Ira Melnitsky, who has served as president and CEO of Rolex-owned watch retailer Tourneau | Bucherer for the past 10 years, is leaving the company, he announced on LinkedIn.
At press time, no replacement has been announced. The 36-store chain did not respond to requests from JCK for comment.
Melnitsky didn’t mention any future plans in his post, just that he was starting his “next chapter.”
The news comes amid signs that Rolex is taking greater control of Bucherer, which it acquired in 2023. Following the purchase, Rolex said the two companies would operate “independently.”
In August, WatchPro reported that Rolex president Nicolas Brunschwig is now also president of Bucherer, and Rolex CEO Jean-Frédéric Dufour has become Bucherer’s vice president. In addition, several Rolex executives have joined Bucherer’s board. (Guido Zumbühl remains Bucherer’s CEO.) Rolex declined comment.
Melnitsky first became CEO of Tourneau in 2013, and saw the 124-year-old retailer through two major ownership changes. In 2018, owner Leonard Green & Partners sold the chain to Bucherer, then primarily known as a European watch retailer. In 2021, Tourneau’s name was changed to Tourneau | Bucherer. The biggest shock came in 2023, when Rolex purchased Bucherer, in a move the industry is still puzzling over.
Melnitsky declined to comment beyond his LinkedIn post. In it, he paid tribute to the team that supported him during his tenure.
“The journey from a struggling organization to one that is now highly successful has been nothing short of remarkable,” he said. “From the long hours to the creative solutions and countless obstacles we’ve overcome, your commitment has been the driving force behind our collective success.”
Photo courtesy of Tourneau
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