In Conversation with CEO of Audemars Piguet, Ilaria Resta
I recently went to a discussion with the CEO of AP Watches. I went only with a short article on the companies craftsmanship from their own website and a long history of ASAP Rocky lyrics under my belt. That’s not to say I didn’t know who they were. Quite the contrary, I went with a deep curiosity about how a company achieves a level of unattainable mystique as they have. I’m not deeply entrenched in the watch community, but AP’s reputation precedes even casual bystanders of luxury like myself. Illaria Resta only recently became CEO in 2024 becoming the first female leader of the company in its long history. She’s come from an interesting history starting in finance originally at Procter & Gamble before moving to C-Suite duties at the Perfumery Firmenich. Though relatively new, she’s pushed some big company motives. Her bag charm collaboration with Swatch made headlines not only for its massive popularity, but what seemed like a sea change in how the company would be moving forward. However Ilaria framed theses moments less as a move away from their storied roots, but more so as introducing the history of AP watchmaking to a new generation. In her eyes, the AP x Swatch collaboration was a point of entry for a new generation to gain accessibility to AP mechanical watches. AP watches are at face value incredibly expensive. Their famous Royal Oak watch retails at $20,000 and is in incredibly short supply. For watch enthusiasts there is a history and reason why that price point makes sense, but for more casual luxury shoppers that price point may hold less. There is obvious prestige with the types of celebrities that have watches (Jay-Z, LeBron, Serena Williams to name a few), but how does one become a lifelong fan of a company where your bar to entry is so high? Ilaria put a heavy emphasis on the need for luxury to pay attention to the experience you build through touch points. While owning an AP watch is a key touchpoint, there are other ways to build a love for the brand through more passive experiences learning about its history of craftsmanship and over time inheriting it as a facet of ones personal brand. Building this sense of belonging is obviously complicated, but Ilaria emphasized the need for brands to keep these touchpoints in mind for building a sense of belonging with newer generations.
1. Don’t be scared of Customer Behavior
2. Exclusivity not exclusion
3. Choice for entry through touchpoints
Conclusion
