Romain Marietta is the Director of Product Development and Heritage at ZENITH. He joined the company in 2006. Marietta started off in the Marketing Department as Marketing Product Manager and has now been with the brand for more than 16 years, truly shaping the history of ZENITH. Romain Marietta is involved in the conception and development of all ZENITH watches. «WatchCollector by Lohri» has prepared some exiting questions for Romain Marietta, which he has answered kindly and openly - for you as a fellow watch collector.
 
 
It may seem that ZENITH is an underestimated brand (even within LVMH), even though there have been massive investments in its appearance in recent years. Is this a conscious strategy or where does ZENITH want to position itself in this competitive market?
Romain: Since 1999 we are a part of LVMH and we receive a lot of support within the group. We want to establish ourselves as one of the top 15 Brands within the Industry and as the Master of Chronographs. We have developed 4 different collections for different tastes: Defy, Chronomaster, Pilot and Elite. We listen to the market and try to figure out what the customers preferences are. Next year, we will launch a new Pilot line. We will produce a new modern interpretation that will embody all the codes of Aviation. Our team is very happy with the design and is excited to present it in 2023.
 
 
Recently, we have observed a trend where brands launch special editions exclusively for their own E-Commerce channels and boutiques. What is ZENITH’s opinion about this?
Romain: This is a trend in the industry overall. ZENITH follows it but in a conscious manner. We are nurturing our different channels (Retail, E-Commerce but also our network of retailers).
ZENITH has a Product Committee of 8 members, and we decide on the strategy about the whole future of each collection but also on special editions and how they are going to be distributed.
It is interesting to know that ZENITH was the first watch brand in Switzerland to launch the first E-Commerce shop within 3 months of the Covid-19 pandemic. We sold many watches in price ranges above 20.000 CHF. It was a major and very fast shift in consumer behaviour. ZENITH was able to quickly adapt to the new reality, as the company is very agile. This is part of our innovation process.
 
 
Is ZENITH affected by new global challenges, such as an insufficient supply of raw materials?
Romain: The new reality is that the lead time for the delivery of components from the suppliers has drastically increased. Therefore, the time to market (design to production) at ZENITH, but also in the industry on a global scale, has increased too. We must adapt to this new situation and anticipate future developments even more. We are working on a 5-year strategy. This is a new rule.
 
 
Luxury watch brands should be more accessible to customers, shouldn’t they?
Romain: This is true. We at ZENITH try to be a good example and get closer to the customer. This is why we are so happy to give this interview [Romain is laughing]. I think, this is something the industry understands too. We want our customers to understand what we do. We have been the first manufacture to open its doors to the public for visits. Every Thursday and Friday, the manufacture is open to public for visits with the Neuchatel Tourism Office.
 
 
Based on which criteria do you decide the launch of a new watch model?
Romain: We decide this based on multiple criteria. However, the most important factor is what we at ZENITH believe will be the best. We develop new models based on ZENITH’s DNA, because the heritage of the brand is very strong and has proven successful in many ways. Watches need to tell stories; they need to give you emotions and they need to innovate. If you have this recipe, then the success should come. The focus for us is that we want our watches to be on people’s wrist.
 
 
What is the potential of innovation for the watch industry and ZENITH?
Romain: This is a broad question. We do not know which materials will appear and what will be the market demand. Our strength is that ZENITH is very agile. We can adapt and react fast to the innovations. We are a true Manufacture producing every single movement from each watch. This is a real advantage.
 
 
There is a big market for pre-owned watches as well as growing options to trade in and trade out the watches. Rolex and Bucherer try to control this grey market with this. Would ZENITH do something similar?
Romain: We are working on this at ZENITH. It is part of the Brand Equity. We are following our second-hand market, the value of our vintage pieces and the auction market. In 2019, we launched a program called ZENITH ICONS where we buy back vintage models that we authenticate, certify and, if needed, restore and then offer via a trusted channel (our boutiques) for our clients. Since 2019, we have observed an increase in value for ZENITH watches of approximately 30%.
 
 
Which Zenith watch would you recommend to our fellow watch collectors?
Romain: It is very difficult to say. It is like choosing between my daughter and my son [Romain is laughing]. Our products are so different and correspond to different tastes. Choose one you like, one that creates an emotion when you see and wear it. We have 4 different collections with different aesthetics and styles. Do not just buy what the others are buying. Buying a watch is something you do not need in reality and, most of the time, it costs a lot of money. A lot of people don’t buy really what they want, but rather what other people recognize. It is a bit sad, because like this a lot of people end up wearing the same watch. At ZENITH, we have great watches in our core collection such as the CMSport, CMOriginal or Defy Skyline. We can also check our vintage models which are still “accessible” in terms of price for the time being. It is an investment for the future. I personally wear an original ZENITH El Primero A386 because this watch is the godfather of them all. I bought if for my 40th birthday.