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Can Tag Heuer compete with Apple and the smartwatch set? CEO Frédéric Arnault believes they can and more
- Frédéric Arnault became Tag Heuer’s CEO in June 2020 and is determined to make a mark in the hi-tech world of smartwatches after relaunching the Connected Watch
- He says the brand is working hard to create local cultural relevance in Asia, something it hasn’t done in the past
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If you’re a watch aficionado, you’re likely familiar with Paul Newman’s passion for the Rolex Daytona or the Tag Heuer Monaco worn by Steve McQueen in the 1971 film Le Mans.
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Rolex and Tag Heuer are just two prominent watch brands that for decades have capitalised on their connections to icons of the past, even though the late Newman and McQueen don’t really ring a bell with most millennial and Gen Z consumers.
Frédéric Arnault, the 26-year-old chief executive of Tag Heuer, is not afraid to admit that he had barely heard of Steve McQueen before joining the marketing department of the brand in 2017.
Arnault became the youngest CEO in the watch industry when he was promoted to the top job at Tag Heuer in June 2020, right in the middle of the coronavirus pandemic.
He is the son of Bernard Arnault, the owner of Tag Heuer’s parent company, luxury conglomerate LVMH, and the man who in the last three decades has turned previously staid brands such as Louis Vuitton and Dior into global powerhouses.
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Like his older brother Alexandre, who had a successful run as chief executive of luggage maker Rimowa before moving to jeweller Tiffany earlier this year, and his half-siblings Antoine and Delphine, Frédéric has been immersed in the family business from a very early age.
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