Several theme emerged during panel discussions between retailers, brands and watch collectors at the United Arab Emirates summit.
IN MAG
A vibrant independent watch repair and servicing industry underpins the value of pre-owned and vintage watches, argues Anthony Cousins. Without it, the current price bubble could burst.
Mr Biver, freed from his daily responsibilities running LVMH's Watchmaking Division, now tours the world as an ambassador for the entire Swiss watch industry.
Although Grand Seiko was born back in 1960, it only started being sold outside Japan in 2010 and got its first corporate office outside of Asia just last year. Despite its relative youth, the luxury watchmaker is rapidly establishing itself as a collectors’ favourite and giving many venerable Swiss marques a run for their money, as Rob Corder discovers.
Dubai Watch Week was first held by Ahmed Seddiqi & Sons in 2015, and its return next week will be by far the largest of the four times it has been organized by the Middle East’s largest luxury watch retail group.
The number of exhibitors to Baselworld has plummeted from over 2000 in 2009 to 520 earlier this year. It looked like the ultimate hospital pass when Michel Loris-Melikoff took over as managing director of the show last year, just weeks after Swatch Group announced it was pulling all of its brands for the show. But, a year on, Mr Loris-Melikoff says exhibitor numbers will rise to over 600 in 2020 thanks to fresh initiatives that aim to lower the cost of participating, attract more consumers to the event and make the whole week far more enjoyable. Rob Corder met the show supremo in Basel for an update on progress.
Co-founder Anna Lee says unique designs and smart marketing are keeping the brand growing in the UK and abroad.
Customers will have more luck finding rocking horse shit than a steel Daytona, Nautilus or Royal Oak (we call them unicorn watches), so in the certain situation that you cannot offer them to your best clients, WatchPro has created this handy guide to gorgeous alternatives.
Sky high demand for key Rolex, Patek Philippe and Audemars Piguet models is raising the profile of luxury watches as an investment category. But if you can’t offer your customers these unicorn watches, perhaps you could steer them towards interesting alternatives from independent watchmakers.
Entering David M Robinson’s refurbished and extended Manchester showroom is like walking into a Four Seasons hotel with Michelin-starred levels of service and attention to detail.