Swiss Watch news and archive

Swiss watch exports tick ahead in April

Exports of Swiss watches ticked ahead nearly 14 percent in April, trade figures showed Tuesday, aided by strong demand from prime market Hong Kong. "After a relatively calm March, growth moved ahead strongly in April," the Federation of the Swiss Watch Industry said, noting exports for the first four months of the year rose 11 percent on the...

Business

Swatch says profits up in first half 2017

Swiss watchmaker Swatch said Friday that its profits rose in the first six months, but its performance was dampened by the strength of the Swiss franc. "The overvalued Swiss franc dampened growth in the first half of the year," Swatch said in its first half report. "As in the previous year, the first half of 2017 was characterised by worldwide...

Fairs

Swiss watch exports tumble ahead of Basel trade fair

The world's biggest watch fair will open in Switzerland this week, even as slumping exports of luxury Swiss timepieces appear to dash hopes of a market rebound. Global exports of Swiss watches slid 10 percent in February to 1.5 billion Swiss francs (1.5 billion dollars, 1.4 billion euros), the Federation of the Swiss Watch Industry (FHS) said...

Fashion

Cheesy 'Swiss Mad' watch on offer for one million dollars

A Swiss watchmaker on Thursday unveiled a one-million-euro "Swiss Mad" wristwatch with a case made of local winter cheese and a dial recalling the nation's distinctive red-and-white flag. The tongue-in-cheek edition by H.Moser targets new strictures on watchmakers using the "Swiss Made" label who now have to source 60 percent of the components...

Fashion

Patek Philippe watch fetches record 11 million dollars at auction

A stainless steel Patek Philippe watch has sold for a record 11 million dollars (10.2 million euros) in Geneva, an auction house said Monday. The piece from the Swiss company's 1518 series sold on Saturday for 11,002,000 Swiss francs following a 13-minute bidding war, according to a statement from Phillips, a leading watch auction firm based in...

Business

Swiss watch exports plunge on Hong Kong, US slowdown

Global exports of Swiss watches plummeted in March, amid a dramatic contraction of sales in main markets Hong Kong and the United States. Exports fell 16.1 percent from March 2015 to 1.5 billion Swiss francs (1.5 billion US dollars, 1.4 billion euros), the Federation of the Swiss Watch Industry (FHS) said. In 2015, watch exports recorded their...

Business

Swiss watch exports fall for first time since 2009

Swiss watch exports slumped in 2015, marking their first fall in six years, an industry body said Tuesday, as the key Hong Kong market tanked. After several years of record growth, exports last year fell by 3.3 percent to 21.5 billion francs (21.2 billion US dollars, 19.5 billion euros), the Federation of the Swiss Watch Industry (FHS) said. In...

Fashion Featured

Laurent Dordet: 'Women are the future of Hermes Watches'

The new head of Hermes Watches is hoping a more feminine touch, added with the fashion group's own in-house know-how, will help it navigate through the turbulence rocking the sector. Laurent Dordet, who took the helm of the watch division at the famous Paris fashion house last March, told AFP in an interview he wants to focus even more heavily...

BusinessFeatured

Franc surge casts shadow on Geneva's luxury watch fair

Geneva's luxury watch show where shop owners search out such brands as Cartier and Piaget opened Monday under a cloud as the franc surged after the Swiss central bank abandoned its bid to hold down its value. The fair in Geneva, attracting only professionals, aims to draw 14,000 visitors in just four days from the world over. On opening day,...

Fashion

Swiss firm to put Napoleon's DNA in watches

Napoleon's admirers will be able to carry his DNA on their wrists after a Swiss company announced Tuesday its plans to sell watches containing a fragment of the emperor's hair. Half-millimetre slices of his locks will be placed inside a limited series of some 500 watches that are to bear the likeness of Napoleon, said Viviane de Witt, CEO of De...

Design

A million fake Swiss watches destroyed in 2013

Some one million fake Swiss watches were seized and destroyed around the world last year in the fight against counterfeiters,said the Swiss watch industry organisation on Thursday. The Swiss Watch Industry Federation (FHS), in cooperation with local authorities, lawyers, detectives and others worldwide, helped bring about the seizures of the...

Design

Clearlake Capital acquires Swiss Watch International

Clearlake Capital Group has acquired Swiss Watch International Inc. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. The apparel and accessories retailer runs some leading websites such as WorldofWatches.com, eWatches.com, TheWatchery.com, and SmartBargains.com. Clearlake Capital Group, L.P. and Swiss Watch International, Inc. (SWI) announced Tuesday that...