Matthias Breschan, President, Rado Watch: 5Q

Swiss watch, Rado, has been a success story in the Indian watch market. OPEN spoke to Matthias Breschan, President, Rado Watch Co on how they made it happen.

What’s your view of India?
India is a very nice country. I go to India every year (this Q&A took place in Switzerland). It is an important market and I keep reading a lot about China and India online.

We are planning a big event in India. We want to stay No.1 in India, it is a super- important market for us.

How well did you do in India last year?
We did solid double digit growth in India. This, despite the fact that we are the No. 1 foreign watch brand in the country.

Is India, with its Huge diversity, a challenging market?
India is a big country. Traditionally, we were strong in the southern part of India. Today, however, we have such a strong and diversified product portfolio that we can address different regions with different expectations across India.

Rado is seen as a great gift by Indians. India has a big tradition of gifting and Rado is a perfect gift—it is beautiful from day one and it retains its value.

We were also the first to offer customer service in India. This is very important. We have two very big operations of the Swatch group in New Delhi and Mumbai, and we have certified partners across the country with the right equipment, whom we have trained.

Is Rado a mature brand in India?
A loyal, traditional customer base helped us grow in India last year. And we greatly value that relationship. But, what we also did was appeal to the younger generation, with our revolutionary new designs. There is a new technology we have used to achieve the varied geometrical shapes. We have also been able to introduce new colours due to this technological advancement—traditionally it was mostly black & white.

Hrithik RosHan is one of tHe most dashing male actors in India, and seen as a sincere person. Is that why you chose him as the brand ambassador for Rado?
Absolutely! It is not just that he is a big star, but more because he is a perfect fit. The consumer understands why we chose him and not someone else.

(Advertiser Sponsored Feature – a marketing initiative.)

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