2024 brings significant changes to LVMH's watch division

Frederic Arnault, newly appointed CEO at LVMH Watches

I wanted to give you the latest updates regarding LVMH Watches & Jewelry Division which started on January 1, 2024. Frederic Arnault served as CEO of TAG Heuer since 2017 and its president since 2020, at just 29 years of age, he is now moving onto lead LVMH Watches under Stephane Bianchi who is Watches & Jewelry Division CEO at LVMH. Thanks to his impressive transformation at TAG Heuer he stands uniquely qualified to drive robust growth across these renowned watch Maisons of Tag Heuer, Hublot and Zenith. For those unfamiliar, Frederic is also the son of founder, chairman and CEO of LVMH, Bernard Arnault.

I don’t doubt Frederic Arnault’s transformation, talent or insight, but at 29 is he really qualified to be CEO of three monster brands? This is where experience will tell us all we need to know. Still, I am hopeful because what he knows about his generation, is a completely different animal to his piers, which is quite invaluable.

Julien Tornare has led Zenith since 2017 and will take the helm at TAG Heuer as CEO. With extensive watchmaking industry knowledge under his belt and vast experience as Zenith’s chief, his knowledge will play an instrumental role in continuing TAG Heuer’s impressive trajectory of expansion while further enriching their collections.

Benoit de Clerck will soon take the reins as CEO at Zenith, providing him with the chance to continue the brand’s history while shaping the future of Swiss watchmaking. His appointment promises to advance Zenith’s innovative legacy while expanding Swiss watchmaking as we know it today.

Julien Tornare, Benoit de Clerck and Ricardo Guadalupe will report directly to Frederic Arnault.

Stephane Bianchi applauded Frederic Arnault’s groundbreaking vision and achievements at TAG Heuer, excitingly anticipating what Frederic will add to Watches & Jewelry Division overall.

Bianchi extends her thanks and admiration for Julien Tornare’s successful leadership at Zenith, believing his influence will continue to elevate TAG Heuer.

Benoit de Clerck’s appointment as CEO of Zenith can be seen as the next chapter in Julien Tornare’s success, and Benoit should help shape Swiss watchmaking at Zenith for years to come.

Frederic Arnault is an Ecole Polytechnique graduate. After beginning his career at McKinsey and Facebook’s Artificial Intelligence Research department, he transitioned into leading TAG Heuer’s transformation efforts.

Julien Tornare has an extensive 26 years in the watch industry. Throughout that period, he has held key roles at Raymond Weil, Vacheron Constantin, Zenith and IMD / London Metropolitan University.

Benoit de Clerck has worked for Richemont Group for 25 years and brings with him experience in global sales and business development from Panerai as well as other roles; he graduated from Concordia University of Montreal.

When I was in luxury retail, I was fortunate to work with both Julien Tornare when he was North American President at Vacheron Constantin and Benoit de Clerck when he was North American President at IWC in the early 2,000’s. This is an amazing accomplishment for all those involved and I’m excited to see how it all unfolds, only time will tell!