A year of the rabbit for watch brands?
China, which weighed on watch exports at end 2022, will be the key to activity in 2023, a year that opens with mixed prospects. Will China’s impact on luxury sales be as great as in 2021?
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What next for the pre-owned market?
Once dismissed as a hang-out for unscrupulous traders touting fakes, in little more than a decade the pre-owned watch market has grown to remarkable proportions and is expected to surpass sales of new watches. Consultancy firm LuxeConsult predicts this reversal in roles for 2033.
Hong Kong protests are hurting companies around the globe
This happened this week – From Hong Kong crisis to the Audemars Piguet new exhibition in Japan, take a look at our press digest including a glimpse at Jean-Claude Biver’s onw collection, British watch industry and Prada’s new sustainable loan.
“Arcades des Arts” – One name, two foundations
The Pont de la Machine is now home to the Fondation de la Haute Horlogerie and the Michelangelo Foundation for Creativity and Craftsmanship. Renamed "Arcades des Arts", this historical building in downtown Geneva thus becomes a veritable hub of watchmaking and craft culture.
Still waiting for sustainable watches
Despite all the talk about sustainability and ethical production, environmentally and socially responsible products are still more theory than practice.
Breitling and Outerknown together for the environment
Breitling has teamed up with sustainable clothing company Outerknown for a new SuperOcean watch and the first collection of 18 NATO-style straps in environmentally-friendly ECONYL® yarn. The straps are compatible with all Breitling watches.
Luxury under threat in Hong Kong
With protesters more determined than ever after four months of unrest, Hong Kong is struggling to maintain its status as a world capital of luxury. Economic recession in the special administrative region spells bad news for watch brands as shipments to this main export market have fallen by 6% since the start of the year.
The high price of evading import duty in China
Three months ago, Patek Philippe and Vacheron Constantin were two of the hottest searches on Weibo: not for their watches, but because of customers' attempts to avoid import duty.
