Exclusive China Report

THE WATCH FILE

Exclusive China Report

A 360° watch report on the watch industry in China. From the dawn of Chinese civilisation to the emergence of Chinese millennials, this is a tale about the most important place for watches in the world, outside of Switzerland.

The Chinese independent watch scene

ARTISANS

November 2019

Beyond mass production, an ecosystem of independent watchmakers has emerged in the Shenzhen area. Several of these craftsmen have joined the renowned (...)

Chinese fashion: breaking the curse?

ANALYSIS

November 2019

Some big names in luxury have already tried to launch Chinese avatars and had their noses bloodied. The obstacles are formidable. Startup Atelier Wen is (...)

FIyta: The horological side of Chinese soft power

PORTRAIT

November 2019

As part of a group that controls a large proportion of China’s watch distribution, Fiyta represents the best of what the local industry has to offer in (...)

“Logistics is the ‘killer app’ of the Chinese e-commerce giants”

INTERVIEW WITH DIGITAL LUXURY GROUP

November 2019

WeChat or Weibo, Tmall or JD: which platform is most likely to align with the strategies of Swiss watch brands? Geneva-based Digital Luxury Group (DLG) was (...)

JD: Operation “seduction” in the watch world

E-COMMERCE

November 2019

China’s JD has over 300 million active users, making it the largest retailer in the country (it actually works as both a marketplace and a retailer), from (...)

Alibaba: a game-changing alliance with Richemont

E-COMMERCE

November 2019

Tmall is hoping its strategic cooperation with Yoox-Net-APorter will attract distribution and increase sales of watches on its dedicated luxury platform. (...)

The Chinese watch market seen by key players

QUOTES

November 2019

In this article, we selected a number of quotes from various voices on the Chinese watch market, that helps to understand the main trends and upheavals in (...)

Dominant players in watch distribution

RETAIL

October 2019

Often originating from Hong Kong, the continent’s watchmaking hub, giant groups have formed to organise the emergence of multiple points of sale in the (...)

The Chinese watch market in 3 key concepts

ANALYSIS

October 2019

A cornucopia of contemporary consumption: this is how we could aptly describe the Chinese market, which today combines hyper-consumption with oversupply of (...)

Who gave the watch virus to the Chinese?

HISTORY

October 2019

How did the watch achieve such an exalted status in the country? Answering this question also raises some questions about the future of this strong symbol (...)

Our special report in China

EDITORIAL

October 2019

What explains the country’s “watch fever” over the last two decades? In our new issue’s feature on China, we attempt to provide keys to understanding the main (...)