Former Tag Heuer CEO Antoine Pin Becomes CEO of De Bethune

PARIS — De Bethune has tapped Antoine Pin as chief executive officer.

The Swiss watchmaker was founded in 2002 by Denis Flageollet and David Zanetta, the latter leaving the brand in 2017. Named after a French nobleman and precision horology buff of the Enlightenment era, the company is headquartered in L’Auberson, a village in the Jura mountains.

Flageollet said the new executive was coming in “with a profound respect for what we have built over the years.”

“From our very first conversations, I was struck by [Pin’s] understanding of our culture, our independence and our vision of watchmaking,” the founder continued. “We share the same conviction: to preserve the essence of De Bethune while giving it every means to grow.”

Since its creation, De Bethune has developed 31 calibers and registered eight patents. A majority stake in the company was acquired in 2021 by American group WatchBox, which was renamed The 1916 Company in 2023.

Justin Reis, who is executive chairman and cofounder of The 1916 Company and serves as chairman of the board of De Bethune, said Flageollet has “pursued a deeply personal vision of watchmaking” through the brand.

“His independence of mind, his uncompromising standards and his determination to push the boundaries of creative expression have produced a maison unlike any other,” Reis added. “Antoine brings the experience, the sensitivity and the deep appreciation of craft that this next chapter demands. We are convinced that their complementary strengths will be a tremendous asset for the future — and the continued independence — of De Bethune.”

The new CEO said that “what has always fascinated [me] about De Bethune is the integrity of the approach and the intensity of its ambition.”

“Denis seeks to understand the world through watchmaking, and to express its beauty. That vision, joined to an uncompromising standard of horological mastery, has produced something truly singular,” Pin continued. “I am joining the maison with real humility and genuine enthusiasm — to contribute to its development, reinforce its foundations and support its long-term future, without ever compromising what gives De Bethune its strength and its identity.”

Most recently CEO of Tag Heuer, which he exited in January, Pin previously led Bulgari’s watch business unit. Prior to that, he was at Zenith, where he started as international marketing director before going on to manage some of its international markets, including the U.K., Japan and South Korea.

A graduate of the prestigious HEC Paris business school, the new De Bethune CEO began his career at Tag Heuer in 1994, before its acquisition by LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton, which he left to join Boucheron, then newly under Kering’s umbrella.

In his new role at De Bethune, Pin will “work to grow the maison and build the conditions for its sustainable future, in close partnership” with Flageollet, who served as interim CEO following the departure of Pierre Jacques, who logged a nine-month tenure at the brand before exiting last summer.