From Switzerland to The Vault: Exploring Zenith Watches’ Legacy with Brand President Ellen Sorenson
Written by Audrey Weber
This past Tuesday, October 29, The Vault had the exclusive opportunity to host Ellen Sorenson, the Brand President of Zenith Watches, under LVMH, to discuss all things Zenith Watches, Brand Management, and the possibilities of exploring careers in luxury retail.
The watchmaking industry has evolved a lot since its founding, but in many ways, Zenith has worked hard to maintain some of the industry’s earliest traditions. Zenith planted its roots in Switzerland in 1865, and neither their address nor manufacturing headquarters have changed since. About a quarter of the global watch market’s valuation- roughly $100 billion per year - comes out of Switzerland. Zenith is a major contributor to this lucrative success.
Technology has greatly shifted the watchmaking industry over time. For example, pivoting directions due to the effects of the quartz crisis of the 1960s was very prominent across the watchmaking industry; however, Zenith has stayed true to their traditional Swiss watchmaking style. Charles Vermot, who designed “El Primero” – the world’s first automatic high-frequency chronograph, which combines a stopwatch with a display watch – deserves a majority of that credit. Vermot preserved the steps and machinery needed to produce the El Primero, and honored the integrity of the watch and its engineers by secretly storing all of the necessary components in the attic of the manufacturing facility. Over time it has evolved into the Chronomaster, which is Zenith’s best selling watch style today.
In the effort to maintain Zenith’s rich history, brand management plays a pivotal role. Sorenson runs an intimate but mighty team of 279 colleagues globally, who all play the role of brand ambassadors of Zenith. Sorensen’s role as Brand President focuses on four main business drivers in everything she does: products, channels, clients, marketing.
What makes Zenith unique is their family-like presence – especially compared to other watch industry competitors out there. Globally, Zenith has 500 points of sale, 70 of which are in the Americas. The majority of their business is done through brick-and-mortar retail, with a smaller online E-Commerce presence as well. Thinking about the future, Zenith is set to open up their first retail location in the U.S. as a way to increase client visibility and elevate customer experience.
In just this past year – and especially exciting for us Wisconsinites – Zenith did a collaboration with NFL Quarterback, Aaron Rodgers. The collaboration yielded an exclusive Chronomaster Sport with green accents, and only 250 watches were made in this style. To celebrate this exciting collaboration, Zenith hosted a launch party in New York which put all four business drivers to work.
Sorenson has forged an impressive career, leading her all over the world to Europe, Asia, and the Americas in various luxury-brand capacities. By remaining true to her authentic self and staying humble, Sorenson has accessed some amazing opportunities. She imparted this wisdom onto Vault members also looking to explore careers in luxury retail.
What stands out about working at Zenith, in comparison to the other impressive careers, is the friendly, personalized experience that is crafted – quite literally – with great mindfulness. Making less than 20,000 watches per year, when you go to Zenith, you don’t get the typical transactional experience. At Zenith, it is exclusive. You meet people who are dedicated to their craft, and ensure that every customer has a meaningful and personalized experience from start to finish.
The informative and engaging event wrapped up with a Q&A session, where Vault members got to ask Sorenson various questions regarding brand management at Zenith, delve deeper into her impressive career path, and learn more about the watch industry and its future direction as a whole. To bring the event full circle, Vault members had the exclusive opportunity to see the detailed craftsmanship of Zenith watches in person, and to feel the history and evolution of Zenith come to life in their very own hands.
Edited by Hana Razvi, Marlo Pulliam, Olivia Daly, Katherine Rubinstein & Sophia Buckholtz
