Swiss Watch Industry Challenges Wearable Smart Watches

The industry has not been affected by the economic crisis for a long time, but now it faces a turbulent stage. This includes the recent two years of China's anti-corruption campaign, which has greatly damaged the sales of luxury watches. The rouble wave has affected the consumption power of the Russian billionaires and the recent Swiss central bank's change in monetary policy has led to a sharp rise in the Swiss franc.

Sylvie Ritter, director of the exhibition, said at the press conference of the Basel watch and clock exhibition before opening to the public. "It is not realistic to say that we are happy now."

But she still expects the exhibition to shine as before. This is still a great event that the industry can not miss. The exhibition has more than 1500 exhibitors, attracting 150 thousand viewers from more than 40 countries.

As a response to the upcoming Apple smart watch, this year's exhibition will focus on wearable smart watches. The smart watch of the US Apple Corp will start in nine countries in the world in April 24th, including the United States, France and the United Kingdom.

Sylvie Ritter points out that more than ten Swiss watch brands have announced that they will wear smart watches at the Basel watch and clock show. She is convinced that high technology and traditional watch industry can complement each other.

"These two industries are more complementary rather than antagonistic," she said.

According to the US Strategy Analytics market research company, Apple Corp expects to sell 15 million 400 thousand smart watches worldwide in 2015.

The basic price of Apple watches is US $349, which is far below the price of Swiss watch brands.

But the US technology giant is ambitious for its revolutionary watch. It also plans to launch a luxury price of over $10 thousand, which obviously has to dig the wall of the Swiss watch brand.

But the clock brand is ready to protect its territory at all costs.

France LVMH Luxury brand watch brand tiego is ready to enter the wearable field like Apple Corp. It announced that it will launch its own partnership with Silicon Valley giants Google and Intel. Intelligent Watch 。

Jean-Claude Biver, President of LVMH group watch business, said in an interview before this: "we will work together with partners to create products that are as good as Apple Corp, but adopt different ways."

At last year's exhibition, there was basically no sign of smart watches. Recently, many Swiss brands have taken part in this field. Bai Ling Ling will launch a target. Pilot design Intelligent clock. In addition, the Constant brand will also launch a smart watch that can track the sleep cycle.

Mondaine is a brand specializing in the production of designated timepieces for Swiss railways. Ronald Bernheim, one of its founders, said at a news conference that the situation is a little different from that of 70s of last century. The rise of Japan's quartz watch at that time led to a serious crisis for the Swiss watch industry.

"But I think we need to take this problem seriously," he said.

But the most wealthy viewers at the Basel watch and clock show will not pay much attention to smart watches. They are more interested in Graff fascination, a high-end luxury jewellery brand in London, UK (Graff), which is called La fascination, which is priced at US $40 million, and can be worn as a bracelet or a ring.