Switzerland
Switzerland is a global powerhouse in luxury jewellery and watchmaking, home to renowned brands and a highly skilled manufacturing sector. For UK jewellers, suppliers, and trade professionals, understanding Switzerland’s influence on design trends, supply chains, and market dynamics is crucial. Jewellery Focus provides coverage on Swiss jewellery and watch brands, trade developments, innovations, and insights into how the country’s expertise shapes the international jewellery industry.
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Jul- 2016 -21 JulyDesigners
Swatch reports 54% plunge in profits
Swatch Group remains upbeat about the second half of the year, despite reporting a plunge in profits and sales in its first-half trading update. The Switzerland-based company, which owns brands such as Calvin Klein, Blancpain, Tissot, Longines, Omega and Breguet, reported a 54% fall in operating profit in the first…
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Jun- 2016 -13 JuneRetailers
Watches of Switzerland set to open new Knightsbridge store
Watches of Switzerland is set to complete what it calls a ‘golden triangle’ of London stores with the opening of its new Knightsbridge store later this month. The three-storey showroom will open on Brompton Road on 27 June and will feature the UK’s largest Patek Philippe in-store boutique, a rolex…
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Apr- 2016 -7 AprilQ&A Sessions
Brand Q&A: Swatch
Calvin Klein Watches and Jewellery, part of the Swatch group of brands, enjoyed double-digit growth in the UK market last year. TOM DAVIS sat down with brand president, Laura Burdese, to learn about the brand’s UK footprint and its future expectations [divider style=”solid” top=”20″ bottom=”20″] Give us a bit of…
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Feb- 2016 -15 FebruaryWatch Focus
Breguet to launch first UK pop-up exhibition
Luxury Swiss watch brand Breguet is set to launch its first UK pop-up exhibition at the recently opened Watches of Switzerland store in Canary Wharf, London. The boutique is set to run from Thursday, 25 February, to Saturday, 27 February, and will showcase the “finest selection” of watches from the…
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Dec- 2015 -7 DecemberCrime
Gang jailed for 51 years over £1m of watch thefts
An organised gang of criminals from Estonia who flew into the UK in order to steal more than £1 million pounds worth of watches have been jailed for 51 years. Taimar Uibopuu, 30, from Estonia was found guilty of conspiracy to commit robbery and sentenced to 15 years’ imprisonment; Alar Kalyurand, 43, from…
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2 DecemberCrime
VIDEO: Have-a-go-heroes tackle jewellery robber in Leeds
Armed robbers who targets a Leeds jewellers in a million pounds raid were tracked down after ‘have-a-go-heroes’ intervened and detained one of the gang. The Estonian gang, who flew into the country just days before the raid, stole more than 150 watches worth more than £935,000 when they struck at…
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Nov- 2015 -30 NovemberCrime
Watches of Switzerland hit by Black Friday smash-and-grab
Some £80,000 worth of watches have been stolen in a smash-and-grab raid at the Watches of Switzerland store in London’s Knightsbridge. The incident, which took place at 9:30am on Friday, 27 November, saw two raiders riding one motorcycle break into the luxury watch store on Brompton Road, smashing the front…
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Oct- 2015 -30 OctoberWatch Focus
Farer launches in UK with explorer-inspired collection
New British watch brand Farer has launched in the UK with an explorer-inspired collection. Each of the watches in the collection is named after a British explorer, selected to define the spirit of the brand, which it said is “daring, courageous, and filled with wanderlust”. The watches, which are designed…
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28 OctoberWatch Focus
Breitling opens Bluewater store
Swiss watch brand Breitling has opened a 1,500 sq ft boutique in Kent’s Bluewater shopping centre. The store, which officially opened on October 27, is situated on the upper Rose Gallery and will be managed by Aurum Holdings, the owners of Watches of Switzerland, Mappin & Webb and Goldsmiths. The…
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12 OctoberNews
Goldsmiths to invest £1m in London stores
Luxury jeweller has announced that it is to invest more than £1m in its London stores, including the addition of a fourth store. The investment will include a refurbishment of its premises in Canary Wharf, Victoria and Westfield, as well as the addition of a new fourth store located on…
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