Case study

Stores

280+

Countries

120+

Going Global with Saleor: E‑Commerce Replatforming for Breitling

01 Story

Founded in 1884, Breitling has long been synonymous with precision and innovation in the watchmaking industry. What began as a small workshop dedicated to crafting accurate chronographs has evolved into a global brand known for its pioneering spirit and commitment to excellence.

Breitling’s journey is marked by a series of groundbreaking achievements, including inventing the form of the modern chronograph, equipping the first pilot’s watch with a circular slide rule, sending the first Swiss wristwatch into space and the first dive chronograph underwater.

In their pursuit of excellence, Breitling is now embracing digital transformation to composable commerce to ensure that customers worldwide enjoy the same precision and modern-retro elegance online as they do in person.

breitling.com

brand since 1884,

technologies from 2019

02 Mission

Great Digital Experience for a Global Luxury Market

Breitling is driven by a mission to create exceptional products and experiences with better materials, manufacturing, and packaging. They were looking for a tech partner who could bring that same level of excellence into their digital presence.

With our support, Breitling is now positioned to become a leading success story in digital transformation, building a sustainable and future-proof technology stack. We are proud to have joined this journey.

03 Goals

Empower Team Independence

Give teams the freedom to operate on their own, cutting back on IT dependency and driving faster innovation.

Speed Up Time to Market

Harness the composable architecture to roll out updates and launch features at lightning speed, fueling brand global growth.

Expand Global Reach

Replatforming to Saleor and setting up a scalable platform to power Breitling's growth into new markets and quickly adapting to different regional needs.

Elevate Customer Experience

Deliver a consistent and premium experience across all touchpoints, reflecting the luxury and quality that Breitling stands for.

The project's goals went beyond implementing new technology. We aimed to empower non-technical teams with more control over their e-commerce stack and reduce their reliance on IT. By enabling them to work independently, we want to foster a more agile environment and accelerate Breitling's innovation.

Michał Ociepka,

COO at Mirumee

04 Challenges

Scalability Limitations

Breitling’s previous e-commerce platform struggled to scale with the company and restricted Breitling's ability to expand its offerings. Replatforming to composable architecture was essential to support future growth and create a more scalable and flexible solution.

Team Independence and Operational Flexibility

A key challenge was enabling various departments to work autonomously without relying on IT for every update. By replatforming, Breitling aimed to empower teams such as marketing, sales, and merchandising to manage content, create landing pages, and execute other tasks using pre-built components, speeding up new initiatives.

Complex Business Processes

Bringing various tools together into a unified, composable commerce ecosystem was especially challenging due to Breitling's unique processes. Many of these processes required custom integrations and close collaboration with our partners to ensure smooth operation.

Consistent Omnichannel Experience

Bridging digital and in-store experiences was crucial to building consistent brand experience across multiple touchpoints. To achieve this, Breitling needed highly customized services that would personalize the customer journey using data-driven insights and enable both online-to-offline and offline-to-online capabilities.

Multicurrency & Multipayment Support

In the global luxury market, offering secure and flexible payment options is non-negotiable. At the same time, finding a one-size-fits-all solution is nearly impossible. We had to adjust existing payment systems and develop custom solutions to handle complex, high-value transactions.

Security Vulnerabilities

The legacy system contained numerous poorly written APIs, which could lead to critical security vulnerabilities, including data leaks. Strengthening data protection was one of the top priority during the replatforming.

Localization for DACH Region

A major challenge was adapting the e-commerce platform to comply with the specific payment regulations and consumer expectations of the DACH region. We had to revise the checkout process to ensure it was perfectly aligned with local standards like two-factor authentication, payment installments, and GDPR Compliance.

05 Strategy

Composable Commerce Approach

Saleor played a pivotal role in our strategic planning during Breitling's replatforming.

Its reputation for scalability and API-first, microservice architecture made it the perfect fit for building a truly customized e-commerce ecosystem.

The composable approach gave us the freedom to select the best-in-class tools for every aspect of the platform. It also gave Breitling full control over their business processes, helping them improve operational efficiency and provide a seamless experience for customers.

With the composable architecture, Breitling can roll out new features and adapt to market needs much more rapidly compared to the old monolith system.

Moving from a monolithic platform to composable commerce with a big bang approach was no small feat — it was a bold challenge, but one that was necessary to truly transform our business.

Rajesh Shanmugasundaram,

CTO at Breitling

World-Class Partners Integration

Building a high-performance digital platform requires a carefully orchestrated integration of leading technologies. By combining Vercel, Contentful, and Akamai, we ensured that Breitling's digital infrastructure was fast and highly flexible.

Vercel's deployment capabilities and Next.js provided a robust environment for fast iterations and agile storefront development, while Akamai's advanced image caching preserved critical optimization. On the content side, Contentful's headless CMS enabled the marketing team to manage dynamic, market-specific content effortlessly without reliance on hardcoded elements.

By integrating industry-leading partners, we created a cohesive and scalable ecosystem, assuring Breitling's digital platform is ready to support the company's ongoing global expansion.

Our platform integrates with 20+ systems — from PIM, ERP, and CRM to PSPs, warranty/NFT, data lakes, and shipping carriers — creating a seamless and scalable ecosystem ready to support future innovations.

Rajesh Shanmugasundaram,

CTO at Breitling

Internal Operations Support

Delivering a seamless digital experience required more than just customer-facing improvements. It also meant enhancing the efficiency of their internal systems to ensure optimal performance and exceptional service at every level.

By improving the tools Breitling’s team uses daily, we aimed to simplify their workflows and ensure they could manage operations effectively across different regions.

This approach was key to building a solid foundation that could support Breitling’s growth and scalability on an international level.

Headless Architecture Implementation

In the luxury market, customers expect not just a product but an experience that matches the quality and prestige of the brand. For Breitling, known for its precision and luxury, the online storefront had to perfectly reflect these values.

To make this possible, we implemented a headless architecture that decoupled the frontend and backend systems, allowing Breitling to design and enhance their storefront without limitations.

This modern approach enabled Breitling to deliver a fast, responsive, and user-friendly interface that caters to a diverse audience and supports multiple currencies, languages, and regional preferences.

06 Technology

Screenshots of finished ecommerce platform

07 Collaboration

Tailored Project Methodology

A one-size-fits-all approach doesn’t work with established organizations. Instead of enforcing rituals, we focus on deeply integrating with existing structures. With Breitling, we crafted a workflow that balances agile practices with clear milestones and structured planning, ensuring rapid development stays aligned with their processes.

User Story Completion

Walkthrought and Clarification

High-Level Architecture

Breitling’s Feedback

Development Estimation

Development Lifecycle

Testing by Brietling

Bug Fixing

Epic Completed

Working Hand-in-Hand with Partners

Close cooperation with partners is critical for projects of this magnitude. Breitling’s new ecosystem harnesses cutting-edge technologies from industry leaders like Akamai, Contentful, and Vercel. Proactive collaboration ensured seamless integration and resulted in a solution perfectly aligned with Breitling’s vision.

Case study

Stores

280+

Countries

120+

Going Global with Saleor: E‑Commerce Replatforming for Breitling

01 Story

Founded in 1884, Breitling has long been synonymous with precision and innovation in the watchmaking industry. What began as a small workshop dedicated to crafting accurate chronographs has evolved into a global brand known for its pioneering spirit and commitment to excellence.

Breitling’s journey is marked by a series of groundbreaking achievements, including inventing the form of the modern chronograph, equipping the first pilot’s watch with a circular slide rule, sending the first Swiss wristwatch into space and the first dive chronograph underwater.

In their pursuit of excellence, Breitling is now embracing digital transformation to composable commerce to ensure that customers worldwide enjoy the same precision and modern-retro elegance online as they do in person.

breitling.com

brand since 1884,

technologies from 2019

02 Mission

Great Digital Experience for a Global Luxury Market

Breitling is driven by a mission to create exceptional products and experiences with better materials, manufacturing, and packaging. They were looking for a tech partner who could bring that same level of excellence into their digital presence.

With our support, Breitling is now positioned to become a leading success story in digital transformation, building a sustainable and future-proof technology stack. We are proud to have joined this journey.

03 Goals

Empower Team Independence

Give teams the freedom to operate on their own, cutting back on IT dependency and driving faster innovation.

Speed Up Time to Market

Harness the composable architecture to roll out updates and launch features at lightning speed, fueling brand global growth.

Expand Global Reach

Replatforming to Saleor and setting up a scalable platform to power Breitling's growth into new markets and quickly adapting to different regional needs.

Elevate Customer Experience

Deliver a consistent and premium experience across all touchpoints, reflecting the luxury and quality that Breitling stands for.

The project's goals went beyond implementing new technology. We aimed to empower non-technical teams with more control over their e-commerce stack and reduce their reliance on IT. By enabling them to work independently, we want to foster a more agile environment and accelerate Breitling's innovation.

Michał Ociepka,

COO at Mirumee

04 Challenges

Scalability Limitations

Breitling’s previous e-commerce platform struggled to scale with the company and restricted Breitling's ability to expand its offerings. Replatforming to composable architecture was essential to support future growth and create a more scalable and flexible solution.

Team Independence and Operational Flexibility

A key challenge was enabling various departments to work autonomously without relying on IT for every update. By replatforming, Breitling aimed to empower teams such as marketing, sales, and merchandising to manage content, create landing pages, and execute other tasks using pre-built components, speeding up new initiatives.

Complex Business Processes

Bringing various tools together into a unified, composable commerce ecosystem was especially challenging due to Breitling's unique processes. Many of these processes required custom integrations and close collaboration with our partners to ensure smooth operation.

Consistent Omnichannel Experience

Bridging digital and in-store experiences was crucial to building consistent brand experience across multiple touchpoints. To achieve this, Breitling needed highly customized services that would personalize the customer journey using data-driven insights and enable both online-to-offline and offline-to-online capabilities.

Multicurrency & Multipayment Support

In the global luxury market, offering secure and flexible payment options is non-negotiable. At the same time, finding a one-size-fits-all solution is nearly impossible. We had to adjust existing payment systems and develop custom solutions to handle complex, high-value transactions.

Security Vulnerabilities

The legacy system contained numerous poorly written APIs, which could lead to critical security vulnerabilities, including data leaks. Strengthening data protection was one of the top priority during the replatforming.

Localization for DACH Region

A major challenge was adapting the e-commerce platform to comply with the specific payment regulations and consumer expectations of the DACH region. We had to revise the checkout process to ensure it was perfectly aligned with local standards like two-factor authentication, payment installments, and GDPR Compliance.

05 Strategy

Composable Commerce Approach

Saleor played a pivotal role in our strategic planning during Breitling's replatforming.

Its reputation for scalability and API-first, microservice architecture made it the perfect fit for building a truly customized e-commerce ecosystem.

The composable approach gave us the freedom to select the best-in-class tools for every aspect of the platform. It also gave Breitling full control over their business processes, helping them improve operational efficiency and provide a seamless experience for customers.

With the composable architecture, Breitling can roll out new features and adapt to market needs much more rapidly compared to the old monolith system.

Moving from a monolithic platform to composable commerce with a big bang approach was no small feat — it was a bold challenge, but one that was necessary to truly transform our business.

Rajesh Shanmugasundaram,

CTO at Breitling

World-Class Partners Integration

Building a high-performance digital platform requires a carefully orchestrated integration of leading technologies. By combining Vercel, Contentful, and Akamai, we ensured that Breitling's digital infrastructure was fast and highly flexible.

Vercel's deployment capabilities and Next.js provided a robust environment for fast iterations and agile storefront development, while Akamai's advanced image caching preserved critical optimization. On the content side, Contentful's headless CMS enabled the marketing team to manage dynamic, market-specific content effortlessly without reliance on hardcoded elements.

By integrating industry-leading partners, we created a cohesive and scalable ecosystem, assuring Breitling's digital platform is ready to support the company's ongoing global expansion.

Our platform integrates with 20+ systems — from PIM, ERP, and CRM to PSPs, warranty/NFT, data lakes, and shipping carriers — creating a seamless and scalable ecosystem ready to support future innovations.

Rajesh Shanmugasundaram,

CTO at Breitling

Internal Operations Support

Delivering a seamless digital experience required more than just customer-facing improvements. It also meant enhancing the efficiency of their internal systems to ensure optimal performance and exceptional service at every level.

By improving the tools Breitling’s team uses daily, we aimed to simplify their workflows and ensure they could manage operations effectively across different regions.

This approach was key to building a solid foundation that could support Breitling’s growth and scalability on an international level.

Headless Architecture Implementation

In the luxury market, customers expect not just a product but an experience that matches the quality and prestige of the brand. For Breitling, known for its precision and luxury, the online storefront had to perfectly reflect these values.

To make this possible, we implemented a headless architecture that decoupled the frontend and backend systems, allowing Breitling to design and enhance their storefront without limitations.

This modern approach enabled Breitling to deliver a fast, responsive, and user-friendly interface that caters to a diverse audience and supports multiple currencies, languages, and regional preferences.

06 Technology

07 Collaboration

Tailored Project Methodology

A one-size-fits-all approach doesn’t work with established organizations. Instead of enforcing rituals, we focus on deeply integrating with existing structures. With Breitling, we crafted a workflow that balances agile practices with clear milestones and structured planning, ensuring rapid development stays aligned with their processes.

User Story Completion

Walkthrought and Clarification

High-Level Architecture

Breitling’s Feedback

Development Estimation

Development Lifecycle

Testing by Brietling

Bug Fixing

Epic Completed

Working Hand-in-Hand with Partners

Close cooperation with partners is critical for projects of this magnitude. Breitling’s new ecosystem harnesses cutting-edge technologies from industry leaders like Akamai, Contentful, and Vercel. Proactive collaboration ensured seamless integration and resulted in a solution perfectly aligned with Breitling’s vision.