LVMH just made a big move in its watch business. The luxury giant announced Friday that Jean-Christophe Babin will take over as CEO of LVMH Watches starting April 1, 2025.
He’s replacing Frédéric Arnault, son of LVMH boss Bernard Arnault, who’s moving to become CEO of Loro Piana. Babin will keep his current role as Bulgari’s CEO while reporting to LVMH’s top exec, Stéphane Bianchi.
This change comes at a tricky time for LVMH’s watch brands—Hublot, TAG Heuer, and Zenith. Sales in the Watches & Jewelry division dropped 3% in 2024, partly due to weaker demand in China. Even though Swiss watches had a record year in 2023, things have slowed down, especially in Asia, where economic uncertainty is hitting luxury spending.
Babin’s job? Turn things around. He’ll need to sharpen brand strategies, boost retail performance, and push innovation to get sales back on track.
Bianchi, LVMH’s managing director, praised Frédéric Arnault’s work in streamlining the watch division and said Babin’s “entrepreneurial mindset” makes him the right leader for the challenges ahead.
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And Babin knows the business well—he’s been with LVMH for over 20 years. He ran TAG Heuer for 12 years before taking the helm at Bulgari in 2013, where he balanced modern growth with the brand’s classic Italian roots. Now, all eyes are on him to steer LVMH’s watch brands through a tough market.
What do you think—can he pull it off? Let us know in the comments.
