Results for Swatch Group, Richemont & LVMH

In-Depth: Swatch Group Battles With COMCO Over ETA Movement Sales

At issue is whether Sellita really will be able to compete with ETA in an open market for mechanical watch movements.  

In-Depth: Taking The Swatch Group Manufacture Tour

Two hundred reporters, three days, six towns, six brands, zero Baselworld.

Jérôme Lambert Named CEO of Richemont Group

Swatch Group Quits Baselworld

Jérôme Lambert Appointed COO of Richemont, as the Group Posts Upward Sales Performance

The Big Bang: Jean-Claude Biver To Head LVMH’s Watch Department

BANG! Just as Richemont’s yearly watch-party, the SIHH, was starting last week, LVMH announced the appointment of Jean-Claude Biver as head of LVMH’s watch department. The timing of this announcement was surely not chosen in vain, perhaps in a slight attempt to upstage the party of the Richemont group and the SIHH brands. This announcement […]

What does Morgan Stanley’s top 50 Swiss watch brands list mean for the average enthusiast? (And Swatch Group’s two cents considered)

We dig into Morgan Stanley's latest Swiss watch industry report, and explain what it means for the average watch lover.The post What does Morgan Stanley’s top 50 Swiss watch brands list mean for the average enthusiast? (And Swatch Group’s two cents considered) appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.

Recap – The Finest New Watches Of LVMH Watch Week 2026

We’re only about three weeks in, but the first annual watch fair is already behind us. LVMH Watch Week served up some very lovely new watches from within the LVMH group’s brands: Louis Vuitton, TAG Heuer, Bvlgari, Hublot, Zenith, Daniel Roth, Gérald Genta and Tiffany. And even though the amount of new watches on display […]

Everything Tiffany & Co. Released At LVMH Watch Week 2025

While Tiffany & Co. sparks immediate associations with its signature robin’s egg blue boxes, Art Nouveau lamps, and perhaps a certain Audrey Hepburn film, the jeweler does have a rich horological history that can be traced back to the mid-19th century. This week, the brand (now part of French luxury group LVMH) doubles down on its commitment to high horology in this century, releasing four distinct new watches that reinterpret the American high jeweler’s lengthy legacy for the contemporary watchmaking landscape. Debuting a collection of four new pieces, Tiffany & Co. cuts through the sense of stark minimalism that so often pervades modern design in favor of unabashed, maximalist opulence.  Eternity by Tiffany Wisteria Enamel Watch Selfishly, it seems only fitting to begin with my personal favorite among the four new releases. Featuring a swirling-patterned enamel dial, 18k white-gold case, and hour markers set with diamonds of various shapes, the Eternity by Tiffany Wisteria Enamel infuses the brand’s well-established Eternity line of watches with the flair of one of its most sought-after lamp designs – the Wisteria Tiffany lamp.  “Iconic” is often overused in the popular lexicon when referring to classic designs, and I try to use it sparingly. But in the case of Tiffany lamps — with their intricate latticework, motifs that draw upon the natural world, and the bold interplay of color, which only becomes more compelling as the light filters through their var...

Business News: Swatch Groups Profit Sinks and Inventories Grow

The owner of brands like Omega and Longines, the Swatch Group just announced its results for the first half of 2024. The half-year numbers crystallised a slowdown that the watch industry has felt since late 2023. Revenue was down 14.3% to CHF3.44 billion, while operating profit plunged 70% to just CHF204 million, giving the group an operating margin of just 5.9%, compared to 17.1% from a year earlier. According to Swatch, the fall in revenue was “triggered by the sharp drop in demand for luxury goods in China (including Hong Kong SAR and Macau SAR)”. At the same time, wholesale sales fell over 10%, indicating that third-party retailers are ordering less watches from the group’s brands, which in turn indicates the retailers’ pessimism for the short- and medium term. Swatch also explained the poor results by noting the group did not “make any redundancies… [and] maintaining all production capacities and not laying off qualified staff”. This was done so that “the Group [will] recover more quickly and benefit more significantly from the next upswing.” The progressively weakening positions of each of the group’s brands relative to the competition – marques like Breguet and Blancpain stand out in this regard – imply this might be overoptimistic. Notably, Swatch stated “the Swatch brand bucked the negative trend” thanks to the bestselling MoonSwatch, but this was not (and will not) be sufficient to help the rest of the group given the low value of Swat...

LVMH Is An Unstoppable Force That’s Unlocking The Luxury Watch’s Full Potential

When Frédéric Arnault (29) became CEO of TAG Heuer in 2020 after joining the brand three years earlier, it demonstrated how much potential LVMH as a group saw in luxury watches. With him now appointed CEO of LVMH Watches in charge of Hublot, TAG Heuer and Zenith, LVMH (Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton) has shown its […] Visit LVMH Is An Unstoppable Force That’s Unlocking The Luxury Watch’s Full Potential to read the full article.

Business News: Richemont Six-Month Watch Sales Plunge 38%

Richemont just reported its sales for the first half of the financial year – the six months to end September 2020 – and most of the numbers are in the red. The Swiss luxury group that owns Cartier and IWC saw sales fall 26% year on year, though the quarterly numbers show a gradual recovery. Sales were down by 47% in the first quarter but recovered enough to dip just 6% in the second quarter, owing to a gradual reopening of the economy. This no doubt inspired optimism amongst investors, who sent the group’s share price up almost 9% by the close of trading. Optimism notwithstanding, the declines extended to all performance metrics. Operating margin fell sharply to just 8.3%, almost half that for the same period in 2019. The falls in sales and margins collectively led to stark, 82% fall in operating profit. Net profit cratered, going from €869m in the first half of 2019 to just €159m. Beyond the negative numbers, the report was also notable for what it did not include. With rumours swirling about changes to Richemont management at the very top level – particularly about the tenure of chief executive Jerome Lambert – it was widely speculated the results announcement would include personnel changes, but nothing was forthcoming. Woe for watches and everywhere but Asia The global pandemic meant a global fall in sales, but with drops varying from region to region. As expected, Asia Pacific performed the best, with sales falling just 4%. Negative growth in the fir...

Business News: Richemont Reports Flat Watch Sales and Losses Online

Having just announced its six-month results to the end of September, luxury conglomerate Richemont eked out a rise in sales driven by its jewellery division, with its online business staying in the red and watchmakers showing no growth. Sales rose 9% increase to €7.397 billion, with a stable net profit of €869 million, based on actual exchange rates. The group reported double-digit sales growth in China, Korea, Japan, the US and the United Kingdom. But overall sales in Asia Pacific, which accounts for 37% of the group’s sales, has been subdued, mostly due to the political unrest in Hong Kong, which accounts for around 10% of the group’s revenue. The city saw sales drop by double digits. Richemont’s jewellery brands, namely Cartier and Van Cleef & Arpels, though it just added Buccellati to its portfolio, reported an 8% rise in sales. Notably, it was led by a higher increase in watch sales than jewellery. Prospects for the group’s watch brands, which include IWC and Panerai, have been muted due to the slump in its biggest market, Hong Kong. Richemont singled out Panerai, A. Lange & Söhne and Vacheron Constantin as enjoying the highest growth within the watch division, which is notable for the fact that these brands are not usually the drivers of growth, at least in recent years. The A. Lange & Söhne Odysseus, launched too late to help sales but its maker did well anyway In terms of sales channels, retail sales at Richemont’s own stores were up by 4%, but who...

BREAKING NEWS: Richemont Launches its Newest Watch Brand - Baume

The Richemont Group’s newest brand, Baume, launches today, aimed solidly at young watch consumers who care about more than luxury watchmaking.

Industry News – Richemont Reports Stable Sales For Q1 2024, Results Down for Watches

Following the announcement yesterday of decreasing sales for the Swatch Group, particularly impacted by the industry’s challenging situation in China and South East Asia, it is time today for one of its main competitors, Richemont Group, to announce its sales for the first quarter ended 30 June 2024. Contrary to expectations, global sales are to […]

Industry News – Richemont Reports Record Sales for the Year 2023-2024, Appoints Nicolas Bos as new CEO

While the global economic situation might feel rather pessimistic, the luxury business and the watch and jewellery industry continue to post strong results for the year 2023. Following the announcement of a record year for Swiss watch exports in 2023, as well as strong revenues for both LVMH and Swatch Group, it is now time for […]

Business News: Richemont Sales Halve in First Quarter of 2020

Just days after the Swatch Group posted dismal half-year results, Richemont reported predictably poor sales for its first quarter, with revenue falling 47% to €1.99 billion compared to a year earlier. Like its rival the Swatch Group, Richemont was hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic. The owner of almost two dozen watch and jewellery brands, including Cartier, IWC and Panerai, suffered from widespread store and distribution centre closures, a worldwide halt in tourism, and dampened consumer interest in many of markets, although China was a bright spot. Degrees of resilience The group’s business across the world was affected to varying degrees from region to region, depending on a combination of factors, namely the duration of closures, tourist spending, and spending of the domestic buyers. Although Richemont reported double-digit sales declines across all regions, distribution channels and business areas, the decreases were less pronounced in the Middle East, Africa, and Asia Pacific – the latter benefitted from a 47% year-on-year growth in sales in China, which exited its lockdown earlier than the rest of the world. China’s performance helped keep sales in the Asia Pacific resilient, to a degree. Sales in the region decreased by 29% at actual exchange rates to €277m, declining in all Asian markets, except China. Amongst the hardest hit were Japan and the Americas, where sales dropped 62% and 60% respectively due to widespread closure. The 2020 Cartier Privé Tank...

A Look at the Novelties from Tiffany & Co., Gerald Genta, and Daniel Roth for LVMH Watch Week

Among the new releases at LVMH Watch Week this year were a series of novelties from brands that casual observers might sometimes forget sit inside the LVMH portfolio. Tiffany & Co., Gerald Genta, and Daniel Roth all unveiled new pieces this week to varying degrees of fanfare. And while these boutique luxury brands are very different in shape from the likes of TAG Heuer, Zenith, and Hublot, which really form the core of the LVMH watch business, it says a lot about the power and reach of LVMH as an entity that these brands fall under their purview. All three brands are recent additions to the LVMH stable, with Gerald Genta joining upon its relaunch in 2023, TIffayny & Co. when the sale of the company to LVMH went through in 2021, and Daniel Roth in 2011, when LVMH acquired Bulgari, then caretakers of Roth’s brand (LVMH relaunched Daniel Roth as a separate entity in 2023). These three brands also seem arranged in the LVMH ecosystem to compete directly with high end independent brands, particularly Daniel Roth, a name once seen as preeminent in the world of independent watchmaking.  Let’s run through the key releases from each brand at this year’s LVMH Watch Week. Tiffany & Co. debuted the Tiffany Timer, a three register chronograph with El Primero movement that flies under the radar, perhaps, in a few ways. First and foremost, that white metal case is not steel or white gold, but solid platinum. And the indices at each hour are baguette cut diamonds, which seems like a...

Bulgari’s “Art of Gold” at LVMH Watch Week 2026 brings the Monete and Tubogas back to centre stage

Bulgari offers a rose gold secret watch utilising ancient coinage and a yellow-gold, gemstone-set cuff watch to inaugurate its 2026.The post Bulgari’s “Art of Gold” at LVMH Watch Week 2026 brings the Monete and Tubogas back to centre stage appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.

Fratello Talks: LVMH Watch Week Highlights

We’re barely three weeks into 2026, and things are off to a strong start. It used to be that we’d have to wait until Watches and Wonders to get the first proper wave of novelties. But LVMH has taken it upon itself to produce the first major round of releases early in the year. Today, […] Visit Fratello Talks: LVMH Watch Week Highlights to read the full article.

Zenith doubles down on Defy at LVMH Watch Week 2026, from black ceramic to a rose-gold tourbillon

Zenith goes hard on the Defy to start 2026, offering a six-watch release that moves from stealthy black ceramic to precious metal spectacle.The post Zenith doubles down on Defy at LVMH Watch Week 2026, from black ceramic to a rose-gold tourbillon appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.

New: Zenith Defy releases for LVMH Watch Week 2026 (live pics)

Zenith adds Defy Skyline Skeleton and Skyline Chronograph, both in ceramic for LVMH Watch Week. Lve photographs and commentary in italics.

Zenith Introduces Six New Defy Models During LVMH Watch Week

For Zenith, the start of 2026 is all about the Defy collection. Now, as a big fan of the brand, I found this move surprising. The Le Locle-based watchmaker celebrated its 150th anniversary last year, and the commemorative releases showed the great diversity of styles within Zenith’s collection. I suppose I expected the first new […] Visit Zenith Introduces Six New Defy Models During LVMH Watch Week to read the full article.

SJX Podcast: Best of LVMH Watch Week

Episode 26 of the SJX Podcast breaks down the best releases from LVMH Watch Week, which saw the return of the hand-painted Escale Worldtime. The slate of releases also includes a surprising new men’s watch from Tiffany & Co. powered by the Zenith El Primero, and the first all-new model from the modern era of Daniel Roth. Things are looking up for TAG Heuer as well, which launched a regular production version of the Seafarer with vintage-leaning ‘Intrepid Teal’ accents, and a new top-of-the-line Carrera Split-Seconds Chronograph that has more in common with the likes of Richard Mille than the rest of the Carrera line-up. Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Youtube.  

Daniel Roth cuts away at its Extra Plat for LVMH Watch Week 2026

Cutting away at its extra-thin, time-only model, the modern Daniel Roth brand has created a watch that demonstrates its abilities perfectly.The post Daniel Roth cuts away at its Extra Plat for LVMH Watch Week 2026 appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.