from past marketing initiatives featuring “scantily clad women,” which, according to Kern, were "no longer suitable and do not reflect values of today’s society.” (Forbes) The message was clear: Kern was pivoting Breitling from a hyper-masculine brand to a more broadly acceptable persona.  

The 2016 opening of the Breitling boutique in Geneva featured long-time brand ambassador John Travolta and some other pilots.

Kern improved distribution, tightened product development, and pushed for more in-house calibers, but some enthusiasts balked at the brand’s pricing, which steadily increased. The result is a more commercially successful and globally coherent Breitling, though not without compromises. The changes were met with lukewarm responses from enthusiasts, and as a self-proclaimed sketchy dude, I would be lying if I didn’t say I miss the “good ole days.”

Unit Watch Program

In the 1990s and early 2000s, Breitling was the undisputed unit watch leader, having produced unit watches for some of the most elite SOF units, including the US Army’s Delta Force and the British Special Air Service.  Pilots were the early adopters of custom “squadron” watches, in many ways cementing the trend for the military and intelligence at large. I would go as far as to say the modern unit watch phenomenon would not be where it is today without Breitling. 

While Breitling’s unit watch program is still active, it has largely been replaced by Omega, Tudor, and Bremont. In the Schneider years, it was a priority; today, it is not.

(Photo Credit: Breitling)

NFL Partnership

Arguably, the most noticeable pivot was in marketing dollars. In 2019, Kern ended the long-standing sponsorship of the Breitling Jet Team, a military-inspired civilian aerobatic team flying L-39 Albatros jets and performing high-energy formation aerobatics across the globe.

The adrenaline-fueled marketing initiative was replaced in 2025 by a commercial partnership with the National Football League (NFL), which, according to Financial Times, is estimated to be worth up to $30M a year. Breitling secured league-wide licensing rights to create team-branded watches and integrate official logos and colors across its collections. The partnership launched with NFL-themed GMT and Endurance Pro models and gives Breitling major visibility at marquee NFL events, with a goal of strengthening its presence with U.S. fans and the broader sports market.

Breitling House of Brands at Dubai Watch Week 2025.

Breitling Today

When I heard Kern speak in Dubai, he said that maintaining the DNA of Breitling was a core principle of his, and it's true, much of the DNA of the brand, rooted in aviation, does continue, if only in a kinder and gentler manner. The boutiques, though updated, still maintain the cool guy bachelor pad vibe, a stark contrast from the generally sterile boutiques of competitors.
 
But it's hard to argue with results; according to most accounts, Kern’s strategy has paid off. Breitling was well-positioned going into the pandemic boom for the watch industry. The valuation of Breitling increased from 800M Euros in 2017 to around $4.5Bn in 2022 (a 4x-plus multiple from the original investment). While this valuation may have come down due to market forces and an aggressive expansion when the sun was shining, Kern isn’t slowing down.

House of Brands

During the talk, Kern laid out his most ambitious plan to date, the “House of Brands.” The strategy positions the company as a multi-brand watch group, bringing together Breitling, the revived Universal Genève, and the historic Gallet under one umbrella while striving to preserve each brand's distinct identity. With almost all of the Swiss watch industry existing within the confines of the Swatch Group or Richemont, both massive conglomerates consisting of dozens of watchmakers and other luxury brands, Kern’s plan is bold but inspired by the prevailing model. 

Kern laid out his “House of Brands” strategy that formalizes what many in the industry have been whispering about for the past year. For enthusiasts and collectors, Universal Geneve and Gallet are not just dormant marques; they are foundational pillars of 20th-century horology. 
Kern explained that each brand would occupy a distinct lane. Universal Geneve will serve as the haute end of the portfolio, a return to the sharp case geometry, disciplined design, and movement pedigree that once placed UG in the same conversations as Patek and Vacheron. Gallet will take the opposite flank, focusing on the functional, tool watch part of the catalog, delivering watches that are accessible without being watered down. Breitling will remain the anchor, the engine that funds and stabilizes the entire structure.

Like other Swiss conglomerates, Breitling’s “House of Brands” model will be supported by shared manufacturing, retail, and distribution infrastructure. Rather than homogenizing design, the initiative leverages each brand’s genuine legacy to appeal to different tiers of enthusiasts, signaling Breitling’s ambition to evolve from a single watchmaker into a diversified luxury portfolio.

Of course, the elephant in the room is that the luxury watch market has taken a sharp downturn over the past two years, with the changing economic environment, the decline in Asian demand, and tariffs.  Launching these new brands in 2026 will be a challenge, to say the least.

W.O.E.'s Breitling collection (Photo Credit: Rupley/W.O.E.)

Final Thoughts

While the marketing suits in Breitling’s Zurich headquarters likely wince every time they hear “Sketchy Dudes Wear Breitling,” I would argue this organic tag line probably sold more Breitlings than the NFL partnership.  Breitling still has a strong following in the W.O.E. community due to this long-standing relationship.

Despite Kern’s best efforts to de-sketchify Breitling, Schneider-era models are still strapped to the wrists of sketchy dudes around the globe, from Erik Prince’s Emergency to countless operators, adventurers, and gray-world professionals who never got the memo about the rebrand. 

Kern’s Breitling may be sharper, cleaner, and more commercially disciplined, but the brand is still negotiating a very real tension between its rugged heritage and its modern lifestyle gloss. That push-and-pull is exactly what W.O.E. readers recognize instinctively: Breitling may have evolved, but the sketchiness is still in its DNA, just wearing a nicer jacket.

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