Breitling USA has “had its best year ever” in 2004, says Marie Bodman, president of the U.S. office of the popular Swiss luxury brand, best known for its precision aeronautic watches.

Bodman told JCK Thursday that business was up 38% over 2004, “Setting us (with) a real challenge for 2005,” she joked.

Bodman credits recent marketing and customer-support programs for the company’s strong performance this year.

“We’re harvesting the results of all our good efforts in marketing, ads, and customer support are paying off,” she says. “We’ve stay focused on product and we’re customer-oriented.”

Breitling has a U.S. distribution network of some 300 retailers.

JCK