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Tag: watches

  • Nixon appoints Athleta founder Scott Kerslake as new CEO

    Nixon appoints Athleta founder Scott Kerslake as new CEO

    Nixon on Monday welcomed its new CEO Scott Kerslake, whose appointment was effective on August 21, 2017.

    At Nixon, Kerslake will play a key role in the watch and accessories brand’s new focus on digital. The brand announced in June that it cut 13 jobs and will add 11 new positions that will be focused on its digital business in the coming year. A few of the new positions include VP of E-commerce and various digital marketing roles for social media.

    “I am beyond excited to join the Nixon team. The brand has enormous global potential and is well-positioned for the futur as a leader in the youth market,” said

    “I have been a fan of the brands’ ability to consistently harness the energy and creativity of the team from around the world into a distinct and leading point-of-view via the products they create.”

    Kerslake brings to Nixon 25 years of experience growing consumer brand products. He joins the California-based watch brand from Prana, where he served as CEO since 2009.

    Prior to joining Prana, Kerslake served as President of Miraval, a destination wellness spa and resort in Arizona, and he founded Athleta where he also served as CEO.

    In addition, Kerslake will be based in Nixon’s headquarters in Encinitas, CA.

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  • German luxury watch “Nomos” to open in Hanwha Galleria Duty Free Shop

    German luxury watch “Nomos” to open in Hanwha Galleria Duty Free Shop

    Hanwha Galleria Duty Free Shop opened German luxury watch Nomos store on Aug 17. Hanwha Galleria Duty Free Shop was the first Korean Duty Free business to launch luxury brands such as Golden Goose, Stefano Ricci, LAUNER LONDON and Corneliani, and succeeded in launching Nomos.

    In addition, Hanwha Galleria Duty Free Shop strengthened luxury watch collection with IWC and  Jaeger-LeCoultre opening in June.

    Nomos is a watch house with an in-house movement with outstanding technology. It was ranked n.8 world’s best watch in 2014 by Chronos, a prestigious German watch magazine along with IWC, Rolex, Patek Philippe and Jaeger-LeCoultre.

    The product dial has the name ‘Glashütte’ which is a production names of the finest watches in Germany. It is a certificate given only to high-quality brands such as A.Lange & Söhne and Glashütte Original.

    In order to put Glashütte on the dial, more than 50 percent of all parts should be produced in this area. Nomos produces 75 ~ 95% of the movement directly.

    Especially, Nomos has a good reputation as a good quality watch with a reasonable price as it can be purchased from 2 million won.

    Customers can purchase Nomos only in Galleria Duty Free Shop in Korea, but there are already more than 20 stores in Japan. In addition, Metro, which is a popular model, gained explosive popularity after being introduced at the Basel Fair in March 2014.

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  • Louis Moinet watches pay tribute to Singapore

    Louis Moinet watches pay tribute to Singapore

    A range of limited-edition watches that pay tribute to the history and tradition of Singapore are being launched by Swiss brand Louis Moinet.

    FreshOut.Today reports the watches will be revealed on Singapore’s National Day, August 9, the city state’s 52nd birthday.

    Louis Moinet says the special timepieces mix Swiss precision with Singaporean soul.

    “Two different continents and cultures merge in this project as a tribute to Singaporean history,” says the company.

    The limited-edition collection comprises 84 pieces with decorative elements that reference symbols and the past of the Lion City.

    Features such as the ArtScience Museum, Gardens by the Bay, Marina Bay Sands Hotel and the Singapore Flyer are engraved across the lower part of the dial, and over skyline the moon faces five small stars, a reference to the flag of Singapore.

    An opening in the dial reveals part of the inner workings. “This also shows the passing of time and powerfully represents and allows us to reflect on each second of Singapore’s independence,” says the company.

    Available in Louis Moinet stainless-steel (65 pieces) and 18k rose-gold Neo cases (19 pieces), the watch has been created in co-operation with Wealth Solutions Singapore, a branch of the Polish company specialising in creating collector items, and the Singapore Watch Club.

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  • Jaeger-LeCoultre reopens Philippines store

    Jaeger-LeCoultre reopens Philippines store

    Luxury watchmaker Jaeger-LeCoultre has reopened its flagship store in Makati City in the Philippines, enhancing the experience for local timepiece gurus.

    Located in Ayala Center’s Greenbelt 5 in Makati, the 40-square-metre boutique was reopened last week with an official relaunch party attended by company executives including Jaeger-LeCoultre’s managing director for Southeast Asia and Oceania, Maxence Kinget.

    “It’s not a store, it’s a boutique with an experience,” Kinget told the Philstar, when describing the new store at the party.

    “For us it’s very important that there is emotion and discovery, the two key mindsets when we designed the boutique.”

    The newly reopened Philippine boutique will carry the watchmaker’s complete range of watches and accessories, as well as the famous Geophysic Tourbillon Universal Time, of which just one will be stocked.

    Jaeger-LeCoultre has also launched a new Geophysic collection for men with a steel metal bracelet, said to be “very good for South Asia because with the humidity and warm weather sometimes you want a stainless-steel bracelet instead of the alligator strap,” according to Kinget.

    There’s also a women’s range, with a new take on the iconic ‘Rendez-Vous’, a round watch with diamonds around the bezel.

    Finally, the new store will stock boutique-exclusive pieces, made in collaboration with Jaeger-LeCoultre and Lucerne – the distributor of Jaeger-LeCoultre in the Philippines — that aren’t available anywhere else in the world.

    Moreover, timepiece aficionados can create their own one-of-a-kind watch with Jaeger-LeCoultre’s new bespoke service on offer.

    “There is in the Philippines a very high level of watchmaking knowledge, a very strong appetite for watches and a very strong Maison in the Philippines,” said Kinglet. “Jaeger-LeCoultre is considered a reference in fine watchmaking, as well as having a very high level of craftsmanship. Within our manufacture we have developed the biggest collection of movements — 1,200 calibers developed in our history, which is absolutely crazy — and we still produce more than 50 calibers in the collection today. We spend a lot of time trying to make sure there is a very strong connection between respect for our tradition, our heritage, as well as being oriented towards the future.

    The Swiss watch group entered The Philippines in 2000, after striking a deal with Lucerne. But it only opened its first store in 2008, which is the newly fitted Greenbelt 5 store.

    Jaeger-LeCoutlre is also sold at Lucerne Jewellers in Taguig City and at the recently opened L’Atelier Lucerne at Shangri-La at the Fort.

  • Watches stolen during sledge hammer raid on luxury shop in Hong Kong

    Watches stolen during sledge hammer raid on luxury shop in Hong Kong

    Two burglars smashed the window of a luxury goods shop in the IFC mall in Central and fled with 40 watches in front of a security guard during a Lunar New Year’s Day raid.

    In a drama that lasted for barely two minutes, one of the pair broke open the glass door of Montblanc with a sledgehammer at about 11.40pm on Saturday, when the shop had been closed for the whole day.

    The duo, said to be non-Chinese and wearing surgical masks and knitted caps, defied the guard and smashed three glass showcases inside, sweeping the watches into a bag and ran.

    At one point, they attempted to intimidate the guard by threatening him with the sledgehammer.

    At a taxi stand outside, the pair got into a car driven by a third man and sped off.

    Police said the Germany-based chain, which specialises in several lines of products including watches, writing instruments and jewellery, had confirmed that about 40 watches valued at a total of HK$1 million were snatched.

    Central district crime squad was investigating

    A sledgehammer has been used in previous burglaries in the city. In September, a group of five or more burglars stole about HK$2 million worth of handbags and watches from the Chanel store at Lee Garden One on Hysan Avenue – one of Hong Kong’s prime retail strips in Causeway Bay, in just 80 seconds.

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  • Breitling bows two new stores in Macau

    Breitling bows two new stores in Macau

    Swiss luxury watchmaker Breitling is expanding its reach in Asia, opening two new stores in Macau.

    Located in luxury malls Shoppes at Venetian and Shoppes at Parisian in Macau, the new boutiques sell a full selection of timepiece models from the entire Breitling and ‘Breitling for Bentley ‘ collections. The chronographs come equipped with ‘Manufacture Breitling movements, as well as special limited ‘Boutique Editions’.

    Each Macau boutique has been designed with old and new world characteristics, typical of Breitling. The décor also highlights the brand’s aeronautical heritage, enabling “visitors to plunge directly into the Breitling universe, a unique experience that excites the senses,” said Breitling in a statement.

    Both stores boast a VIP lounge, offering customers a one-on-one, personalised shopping experience.

    Breitling was founded in 1884. Since then, it has played a crucial role in the development of the wrist chronograph. Breitling is also one of the rare companies to produce its own mechanical chronograph movements, entirely developed and manufactured in its own workshops. This family business is also one of the last remaining independent Swiss watch brands.

    Shoppes at Parisian Macau, which only opened in September this year, hosts 170 luxury and lifestyle brands in its 320,000 square feet retail space. The new Breitling Macau Parisian store is located at Place Vendome on Level 3.

    Shoppes at Venetian is located inside the Sands Shoppes, the largest mall in Macau offers with more than 850 duty free outlets. The new Breitling store is in the Great Hall, on Level 3.

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  • Watchmaker Tudor Says Hong Kong Market Could Get Even Worse

    Watchmaker Tudor Says Hong Kong Market Could Get Even Worse

    Tudor, Rolex’s sister brand, said the Hong Kong market may get worse as rich Chinese shop for luxury goods in markets with lower prices.

    Swiss watch exports to Hong Kong slid 25 percent in February, dropping for the 13th consecutive month, the Federation of the Swiss Watch Industry said Tuesday. There’s no swift turnaround in sight, according to Philippe Peverelli, chief executive officer of Tudor.

    “In mainland China we’ve already touched the bottom of the pool,” Peverelli said in an interview at the Baselworld watch fair. Demand has been improving there since the second half of 2015. “As for Hong Kong, I’ve never seen such a deep pool. We haven’t reached the bottom there yet.”

    The island city became the biggest export market for Switzerland’s timepieces almost a decade ago, luring well-off Chinese with lower luxury taxes on the mainland. In the past three years, however, the Chinese government’s crackdown on bribery and extravagance among government officials has weighed on the industry’s sales in the region, and currencies have made watches cheaper in other markets such as Japan.

    Last year Tudor got just under 60 percent of its sales from greater China, down from more than 90 percent in 2010. The company re-entered the U.S. and the U.K. in recent years and started selling its timepieces in duty-free retail shops in South Korea. The next country it plans to enter is Japan, which enjoyed a 22 percent gain in shipments last month.

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  • Rotary Watches opens first China boutique

    Rotary Watches opens first China boutique

    Since launching in China last Summer Rotary has opened 24 Rotary shop in shops strengthening the brands presence in the market.

    The 107 sq ft boutique complete with tailor made fixtures and fittings, Rotary’s full range is displayed in the Poly shopping Mall boutique.

    The brand continues to prove in China with its mid-market price range and is committed to an aggressive shop in shop roll out plan for 2016.

    Rotary anticipates 150-200 points of sale in People’s Republic of China by the end of 2016.

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  • Olivia Burton launches first stand-alone retail presence in Hong Kong

    Olivia Burton launches first stand-alone retail presence in Hong Kong

    British watch brand Olivia Burton has launched its first stand-alone retail presence in Hong Kong.

    The move comes as a partnership with the company’s Hong Kong distributor – Working Unit – and has seen three Olivia Burton-dedicated ‘watch corners’ open across the city in Kapok retail stores.

    The company said it launched the stores in December 2015 in an effort to capitalise on the Christmas shopping period.

    Located in prime locations that offer “high traffic and consumption”, the Olivia Burton watch corners are based in the LCX store in Tsim Sha Tsui, the apm mall in Kwun Tong and the New Town Plaza in Shatin.

    Jemma Fennings, brand founder and managing director of the brand, said the launch of the retail corners mark a “huge milestone” for the brand and its international presence.

    She said: “The label has proved extremely popular with the Asian market since we started trading internationally and to be able to offer a dedicated retail space that is designed and merchandised by our in-house team is really exciting.

    “We’re looking forward to increasing our brand awareness and product offering within the Asian market and hope to add additional retail spaces to the current portfolio in the coming year.”

    The stand-alone corners will stock a wide range of Olivia Burton styles and new collections will be added every two months.

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  • Casio plans high-end watches for rising middle class

    Casio plans high-end watches for rising middle class

    Casio Computer Co. Ltd., maker of G-Shock watches, is targeting the middle-class market with high-end electronic watches priced at over HK$10,000 each.

    The company has long been in the mass market selling plastic watches for US$100 to US$150 each.

    But Hiroshi Nakamura, Casio head of sales, told the Hong Kong Economic Journal that the swelling ranks of the middle class provide a favorable condition for the company to enter the high-end market segment.

    Casio is poised to expand its presence in mainland China, Southeast Asia and the Middle East. Its largest G-Shock store opened in Shanghai in June.

    It is also working to enhance product functions and technology to increase consumer interest.

    Nakamura said the company will launch a smart watch model next year with style and user-friendly features that differentiate it from Apple Watch.

    Casio has recently launched its Oceanus series which is equipped with GPS timing system that can be synchronized with a smartphone.