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Tag: watch

  • Oriental Watch issues profit warning

    Oriental Watch issues profit warning

    Slow-moving stock and falling sales due to the Covid-19 pandemic have prompted listed Hong Kong timepiece retailer Oriental Watch to issue a profit warning.

    The company has advised the stock exchange that net profit for the year to March 31 will fall by about 20 percent.

    Furthermore, for the two months ended May 31, the group’s revenue decreased by more than 10 percent compared with last year (when sales were impacted by social unrest in the territory).

    During the quarter to March, Oriental Watch has allowed for impairment of assets, plant and equipment and provisioned for “slow-moving watches”.

    “There has been no change in the group’s operation as a result of the Covid-19 outbreak and its financial position continues to be strong,” said chairman Yeung Ming Biu in the filing.

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  • Chinese Prestige Time Experience store opens in Hong Kong

    Chinese Prestige Time Experience store opens in Hong Kong

    Hong Kong’s first Chinese Prestige Time Experience store has launched in Yue Hwa.

    Opened by Sun International Concepts, the outlet serves as a platform to showcase multiple Chinese watch brands, aiming to promote Chinese watch culture against the backdrop of the coronavirus outbreak.

    As the first platform for Chinese watch brands in the territory, consumers can find long-established brands such as Seagull, Shanghai, Beijing and Peacock – all of which have a 60-year history – alongside modern brands.

    A “Lab Tourbillon” area within the store introduces a variety of designer watches highlighting and introducing advances in Chinese tourbillon craftsmanship to the Hong Kong market.

    The 80,000sqft Yue Hwa store has traded in fine Chinese products within Hong Kong since 1959.

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  • Tag Heuer pop up opens in Shibuya, Tokyo

    Tag Heuer pop up opens in Shibuya, Tokyo

    Swiss luxury timepiece maker Tag Heuer has launched a pop-up at Shibuya Parco, Japan.

    The “Tag Heuer Connected” store delivers a futuristic ambiance in luxurious and stylistic tones featuring the colors of the brand against black. The store showcases Tag Heuer’s key technologies and celebrates the firm’s 160th anniversary.

    To mark the opening, the pop-up is conducting a promotional campaign called the Digital Tag Heuer Touch Rally, whereby visitors who scan a QR code from a Tag Heuer poster in the store and register as an official Line friend will receive an original branded Tag Heuer gift, while stocks last.

    Additionally, the story is holding a lottery for those who purchase the new Tag Heuer Connected watch.

    The pop-up will run through to April 12.

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  • Japanese online watch rental concept Karitoke opens third store and launches AR app

    Japanese online watch rental concept Karitoke opens third store and launches AR app

    Japanese watch rental service Kairtoke is launching in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Marui building next Friday.

    The Karitoke store offers monthly watch rentals from more than 40 available brands and 1100 models, with users invited to preview how each watch will look on their wrist before visiting the outlet via an AR app. Users can check from home whether the size of any particular watch matches the size of their wrists, and can coordinate the timepieces with their clothes and suits.

    The Karitoke AR app is unique in Japan in that it is not limited to a specific brand or model of watches. All watches advertised on the brand’s website are now available in the Shinjuku Marui store, the brand’s third physical outlet following its locations in Yurakucho Marui and Namba Marui.

    All Karitoke rentals must be reserved in advance online.

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  • Tommy Hilfiger watch store opens in Manila

    Tommy Hilfiger watch store opens in Manila

    The Philippines’ official Tommy Hilfiger distributor Take Wizer Industries has launched the world’s first Tommy Hilfiger watch store in Quezon City.

    The store opened on January 23 at the Upper Ground Floor (UGF), City Center, SM North Edsa, featuring an interactive photo booth for customers to try on the watches for sharing on social media.

    “It’s a great venue to showcase how Tommy’s reputation for fashionably chic iconic apparel translates into the watch design,” said Wizer Industries VP marketing Rainier Jacinto. “The boutique’s design is minimalist but retains a sense of Americana, taking after its parent brand’s h

    “Its pristine look and clean lines give customers the opportunity to focus their attention and appreciation on the workmanship of the timepieces. We’d like to showcase how dynamic a store concept can be by rolling out something really fresh for the Philippine market.”

    “Manila is the perfect market for modern fashion accessories which Tommy Hilfiger watches are known for,” he added.

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  • Stelux sales slump as network slims down

    Stelux sales slump as network slims down

    Stelux Holdings, parent of the City Chain watch retail business, says its sales in the December quarter were down 32.6 percent, or by HK$198.98 million (US$25.6 million).

    The company closed about 15 percent of its stores, primarily in Hong Kong, as social unrest continued throughout the city, affecting sales to both locals and visitors.

    While the company did not break out figures for Hong Kong, it said revenue for Greater China was down by 46.1 percent in the quarter, to $110.3 million. Sales in Southeast Asian stores, which comprise about 40 percent of the business, slipped by 2 percent.

    Total group sales were $650.5 million, compared with $895.8 million in the same quarter a year earlier.

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  • Stelux sales slump as network trimmed

    Stelux sales slump as network trimmed

    Stelux Holdings, parent of the City Chain watch retail business, says its sales in the December quarter were down 32.6 percent, or by HK$198.98 million (US$25.6 million).

    The company closed about 15 percent of its stores, primarily in Hong Kong, as social unrest continued throughout the city, affecting sales to both locals and visitors.

    While the company did not break out figures for Hong Kong, it said revenue for Greater China was down by 46.1 percent in the quarter, to $110.3 million. Sales in Southeast Asian stores, which comprise about 40 percent of the business, slipped by 2 percent.

    Total group sales were $650.5 million, compared with $895.8 million in the same quarter a year earlier.

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  • Panerai opens its first airport boutique – in Hong Kong

    Panerai opens its first airport boutique – in Hong Kong

    Florentine luxury watchmaker Panerai has opened its first-ever airport boutique, at Hong Kong International Airport.

    The new store is the sixth opened in the Hong Kong area and joins existing locations in Canton Road, Landmark Prince’s, IFC, Times Square and Tsim Sha Tsui Centre.

    The new 27sqm boutique stands out for its blend of tradition and future, inviting clients to discover the Maison’s heritage, craftsmanship and technical expertise.

    The brand says the concept of the design and materials used, such as the oak wood and burnished brass, are a reminder of the sea and the heritage of the brand whose roots lie in the history of the Italian Navy.

    Panerai now operates 126 boutiques throughout the world.

  • Breitling opens new concept store at Hong Kong airport

    Breitling opens new concept store at Hong Kong airport

    Swiss luxury watchmaker Breitling has opened a new boutique at Hong Kong International Airport.

    The new outlet features the brand’s industrial loft concept, inspired by mid-20th-Century interior design. The boutique is located at the departure level of Terminal 1 East Hall at HKIA.

    “We especially opened our new boutique at the HKIA as it not only represents Breitling’s century-old association with aviation but we also hope to share our brand history and DNA with travelers all over the world,” said Breitling CEO Georges Kern. “To celebrate the opening of this boutique, the new Aviator 8 Mosquito watch, inspired by the legendary de Havilland Mosquito plane, will be exclusively available in the HKIA store.”

    Modern-retro elements in the store include a neon Breitling logo from the 1940s and 1950s and yellow mesh walls with the stylized “B” vintage logo combined with bespoke furniture. The boutique brings together all of Breitling’s collections, including the latest novelties and some exclusive limited editions. In addition, the boutique also features a VIP area for more personal and discrete customer service.

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  • Oriental Watch sales, profit holds firm despite turmoil

    Oriental Watch sales, profit holds firm despite turmoil

    Oriental Watch has shrugged off the impact of ongoing Hong Kong protests, with sales down a mere 1.1 percent and improved gross profit in the half-year to September.

    Sales totaled HK$1.168 billion (US$149 million), gross profit rose 10.4 percent to $318.2 million and profit attributable to shareholders was down 3.6 percent to $61.7 million.

    “The Hong Kong operation of the group held up well during the period against a backdrop of uncertain economic and social conditions,” said chairman Yeung Ming Biu.

    Oriental Watch operates 61 stores selling high-end watches, 46 of them in Mainland China, 11 in Hong Kong, three in Taiwan and one in Macau.

    Same-store-sales growth reached 11 percent in China where the company has established a solid foothold across tier-one cities such as Shanghai and Beijing, in the Guangdong province, and other cities such as Taiyuan, Nanjing, Changsha and Chengdu.

    Figures for Hong Kong were not highlighted in the group’s half-year results but overall luxury-goods sales fell by around 50 percent in the last quarter.

    Yeung said the group believes Hong Kong tourism will regain its footing in the near future, and remains “cautiously optimistic” for the longer-term retail market, especially for the high-end sectors.

    “Oriental Watch will continue to deploy appropriate strategies to elevate the productivity of existing stores, strengthen cost management and optimize its inventory profile, as well as enrich its

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  • Swiss Watch Gallery launches Art of Time 2019 at KL

    Swiss Watch Gallery launches Art of Time 2019 at KL

    Swiss Watch Gallery launched its signature timepiece event, Art of Time 2019 at Pavilion Kuala Lumpur.

    Art of Time is presented by Swiss Watch Gallery in partnership with Tumi, GH Mumm, and media outlets The Edge and The Star.

    In its sixth rendition, Art of Time 2019 features the world’s renowned watchmakers, including Arnold & Son, Bell & Ross, Girard-Perregaux, Graham, IWC Schaffhausen, Jaquet Droz, Oris, Parmigiani Fleurier, TAG Heuer, Tudor, Ulysse Nardin and Zenith.

    “The idea behind Art of Time is to bring to Malaysia the experience of the amazing and exclusive watchmaking showcases of Basel and Geneva,” said Ashvin Valiram, executive director of Valiram Group. “We feel it is the best way to inculcate the love for horological instruments, and the craftsmanship and innovation that go into their creation.”

    The launch event has attracted more than 200 guests including entrepreneurs, corporate captains, retail partners, watch enthusiasts, celebrities, socialites and media figures

    “This year is our best by far, with new brands joining our showcase for the first time,” said Ashvin. “We look at ourselves not just as a retailer but also an advocate of fine watchmaking and through Art of Time, we’re looking to evolve the customers’ interest in watches and fuel the passion.”

    A Tumi pop-up also featured in the exhibition, highlighting the Tumi x Chris Pratt collection. There was also a special booth featuring watch winders from Orient Crown, a Singapore-based luxury timepiece accessories company.

    “When we opened our first watch boutique in Penang in 2001, we never expected to become a preeminent watch retailer in the country. Swiss Watch Gallery is indeed a young adult now and we look forward to further strengthening the business beyond the shores of Southeast Asia,” said Ashvin.

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  • Hublot India opens its first boutique in Mumbai

    Hublot India opens its first boutique in Mumbai

    Hublot India is launching a flagship boutique at the Palladium Mall in Mumbai, its first standalone store in the market.

    The Swiss watchmaker’s 45sqm boutique is designed to represent Hublot’s “the art of fusion” concept, with pop art paintings forming a backdrop to Hublot Big Bang, Classic Fusion, Spirit of Big Bang, and MP branded watches along with exclusive limited editions.

    “We are delighted and proud to open the first Hublot India Boutique in one of the most well-known luxury retail destinations in the country,” said Hublot CEO Ricardo Guadalupe.

    “This opening demonstrates not only the success of the brand, which goes from strength to strength since the birth of the iconic Big Bang in 2005, but also Hublot’s willingness to constantly challenge fine watchmaking by fusing tradition with innovation while offering the highest level of service to its clients.”

  • Vietnam’s Mobile World launches fashion-watch retail model

    Vietnam’s Mobile World launches fashion-watch retail model

    Vietnamese smartphone retailer, The Gioi Di Dong (Mobile World), has discovered a thriving new business model: a fashion-watch retail concept.

    The company offers a wide selection of watches from well-known fashion brands, including Michael Kors, Fossil and Casio. Watches are displayed along with other tech products in Mobile World’s outlets in a store-within-a-store concept.

    Since launching the fashion-watch retail model earlier this year, Mobile World claims to have built its share to 15 percent of the country’s fashion-watch sales. Last month, it sold more than 50,000 timepieces across 100 outlets.

    Doan Van Hieu Em, CEO of Mobile World Group, told Vietnam News he is planning to take his company’s share of the fashion-watch market to 50 percent next year, by opening stores in 500 of its 2000-strong network across the country.  His target is to sell 3 million units.

    “Mobile World’s sales capacity has even surpassed the suppliers’ expectations,” he said.

    “We are trying to find watch manufacturers around the world, supplying exclusive goods in large quantities to meet the rapidly expanding demand in the near future.”

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  • Breitling unveils new shop at K11 Musea in Hong Kong

    Breitling unveils new shop at K11 Musea in Hong Kong

    Swiss luxury watchmaker Breitling has unveiled a new concept boutique at K11 Musea, featuring a “modern retro loft style”.

    Occupying a 620sqft space in the new shopping centre, the Breitling boutique features an industrial loft-style concept which the brand says is inspired by a mid-20th-century heritage building and adding modern-retro elements, including Breitling’s neon logo from the 1940s and 1950s.

    “Opening our boutique in the K11 Musea underscores the importance of the market in Hong Kong for our brand. Our new approach blends contemporary design with inspiration from our rich heritage and longstanding ties to aviation,”  said Georges Kem, CEO at Breitling.

    “We think it is perfect to launch our new concept store here since K11 Musea is built upon a rich cultural history in the city; its innovative vision and sophistication for exclusivity and bespoke products coincides with the values of our brand.”

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  • Blancpain opens its largest store in China

    Blancpain opens its largest store in China

    Timepiece brand Blancpain has opened its largest store yet in China in Beijing.

    The 380sqm two-level street front showroom, located at China World Mall near Beijing’s CBD, features an interior that reflects the brand’s heritage, inspired by the Blancpain’s centuries-old farmhouse production facility in Le Brassus, Switzerland

    Polished cherry woodwork and streamlined furniture are placed to conjure up the ambiance of the traditional watchmakers, alongside comfortable seating, a lounge bar, a VIP suite and a sweeping staircase.

    The store offers a customer service center that offers watches servicing as well as product and maintenance advice.

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