Pierre Jacques has stepped away from executive duties at De Bethune to focus on new personal and professional ventures, the company has revealed.
Mr Jacques has been instrumental in the development of De Bethune alongside co-founder and master watchmaker Denis Flageollet for the past 15 years.
He has been CEO since 2011, a year when the independent watchmaker won the top Aiguille d’Or award at the Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève for its radically-designed DB28.
While Mr Flageollet continued to develop the maison’s watches and movements, Mr Jacques oversaw the commercial growth of the brand as interest in independent watchmakers grew.
He partnered with key retailers around the world, including The Hour Glass in Singapore, Ahmed Seddiqi & Sons in Dubai and Bucherer in Europe.
The most important retailer relationship turned out to be with Govberg Jewelers in Philadelphia, and its associated collectible pre-owned watch business WatchBox, which have now merged into The 1916 Company.
In 2021, Mr Jacques sold a majority stake in De Bethune to the owners of WatchBox, which continues, now as The 1916 Company, to invest in its watchmaking and commercial success.
One of the co-founders of WatchBox, Justin Reis, moved to Switzerland last year to take up the role of executive chairman for De Bethune.
Mr Jacques says his time at the maison has been an extraordinary chapter of his life. “I am proud of what De Bethune has become and profoundly grateful to Denis for everything we’ve built together. Our majority shareholder, The 1916 Company, remains firmly commited to De Bethune’s vision, continuously investing in alignment with Denis’ guidance and the best interests of all our employees. We are preparing a smooth and thoughtful transition, and I am excited for both the De Bethune team and the brand’s promising next chapter,” he adds.
Mr Jacques will continue to support De Bethune in a new role as honorary president, as day-to-day running transfers to a leadership team.
“This transition is guided by a shared sense of trust and continuity. We are grateful to Pierre for remaining honorary president to support this next chapter, working alongside Denis and the team to ensure the De Bethune constellation continues to shine,” Mr Reis says.