If a lot of data is easily available online regarding modern watchmaking, finding resources about watchmaking history is far more difficult. Well, it was… The Watch Library is a not-for-profit organization that is built around the desire to make watchmaking heritage accessible to the widest possible audience. Launched on the initiative of the Maillard family […]
Horage may not be your household brand, but it is a name that’s getting noticed in the watch industry. In 2014, after seven years of painstaking development, Horage and its affiliated companies presented an automatic K1 movement, a contemporary, versatile, and aesthetically appealing calibre with a silicon escapement and a 65-hour power reserve. Soon after, […]
Named after the illustrious 18th-century watchmaker Charles Leroy, L.Leroy was acquired in 2004 by Miguel Rodriguez, founder of the Festina Group. If the brand has been dormant for a number of years now, it is preparing its comeback. To whet our appetite about what is to come, L.Leroy is presenting a unique piece for the […]
Aficionados regard watch brands as the stars of the show, all the more so when they present complicated or very complicated pieces. Upstream, there are other stars, the minds that conceive, design, and rethink watchmaking micromechanics in depth. Giulio Papi is one of those, and the mere mention of his name instantly sparks excitement among […]
In a maybe not-so-shocking turn of events, news just broke that Rolex has acquired or is in the process of acquiring Bucherer. It’s a known fact that Rolex, over time, integrates trustful and longstanding partners, including suppliers, into the Rolex group. It has done so many times before and will probably continue to do so […]
The name might not ring a bell with a broader audience but is well-known and highly respected in some collectors’ communities. A Swiss brand specializing in tool watches, Ollech & Wajs (O&W) was founded in 1956 by Albert Wajs and his friend Joseph Ollech, who formed a partnership and opened a watch shop. At first, they […]
If you have been following the Swiss watch industry for the past years, there’s been an undeniable shift towards the higher end of the market. While Swiss watch exports rose 17% between 2015 and 2022, the export value of watches with an export price below CHF 500* was halved over the same period. The industry […]
Following the release by the two watchmaking giants Swatch Group and Richemont of strong results for the first months of 2023, it is now time for the world’s leading luxury group, LVMH, to report its revenues for the first half of 2023. The French powerhouse, active in multiple businesses (wines & spirits, fashion & leather goods, […]
Following 2022 with impressive growth for the industry (a record year for exports) for luxury groups involved in watchmaking and jewellery (LVMH, Swatch), indicators and analysts were not so confident regarding the outlook for 2023. Growing inflation, geo-political tensions and a potential economic contraction could have led to lower sales. However, following the announcement by […]
Swiss watch giant Swatch Group, the umbrella above brands such as Omega, Breguet, Tissot, Longines and many more, has just released its 2023 half-year sales report, for the period January 1st – June 30th. At CHF 4,019 million, net sales are up 18.0% compared to the previous year at constant exchange rates, or 11.3% at […]