Swiss Watch Boutique

Hopeful Signs for Swiss Watch Market

Strong demand in China fueled a 2.7 percent rise in Swiss watch exports in January, the Federation of the Swiss Watch Industry (FH) reported in a press release. It was the first rise in 14 months.

Exports to China rose 87 percent, while exports to Singapore more than doubled and demand in Hong Kong rose 26 percent. These gains offset continuing weakness in exports to the United States, which saw a 34 percent drop.

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Speedskating Star Apolo Ohno Becomes Omega Brand Ambassador

The Swiss watch brand synonymous with Olympic sports timekeeping since 1932 has a new ambassador.

US Speedskating Star Apolo Ohno, who won his seventh Olympic medal Saturday to become the most decorated American athlete in the history of the Winter Games, is the watch brand's newest ambassador. He will represent the Omega Seamaster Planet Ocean Chronograph from the Olympic Timeless Collection. The black dial timepiece, which retails for $5,800, is based on the Planet Ocean Chronograph but features a chronograph seconds hand with the Olympic rings, a distinctive dial with retro Arabic numerals, and a vintage-style red Omega signature.

"We are very proud to support Apolo Ohno here in Vancouver and look forward to watching him compete," commented Stephen Urquhart, President of Omega. "Omega has a long history in the sport of speed skating, using its expertise to develop new timekeeping technologies for competition. Apolo is poised to make history of his own here in Vancouver, and we are thrilled to welcome him to the Omega family as an Ambassador."

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Omega to Time Vancouver Winter Olympics

Omega will be the official timekeeper of the Olympics, which are scheduled to open in Vancouver, Canada Friday. And by bringing in 250 tons of equipment, they are pulling out all the stops to ensure the medals go to the right folks.

Omega's parent, the Biel, Switzerland-based Swatch Group, is banking on this high profile to lift sales and profits after a tough 2009.

This will be the 24th time Omega has been the official timekeeper of the games.

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Report: Online Searches for Fine Swiss Watches up 14 Percent in 2009

World Watch Report recently took a look at online behavior and fine watches and found some surprising results. Despite the worldwide economic recession, searches for high-end watches costing $10,000 USD or more were up 14 percent in 2009 compared to the previous year. Blancpain and Jaeger-LeCoultre had increases of more than 100 percent with Audemars Piguet close behind with an impressive 81 percent gain. Zenith (-51 percent) registered the biggest decline.

Other findings:

• IWC was the most searched for brand in 2009.
• The US is number one in terms of geographical origin of search for fine watch terms with the UK in second place. 
• Hublot is the big winner in the social media space with 56,000 Facebook fans, far more than any other "Haute Horlogerie" brand.

To read more more about this fascinating study, head on over to HH Magazine for the details.

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Spotted on Amazon: The World's Ugliest Swiss Watch

We've all seen garish, bling-bling watches before but have you ever seen one offered by the world's most famous watchmaker?

The custom leopard print and jeweled Rolex Cosmograph Daytona can be purchased on Amazon.com, of all places, for the princely sum of $51,000.

And if you miss out on this opportunity, have no fear: there are more out there. Just do a Google search for "rolex leopard" and you'll see a few pop up. Apparently there's actually a market for this so-called timepiece.

The "special edition" Rolex includes 56 diamonds, 36 sapphires, an 18K gold case, and a hideous leopard-print dial.

File this one under "what in the world were they thinking?"

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Valentine's Day Sale: Save Up to 85% on Select Swiss Watches

For a limited period of time, we are pleased to offer an additional 10 percent off on select watches in celebration of Valentine's Day. That means that some Swiss watches are now discounted by up to 85 percent off retail. At these prices they won't last long, so hurry.

> Shop now.

Swatch Group Upbeat About 2010

Swatch Group expects robust demand to drive increased profits in 2010 after reporting strong results for December 2009 and through the first few weeks of the new year. Mid-range brands such as Tissot, Longines, and Rado have performed strongly even while some of the Swatch Group's luxury brands, such as Blancpain and Breguet, remain weak. Omega's high-profile role as the official timekeeper of the Vancouver Winter Olympics is also seen as boosting sales.

The world's largest watchmaker is considered a barometer for the state of the industry, so this positive outlook is fueling hopes the sector is emerging from its sharpest drop in decline in some twenty years.

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TAG Heuer Changes Stance on Tiger?

TAG Heuer seems to be backing away from earlier suggestions that it was putting its relationship with golfing great Tiger Woods on ice. The watchmaker initially pulled photos of Woods from its Web site after lurid details of his numerous alleged affairs surfaced. But as you can see from this screenshot we captured today at tagheuer.com, he's representing the Link line once again. Do you think TAG Heuer should stand behind Tiger Woods?

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Swiss Watch Industry Looks to Rebound in 2010

After the worst one-year decline in demand for Swiss watches since the 1970s, the industry hopes for a brighter 2010.

"The trough of the wave appears to have been reached, and may even be receding," the Federation of the Swiss Watch Industry said in a recent statement.

The industry has been grappling with weak consumer sentiment, tight credit markets, personnel costs, and a smaller bonus pool for bankers who helped drive sales.

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The Best of Swiss Watch Boutique for 2009

As we celebrate the beginning of a New Year, it's a great time to look back at our most popular posts from 2009. Here are the top 5:

1. Report: Rolex Is Top Rated Watch Brand
2. New Prez Prefers TAG Heuer
3. Are Watches that Glow in the Dark Radioactive?
4. Industry Groups Team-up to Stamp out Fake Swiss Watches
5. Why Are Watch Hands Always at 10 and 2 in Advertisements?

Honorable mentions:

• TAG Heuer Dumps Tiger as US Pitchman
• Rolex and 904L Steel
• What Does 'Swiss Made' Really Mean?
• How to 'Move' a 35K Watch in a Recession

As always, we welcome any questions, suggestions, and comments. Thank you for being part of the Swiss Watch Boutique community and helping to make it a success.