Cautious Optimism Fills Baselworld Buoyed by Asian Demand for Luxury

By William George Shuster
Special Correspondent

A fractured arm kept me from attending Baselworld this year. Fortunately, I know some of the best writers and experts in the jewelry and watch industry. One of those folks is William George Shuster who has kindly agreed to take time from his busy schedule to write a few stories from the tradeshow. Below is his first report from the event.

BASEL,

Swiss Watch Exports Surpass $21 Million in 2011

Photo credit: Ulysse Nardin
Swiss watch exports grew by 19.2 percent in 2011 to 19.3 billion francs ($21.1 billion), according to the Federation of the Swiss Watch Industry. With the exception of 2010, which followed a major downturn, it is the strongest growth in the industry for the past 20 years. Each month in 2011 had double-digit growth, year-over-year, except for June, which posted a 9.2

Swatch Group Reports Record Sales

Swatch Times Square store.

Swatch Group saw its 2011 gross sales increase 21.7 percent, year-over-year, to 7.14 billion Swiss francs ($7.5 billion) with December 2011 posting the strongest month in sales in company history.

The world’s largest watchmaker shrugged off the impact of the strong Swiss franc, which negatively affected sales by 10.8 percent. “Despite this extremely negative

Jewelry and Watches a Top e-Commerce Performer

Jewelry and Watches is one of several product categories that grew at least 15 percent in sales, compared to a year ago, according to comScore, Inc., a digital measurement and analytical firm. The Reston, Va.-based company did not give details on the jewelry with a report it recently published. However, jewelry and watches was a top performer, along with other categories that experienced

Movado Watch Sales Increase 32% and Goes from Loss to Profit

The Movado Rockefeller Center store, the only Movado boutique left in the Movado Group's restructuring plan.

The Movado Group said Thursday that net sales of its watches in the second quarter of fiscal 2012 increased 32.6 percent, year-over-year, to $113.2 million. On a constant dollar basis, net sales increased 25.5 percent compared to the prior year period. Income from continuing

Watches by Frédérique Constant for Land and Alpina for Sea

The Frédérique Constant Manufacture Tourbillon Grand Feu.

The Swiss watch brand Frédérique Constant and its subsidiary Alpina have been awfully busy lately producing new models of timepieces.
Among the new releases for Frédérique Constant is its Manufacture Tourbillon Grand Feu featuring a hand-enameled dial. The company says that genuine enamel dials are rare and only made by watch

Ulysse Nardin Shocked and Saddened by Sudden Death of its CEO

Rolf W. Schnyder, CEO of the Swiss watch manufacturer Ulysse Nardin, unexpectedly died on April 14 after a short illness. He was 76.“With the passing of Rolf W. Schnyder, the watchmaking industry has lost one of its greatest visionaries, while Ulysse Nardin has lost an important source of innovation for the firm. We are profoundly moved and distraught at this sudden loss. Our full sympathies are

Tissot’s Interactive Window Display at Harrods

Those of you who read this website regularly know that Swiss watchmaker Tissot has been using augmented reality displays to market its products at department stores and online. This time, the famous Harrods department store in London gets the interactive treatment.
The company is showcasing its Ladies and T-Touch collection in one of Harrods window displays on Brompton Road as part of the

A View of Baselworld, Video of Frédérique Constant Press Conference

BASEL, Switzerland – Yes, it's the same photo I used a few days ago when writing about Frédérique Constant's product introductions at Baselworld. But here’s an added bonus. Below is a video of the Swiss watch company's March 24 press event at its showrooms in the back of Hall 1.0. Peter Stas, Frédérique Constant's managing director, led the event, which was followed by lunch on the showroom

Frédérique Constant, Introduces Four New Watch Collections

Peter Stas introduces new timepiece at Baselworld.

BASEL, Switzerland - Frédérique Constant used the opening day of Baselworld March 24 to officially introduce four new collections, each for a particular market. The Swiss watch brand’s compound of a pair of two-story showrooms in the back of Hall 1.0 served as the backdrop for the announcement. Peter Stas, the Swiss watch brand's managing

Watch Review: Equipe Caters to Gearheads

No one would ever accuse the watch brand, Equipe, of not knowing its market. The company’s new line of watches are made to appeal to people who like to spend their afternoons under the hood of muscle car and their evenings showing off their polished high-performance vehicles to women who are as attractive as the bikini models on the company’s pinup calendar. For a little extra fun on a hot

Swatch Group Sales So Strong it’s Having Trouble Meeting Demand

Swatch Group, the world's largest watchmaker, enjoyed double-digit sales growth in February, continuing the strong trend seen the month before, Reuters and other media outlets report. Even the immediate issue facing the Swiss-based company is show of its strength. It needs to hire more people and expand its production facilities because it’s facing difficulty meeting demand.

Swatch is looking

Timepiece Tuesday: Swatch Group Names New Presidents for Rado and Hamilton Watch Brands

Matthias Breschan
 By William George Shuster

Matthias Breschan, formerly president of Hamilton watches worldwide, has been named the new president of Rado watches worldwide by the Swatch Group. Breschan originally joined the Swatch Group, which owns both Rado and Hamilton, in 1996 and had been president of Hamilton since 2003.

He succeeds Roland Streule, the long-time president of Rado SA.