Watch the full conversation between Carina Ertl and Fashionista’s Editor in Chief Dhani Mau on The Fashionista Network.

Though German-born Carina Ertl began her career as a journalist in New York, she soon did a full 180 to pursue business consulting. Then, for her second career pivot, Ertl landed a job at Swarovski focused on brand marketing, brand building and the arts, and climbed the ranks for almost a decade.

With a master’s degree in marketing, international politics and American literature already under her belt, Ertl attended Stanford University’s Executive MBA Program and later began working in private equity. Following her fascination with craftsmanship and brand heritage, Ertl now serves as luxury watch and fine jewelry retailer Tourneau | Bucherer USA’s chief marketing officer.

“When you see, literally, a watch being taken apart and put back together, it’s pure art. It’s just fascinating,” Ertl told Dhani Mau on The Fashionista Network. (Watch it here!) “So I feel like as long as I can connect with the product, that’s where I’m happiest.”

Ertl’s strategy for rebranding Tourneau | Bucherer (which was acquired by Rolex in 2023) took Bucherer’s heritage and core values into consideration and assessed what U.S. consumers would respond to based on feedback from focus groups. As a result, the retailer refurbished select stores and emphasized bringing “Swiss hospitality” to the U.S.

“We really went [for] a very personalized approach,” Ertl shared of the rebranding strategy. “We started with a hybrid, dual brand. So we still carry both logos, Tourneau slash Bucherer, just so that it becomes clear to the clients that this is the journey from Tourneau becoming Bucherer. Now, we are in the final, final stages where we are dropping Tourneau and we are fully becoming Bucherer.”

In the full interview, Ertl expanded on the rebranding process’s timeline, embracing modernization through this transition, her insights into the watch consumer base in the U.S. and attracting a younger timepiece audience. She also shared her thoughts on mentoring women in the industry and her best advice for young professionals entering the corporate world.

Watch the full interview here.

This conversation was hosted on The Fashionista Network powered by interactive media platform Fireside, where viewers get the chance to participate and speak directly with industry figures. Learn more about The Fashionista Network here.

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