Journey Of Luxury Watch Brands

Back to one year ago, when the luxury watch industry was just settling down, the world was struck with the COVID pandemic. During such times, trade shows like Watches & Wonders prove that digital navigation is key to this timeless accessory’s survival.

Due to the pandemic, two major watch fairs, Baselworld and SIHH Geneva( now called Watches & Wonders) were cancelled. W&W over the years has seen more luxury brands wanting to be a part of it due to their luxurious setting and trade and media partners. On the other hand, Baselworld has been struggling- Initially with the Swatch Group (Breguet, Omega, Longines, Rado, Tissot, Swatch and more) and then the Breitling announcement last year, both deciding to focus on their independent exhibitions.

Recently, another blow was faced by them as Rolex, Patek Philippe, Chopard and Chanel walking out, followed by the LVMH Group (Bulgari, Hublot, Zenith, TAG Heuer) decided to walk out. Meanwhile, W&W did a digital release of the novelties by all the brands on April 25.

The Swiss Constant

Greubel Forsey has been a part of SIHH regularly till 2019. The brand sells up to 100 timepieces every year which cost crores of rupees. Hence, for them meeting customers personally is no doubt a better strategy. For them, supply has always been a bigger concern than demand for them. It has been a special year for them as they released their first-ever sports-oriented watch – the GMT Sport or the pinnacle of craftsmanship, the Hand Made 1. It is made using only hand-operated tools, one single timepiece requiring an extraordinary 6,000 hours work.

Although the Swiss manufacturers such as  GF Atelier at La Chaux de-Fonds haven’t returned to work, the skeleton staff is returning.

CEO of IWC, Christoph Grainger-Herr also agrees that launching the Portugieser line has been one of the best decisions the brand has taken in 2020. Portugieser will be the right kind of product in the post-Covid era where consumers will seek comfort from trusted brands. For now, the ability to appreciate completely new designs or vintage re-issues will be low.

The second-oldest Swiss watch brand, Favre-Leuba (not owned by Tatas) took 2020 to be a year of transition and turned to online sales as the need of the hour.

Return of the Classics

Panerai: The brand is celebrating the 70th anniversary of Luminor, the luminescent substance now synonymous with the most iconic watch families. To celebrate this, three new Luminor Marinas have been launched.

It continues to invest on futuristic materials while celebrating the. Three new Luminor Marinas have been launched: DMLS, CarbotechTM and FibratechTM in limited editions of 270 pieces and an astounding 70-year warranty. FibratechTM, a resilient composite of fully recyclable mineral fibres from molten volcanic rock, is used for the first time in the watch industry.

Cartier: The brand stepped on with their all-time classics as they presented their three contemporary classics-  Tank, Pasha and Santos, in multiple references. Santos has got many excited in 2020 and is a tribute to the first-ever watch and aviator  Alberto Santos-Dumont. The watch beats to a rhythm of  430 MC manual winding mechanical movement and is engraved with the original plans of Santos-Dumont.

Hermès: Hermès’s latest, Slim d’Hermès collection is designed by designer Philippe Apeloig and has garnered a lot of limelight. The GMT collection is in a rose-gold case and multitextured blue dial, with a sunburst centre, snailed date counter, and grained, silver-toned subdial with playfully arranged numerals allowing for a second-time zone.