Revolution
Is the Worst Over for the Swiss Watch Industry?
With the decline in exports slowing down over the last few months, the Swiss luxury watch industry is gradually getting back on its feet.
5,923 articles · 692 videos found · page 15 of 221
Revolution
With the decline in exports slowing down over the last few months, the Swiss luxury watch industry is gradually getting back on its feet.
Time+Tide
Forever the provocateur of the Swiss watch industry, Moser is up to its old tricks again. Say hello to the Moser Swiss Alp Watch Final Upgrade, the last chapter in the Swiss Alp Watch saga that began way back in 2016. Half a decade ago it was a totally new release from the manufacturer with … ContinuedThe post VIDEO: The Moser Swiss Alp Watch Final Upgrade is a brilliantly subversive response to the Apple Watch appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Time+Tide
To paraphrase TAG Heuer CEO Frédéric Arnault, Porsche and TAG Heuer share an attitude: both brands are in constant pursuit of high performance. TAG Heuer sees this alliance as a natural step after decades of friendship that we can visibly trace. All petrolheads appreciate the connection TAG has with motorsports, all the way back to … ContinuedThe post VIDEO: The TAG Heuer Carrera Porsche Chronograph is a marriage made in motorsports heaven appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Deployant
H. Moser surprises with an extension to their cheeky Swiss Alp Watch line with the use of Vantablack on the dial in the final upgrade edition.
Time+Tide
Britain has a long history of horological greatness, having lead the way in innovation thanks to the likes of Thomas Tompion and John Harrison. Today, Farer is a brand that continues to fly the flag for passionate UK watchmakers. Established in 2015, Farer has released a number of heritage-inspired collections. Their philosophy is underpinned by … ContinuedThe post VIDEO: The Farer Field Watch Collection combines the best of British design with Swiss watchmaking appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
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Time+Tide
This year, Piaget achieved an unfathomable feat in watchmaking – a production timepiece only 2mm thick! Not surprisingly, given the scale of this achievement, the composition of the Piaget Altiplano Ultimate Concept is extremely complex. Its super-thin mechanism and harmony between case and movement will astound even the most jaded collectors and it will likely … ContinuedThe post RECOMMENDED READING: Mr. Watchfinder explains the story behind the thinnest watch ever made appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
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The Deloitte Swiss Watch Industry Study 2020 is worth a look for a truly objective insight into the watch industry.The post Five big issues keeping the Swiss watch industry awake at night appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Time+Tide
One of the reasons that watch collecting is so fascinating is its thematic diversity. A timepiece is a wrist-bound intersection for history, culture and the audacity of the human spirit. The only thing is that – whisper it quietly – it’s not always particularly sexy. Eyed from certain angles, the watch world often looks to … ContinuedThe post Five people who made watches sexy again… appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Time+Tide
Editor’s note: This is a story that focuses on two things, being the collection and story of the man that almost certainly owns more Speedmasters than any other collector on earth, Mr Bhaskar Eswaran. It also leads into a description of the new Omega Authentication service for watches more than 30 years old. I am … ContinuedThe post This collector has a different Omega Speedmaster for every day of the year, and has even made ‘Speedy Suspenders’… appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Time+Tide
Just as IWC overhauled their Pilot’s collection in 2019, this year is all about the Portugieser collection for the Schaffhausen-based brand. While there are more than a dozen new references within the 2020 lineup, there’s one particular piece that not only captures the new direction of the collection but also encapsulates what IWC does so … ContinuedThe post Complexity made simple with the IWC Portugieser Perpetual Calendar 42 Boutique Edition appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
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Time+Tide
With December around the corner, the end-of-year party season should be kicking off around about now, with Christmas drinks and all manner of other festivities. Alas, with the UK still awaiting its COVID fate, any cocktail parties on Bond Street or Mayfair are on ice for now. Indeed, as lockdown ponders its own timeframe, it’s … ContinuedThe post HANDS-ON: The Ralph Lauren ‘Negroni Bear’ Polo Bear watch made me want to wear black tie so bad, I did it in my garden appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
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Last night saw the Phillips’ and Blackbird thematic auction Retrospective: 2000 – 2020 play out, with some truly incredible watches reaching truly incredible prices. Two that I wanted to focus on were a pair of watches that are at the same time very similar and very different. Both are handmade. Both are three-handed dress watches … ContinuedThe post Phillips auction battle of Swiss vs. Japanese handmade haute horology – which is better value? appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Time+Tide
Whether you like it or not, the Apple Watch is here to stay and has proven itself the most popular wristwatch in the world. A watch for all people, whether working class, a professional athlete, or celebrity … everyone has seemed to hop on the Apple bandwagon. But is that really any surprise? The reality … ContinuedThe post RECOMMENDED READING: Apple now sells more watches than the entire Swiss watch industry appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Time+Tide
Editor’s note: I don’t want to go all salty Kanye West on Taylor Swift at an awards ceremony here, but imma just pop up here to say that Thor has declared himself the winner in the Fantasy Watch Collection under $5000 edition, EVEN THOUGH I polled more likes on Instagram, and was within one, or … ContinuedThe post You voted, and this was the most popular $5000 watch collection made up of 2020 releases only appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Time+Tide
The Moser Swiss Alp Watch is a thoroughly intriguing proposal, in what seems a familiar smooth shape of a rectangular pebble with re-imagined wire lugs. Your non-horologically biased mates, family and colleagues will no doubt pose the question as to why this has a crown and a hand-sewn alligator strap, only to be silenced by … ContinuedThe post INTRODUCING: The Moser Swiss Alp Watch is less a clever gimmick than it is just great appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
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Sometimes cinema prop masters get lucky. On certain rare occasions, instead of having to unearth pitch-perfect watches for a movie, brands will collaborate on brand-new timepieces that are purpose-built for the film. This often proves to be a win-win. The brands get some welcome publicity and a touch of big-screen glamour, the prop masters get … ContinuedThe post 5 watches specially made for movies, from Hamilton in Tenet, to Audemars Piguet in End of Days appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
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It’s no secret that we are massive fanboys (and girls) of DOXA. It’s why we’re the Australian distributor for the brand. Do we distribute lots of brands? No, just one. We believe DOXA offer some of the best bang for buck on the market for the watch lover – whether it’s at the higher end … ContinuedThe post We made a tribute video to the baddest DOXA ever, which is about to sell out appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
SJX Watches
Having just published its monthly report on Swiss watch exports, the Federation of the Swiss Watch Industry (FH) has delivered numbers that back up what many industry insiders have been saying: China is the only bright spot in watch retail. The FH report for July 2020 indicated a moderating decline in the value of Swiss watch exports, which fell 17% for the month, half the decline in June. The biggest declines in volumes were suffered by cheaper watches, with watches priced at under CHF200 (at export value) falling by 41.5%. The number for watches priced over CHF3,000 was 11.1%. But the key takeaway was the continued recovery in China. Exports to China rose 59.1%, the second straight month of growth in the world’s largest market for Swiss watch exports. The second-largest market of the United States saw exports dip 0.6%, while the fall in exports to Hong Kong – once the world’s largest market – continued their plunge, falling 42.9% for the month.
Time+Tide
A few years back, I remember interviewing Jean-Claude Biver and asking how he thought smartwatches would impact the traditional watch industry. Biver insisted the innovation was positive, saying that he believed smartwatches “will bring the attention of young people back to the wrist”. In other words, they would persuade a new generation to start wearing … ContinuedThe post RECOMMENDED READING: Apple sold nearly 10 million more watches than the entire Swiss watch industry in 2019 appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Quill & Pad
Sabine Zwettler likes the flair of Norqain, a young, innovative brand bringing a fresh impulse by respecting the traditional values of the industry in general and Swiss codes in particular. She finds reading the time on this brand-new watch's unusual green dial with its charming scratches a real pleasure. What do you think?
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SJX Watches
With Baselworld all but finished in name – with the COVID-19 pandemic having served as the catalyst for its demise – its organiser has already lined up a potential replacement, according to Swiss newspaper Handelzeitung. Events company MCH Group, which owns Baselworld and Art Basel, registered the trademark “Swiss Watch Week” in late January 2020, perhaps an indication its management already knew that Baselworld was untenable. Departing Basel, the city that the namesake watch fair had called home for decades is seen as crucial to escape the baggage and bad publicity that has dogged Baselworld. A good part of the criticism levelled at the fair concerns the opportunistic pricing imposed by restaurants, hotels, and other accommodation during the fair. The result was a slow burn that culminated in the end of Baselworld. A scene never to be seen again – the halls of Messe Basel packed with watch brands. Photo – Baselworld Once the world’s largest watch and jewellery fair, Baselworld was hit by a gradually accelerating string of departures, starting in 2018 with industry giant Swatch Group – owner of brands like Omega, Longines, and Tissot – citing the exorbitant cost of exhibiting and other city-related expenses. Swatch was followed by Seiko and others in 2019. But the fatal blow arrived in April 2020, when the fair’s biggest exhibitors – Rolex, Patek Philippe, Chanel, Chopard, and Tudor – pulled out and announced a move to a new, yet-to-be-named fair in...
Time+Tide
Certain expertise has always been found in specific parts of the world, creating hubs of creativity and technical innovation. So what would happen if you put the watchmaking nous of La Chaux-de-Fonds and the tech capability of Silicon Valley together into a watch? You get the TAG Heuer Connected watch, generation 3. The first generation … ContinuedThe post HANDS-ON: The TAG Heuer Connected generation 3 is the Swiss and Silicon Valley doing what they do best, together appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
SJX Watches
Swiss private bank Vontobel has just published its highly-regarded annual report on the luxury watch industry – the news for 2020 is grim. Put together by a team led by managing director Rene Weber, the Vontobel Luxury Goods Shop predicts a 25% fall in Swiss watch exports in 2020 – the biggest drop in 50 years as a result of the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic. A proxy for the global luxury watch market, Swiss watch exports declined 22% during the 2008 financial crisis, and recovered swiftly the year after. But during the financial crisis there were no store or factory closures, and no halt to international travel. Since mid-March most watch brands, including giants Rolex and Patek Philippe, have shut their factories, or introduced short-time work, with between 60-70% of employees at Swatch Group working reduced hours. File photo of the Rolex factory in Bienne that’s gone quiet for now. Photo – Rolex At the peak of the pandemic in China, when practically the entire country was in lockdown, Vontobel estimated February sales fell 80%, something it expects will be repeated throughout the rest of the world. And even e-commerce is not enough to alleviate the situation substantially, because of logistical challenges. The report notes that as of mid-March,”the Swiss watch industry has come to an almost global standstill.” Unsurprisingly, the bank expects the pandemic to result in a steeper fall and slower recovery for the Swiss watch industry. The bank expects a s...
Time+Tide
The idea came from a letter we received at info@timeandtidewatches.com We are lucky to receive a lot of random personal mail at that address. And the truth is we read all of it and try to reply to as much as we can. The influx of mail since cities have starting locking down around the … ContinuedThe post Andrew has made an epic 70-video YouTube playlist of his favourite T+T videos. Bye bye four hours. appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
SJX Watches
Trade body Federation of the Swiss Watch Industry (FH) just released its monthly export figures for Swiss watches – a proxy for the broader luxury watch market since Swiss timepieces dominate – and the February numbers are bleak. The month’s statistics illustrate two obvious trends that have shaped in the industry recently: the COVID-19 coronavirus is having a massive impact, and low-cost Swiss watches are being trounced by low-cost smartwatches. An Asian crisis, for now Compared with February last year, the value of exports globally declined by 9.2% – with export volume plunging 22.2% – but as the report notes darkly, the drop “does not yet fully reflect the actual situation in certain markets.” Unsurprisingly, the steepest declines were in the biggest Asian markets – China and Hong Kong – which suffered the worst period of the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic in the first two months of the year. The biggest fall was in Hong Kong, where exports fell 42% – the largest monthly decline in 20 years. The city imported just CHF143m of Swiss watches, compared to CHF246m for the same month last year. Exports to China fell 51.5% to CHF73m, from CHF151m for February 2019. February was merely an acceleration of a months-long decline. For the first three months of the year, exports to Hong Kong have fallen 33% compared to the same period last year, while exports to China are down 22%. Though exports to other large markets like the United States, Singapore, and Germa...
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