Marie-Laure Trichard’s experience with luxury brands under LVMH has been a matter of exquisite taste. It includes being the international marketing manager at Moët & Chandon. She also served as global marketing and communication director at Champagne Jacquart. Taking a leap from the champagne industry, Trichard has found a fitting parallel in the world of horology. Last February, she became Bell & Ross’ head of marketing and communications. We check in with Trichard about her experiences in the luxury market and Bell & Ross.

ESQUIRE: You’ve previously worked at LVMH and Champagne Jacquart. What was your takeaway from a business like LVMH?

MARIE-LAURE TRICHARD: LVMH was my foray into the luxury sector. Within marketing, there were different fields of competencies and what was interesting was LVMH’s method of strengthening its brand. They found a way to focus on their brand’s DNA, making sure that it’s clear enough as a brand story.

Their history is brought to life in a very creative and memorable way. That’s the gist of LVMH’s management. A mix of history and creativity that evolves the brand to stay current. And that is what’s being done at Bell & Ross. Of course, you’ll need perceptions of the local markets because when you’re working on a global scale, there’s a need for consistency. It’s important to understand different markets in order to encourage brand evolution.

ESQ: What did you find surprising about the Southeast Asian market?

MLT: The market here is very strong about Bell & Ross. With regards to brand positioning, we have far more Bell & Ross boutiques in Southeast Asia than elsewhere.

ESQ: You’ve worked with many organisations like the Tara Ocean Foundation.

MLT: We went with Tara because of its combined use of man and machine for its underwater missions. We equip Tara with the tools needed for its research. Another challenge for Tara is generating awareness; that’s where we come in. We provide communication globally with some point-of-sale to showcase the foundation and visibility to what it does.

ESQ: What about your partnership with the Alpine F1 Team? How does this collaboration start?

MLT: Basically, it’s shared values. We looked at the organisations that we want to work with and see if our ethos align. The collaboration needs to make sense. From the start, Bell & Ross, developed proficient tools for the use in extreme conditions. It’s all about the union of competences; that’s what the brand was built upon. There needs to be this idea of surpassing oneself. To push against the boundaries of excellence.

ESQ: Is Bell & Ross interested in jumping onto market trends like genderless dials?

MLT: There was a restyling for watches done that way. A preference for smaller cases. Our design is minimalist so the idea is that we’d use smaller cases but retain the traits that it’s a man’s watch. I’d say that there needs to be a mix of creative inspiration and the brand DNA in order for it to be relevant.

ESQ: Do you have an uptick of female patrons in the last few years?

MLT: The world is always evolving. In this day and age, a woman would pick up a man’s watch and vice versa. Our BR S model is a smaller case but that’s not core to the brand. We just want to focus on what Bell & Ross it’s known for, which is legibility, functionality, reliability and precision.

ESQ: What’s the first watch you’ve ever got?

MLT: When I was young, there was this huge hullabaloo about Swatch watches. It was ubiquitous and so trendy. So, that was my first timepiece.

ESQ: Are you also a watch collector?

MLT: No. But my interest in the watch industry is mainly for the craftsmanship. But after spending so much time in the watch industry, I finally understand why people would collect them. I understand the allure.

ESQ: You’ve also worked with the Patrouille de France. For its 70th anniversary, there’s a special nod to its history with the silhouettes of the five aircrafts that were flown since 1953.

MLT: We delve in different fields of competition like in the air, on land, in the waters; that’s the common approach across the board. The idea for the Patrouille de France is bringing its story to life and we wanted to highlight that evolution by etching the plane models on the back of the ceramic case. We needed to simplify the look of the planes while not losing their traits.