Swiss watch exports made further gains in July 2017, growing 3.6% to CHF1.7 billion as compared to the same month in 2016. This was the third consecutive month of growth for Swiss watch exports, according to the Federation of the Swiss Watch Industry.
Swiss watch exports had been on a long and steep decline for some 21 months before achieving a recovery in March 2017 with the 7.5% growth to CHF1.59 billion as compared to the same month in 2016. Watch shipments to Hong Kong in March 2017 recorded a positive growth of 18% after 25 months of consecutive declines.
Swiss watch shipments to Hong Kong were still down by a quarter or 25.4% from January to July 2017 as compared to the same period in 2015. However, between January 2017 to July 2017 vis-à-vis the same period in 2016, Swiss watch exports to Hong Kong rose 2.9% to CHF1.4 billion. For the month of July 2017 alone, watch shipments to Hong Kong rose 16.8% to CHF204.8 million as compared to the same period in 2016. Analysts have cautioned that such data may not be entirely accurate due to seasonal effects and that inventory that has been “bought back” are not taken into account.
Nonetheless, such a positive economic backdrop for Swiss watch exports may bode well for the eighth World Brand Piazza hosted by Prince Jewellery & Watch Company at the Hong Kong Watch & Clock Fair 2017.
World Brand Piazza entrance © Timmy Tan
Held from 5th to 9th September 2017, the World Brand Piazza has been organised by Prince Jewellery & Watch Company since 2010. It showcases important timepieces from major international brands. For the 2017 edition, the eighth show for Prince Jewellery & Watch Company, thirteen watch brands are participating: Blancpain, Breguet, Chopard, Corum, DeWitt, Franck Muller, Glashutte Original, Jacob & Co., Jaquet Droz, Juvenia, Montblanc, Piaget and Zenith. With Swiss watch exports back into positive territory, thirteen may not be such an unlucky number after all.
The key highlights for the World Brand Piazza are unique timepieces, namely the Billionaire Tourbillon Watch that is being retailed at HKD160 million (around USD20.4 million) and the Astronomia Solar Tourbillon priced at HKD2.8 million (around USD357,800), both of which are from Jacob & Co.
Jacob & Co.’s Billionaire Tourbillon Watch features 239 emerald-cut diamonds, including one single three-carat stone, with the total weight amounting to a whopping 260 carats. The Astronomia Solar Tourbillon Watch has a 3D model simulating the Moon’s revolution around planet Earth.
Billionaire Tourbillon Watch by Jacob & Co. © Timmy Tan
Founded in 1984 by Dr Jimmy Tang, Prince Jewellery & Watch Company’s first retail shop was located at Hankow Centre, Tsim Sha Tsui in Hong Kong. In 2016, in the midst of all the doom and gloom facing the watch industry, especially in Hong Kong, Prince Jewellery & Watch Company had in July 2016 officially opened two new branches in the shopping hub of Yuen Long. The shops are located in Yuen Long Plaza and Yuen Long Castle Peak Road in the New Territories. Prince Jewellery & Watch Company currently has 16 branches across Hong Kong, Mainland China and Macau.
Dr. Emily Tang and Dr. Jimmy Tang © Timmy Tan
Corum Watches 1358 3atm Replica is obviously taking it slow with the Corum Bubble, but those are nice versions. All of the 2015 Corum Bubble watches use the very same movements that Corum used in its preceding three-hand Corum Bubble watches, which is their Caliber CO 0082 (an foundation Swiss ETA 2892 automatic). The CO 0082 has been skeletonized for the non-limited edition model that’s the yield of this Corum Bubble Skeleton. More great news is in regard to pricing – that is rather welcoming for the limited edition models (even compared to the costs of original Corum Bubble watches available for sale) at a decent $3,425 for your Corum Bubble All Black and Corum Bubble Vintage, and a lofty $8,300 for the non-limited Corum Bubble Skeleton.My favored family of watches at the current collection of Corum goods is your Admirals’ Cup. According to a now defunct boat race, the original Admiral’s Cup watch started in the 1980s and was the original yachting watch to wear on or off deck along with your boating shoes and skipper cap. What’s indicated the Admiral’s Cup collection for so long would be the 12-sided case and using vibrant ship pennant flags on the hour markers. The latter has been mostly depreciated since the colours no longer exist on newest Admiral’s Cup watches. Lots of new Admiral’s Cup watches continue to be fairly cool. But with watches like the Chronograph Tourbillon 47 Seafender (that in its own way is interesting) I feel as the first theme and personality of the Admiral’s Cup collection has officially been thrown overboard.