Australian Market Focus: Part 4
Sep 07, 2005
The price factor How sensitive is the Australian market to priceı It is reported that the average price for a Swiss watch in Australia today is A$2,000 while luxury watches cost more than A$7,000, compared with Europe where the standard would be A$10,000. In terms of the luxury watch scale, contemplate brands like TAG Heuer, Panerai and Omega, then....

The Portuguese of the 21st century
Apr 21, 2005
In 1936, two Portuguese merchants, Rodrigues and Texeira, visited IWC in Schaffhausen, Switzerland where they made some unusual orders. Contrary to the custom of the time, which called for small watches, the two men wanted a larger sized wristwatch that would have the specifications of a marine chronometer: perfect readability and high precision. The....

FrontRunners: Content Be Gone
Sep 01, 2004
Pushing small buttons is difficult when you are wearing gloves—a fact that has prevented Swiss engineers from dressing up dive watches with extraneous complications. Finally, however, someone has devised a practical function that can actually be used underwater. The IWC ( www.iwc.ch , 800.432. 9330) Aquatimer Split Minute Chronograph ($8,700....

The IWC image challenge
Aug 20, 2004
All the “purely watchmaking” brands belonging to the Richemont group, Cartier, Piaget, Vacheron Constantin, Jaeger-LeCoultre, A. Lange & Söhne, IWC, Panerai and Baume & Mercier are integrated into the distribution structure of Richemont Japan Ltd. Yet, each company maintains its own autonomy and its own management teams. In the case of IWC, present....

Today Highlight from the magazine content: MICHELE WATCHES
Aug 13, 2004
Michele Watches: “Why we agreed to agree” Coming soon: new Highlights and Features from the Magazine: Technomarine (August 20), Special Market Focus Japan (a series of 7 features starting August 17), BRM and the V12 (August 30) Ritmo Mundo (Sept. 4), and more... Recent highlights: Greek Gods and the Olympiad Lange....

Best of the Best: Watches
Jun 01, 2004
Perpetual Motion Most people recognize the current appetite for oversize watches as a matter of fashion rather than function; even the complicated varieties usually contain a normal-size movement and lots of extra space. Then there was IWC’s Portuguese. It was not only the first fine oversize watch, it also housed a full-size pocket-watch....

Casualties in the 'Race for Luxury'
Jan 01, 2004
There is probably no doubt about it, the list of casualties in the 'Race for Luxury' is going to get longer between now and the large watch fairs in the spring of 2004. Whether there is a return of real economic growth or not, the situation won't change all that much. It is already too late for some. A brief survey of suppliers - the best barometer -....

Appointments
Oct 01, 2003
Brook Ellis, vice president of Education for the Gemological Institute of America (GIA), has been re-elected second vice president of the Distance Education and Training Council (DETC) Accrediting Commission. Ellis previously served on DETC's Board of Trustees. As second vice president, Ellis will review information submitted from applying organizations and....

Best of the Best 2003: Watches - International Watch Co.
Jun 02, 2003
With the release of the Big Pilot’s Watch, the International Watch Co. of Schaffhausen, Switzerland, has literally and figuratively put it all together. Large-size and pilot’s watch categories have for years been favorites among watch enthusiasts, but few realize the extent to which IWC has been involved with both forms. The Big Pilot’s....