Gucci took us back to the 70's with the GRIP analog design. What's the main inspiration of this unisex timepiece?
The Grip takes its inspiration from skateboarding. Fitting snugly to the wrist, the watch mimics the way a skater’s trainer adheres to the grip tape on their board. A product of Alessandro Michele’s creative vision, it was designed without a defined gender in mind, and fuses contemporary style with vintage appeal.

Gucci has a unique ability to adapt, renew, and innovate. To what extent does the GRIP watch reflect this philosophy?
Gucci is always pushing boundaries to find new styles, creating fashion watches that are daring, disruptive, and unlike anything else you will see. Our aim with the Grip was to create a truly genderless watch, and our underlying idea was to design a new kind of timepiece, which would give every individual a means to express their personality. It is also a Gucci design through and through; the Italian creativity, the Swiss craftsmanship and our unique DNA are all there. So, it retains our classic appeal, with unmistakeable signature codes, but also simultaneously introduces something cool and fresh. So, for example, its eye-catching design, featuring three windows on the dial to indicate the hour, minute and date, is very bold and innovative. But, like all our watches, the Grip is also extremely easy-to-wear and will blend easily with any outfit.

How important is the GRIP launch to the brand's timepieces division?
It is a really exciting new addition to our portfolio. The Grip’s unique genderless design stands out, and we hope it will become a modern-day classic; an iconic pillar for our collection. It has been intentionally created to champion Gucci’s passion for self-expression, and we want this spirit of freedom to capture the attention of our younger consumers. We always question why, if people are all different, are watches the same? We hope the Grip will start a conversation and try and provide an answer to this question.

What is your approach towards e-commerce especially now that Gucci is appealing more and more to the young vibrant generation?
Nowadays, e-commerce should be a crucial part of every brand’s commercial approach, but even from its very early days Gucci has always backed its importance. It plays a crucial role in our distribution and it’s growing fast, reflecting a prominent shift in consumer behavior. Watches are a very saleable category online so, as a company, we believe it is essential that we continue to deliver the right retail experience. For a long time, Gucci.com has been our biggest store in the world, and we want our online customers to have a similar experience to the one they enjoy in our boutiques. We also understand just how important it is to find the right balance between the virtual world and the physical one, so we will continue to nurture both, looking for new and innovative ways to form lasting relationships with our customers. 

How social media has helped improving and/or challenging your business?
Social media and the way we communicate with our consumers changes so rapidly that, of course, it is a challenge for all businesses to keep up with those shifts. It means we must be very reactive. But by adapting all the time, you can create a continuous and direct dialogue with customers, which is exciting. Creativity and emotion are at the heart of everything Gucci does; and we believe social media allows us to convey our ideas in unexpected and interesting ways. The methods we use to connect constantly evolves too.

With two working days fewer than in June 2018 and a markedly negative base effect, watch exports dropped by 10.7% in June, to 1.7 billion Swiss francs, according to the report of Federation of the Swiss Watch Industry. Steel watches had a significant impact on the overall result, with some particularly sharp falls in both value (-15.0%) and number of items (-23.9%). Precious metal timepieces also saw a marked decline (-6.0%). Products in the other metals category dropped by a third in number of items. With the exception of Sultanate of Oman + 109.9% growth, most of the GCC countries lead a drop in its Swiss watch imports.

On the first 3 months of its year 2019, the Richemont Group (that includes brands like IWC, Lange & Söhne, Jaeger-Lecoultre, Panerai, Cartier, Vacheron Constantin or Piaget) reports sales up by 12% at actual exchange rates and by 9% at constant exchange rates (compared to the prior-year period), at EUR 3,740m compared to EUR 3,344m on the same period in 2018. As for regions, Richemont Group reports double-digit growth in Japan and Asia Pacific, notably in mainland China, and high single-digit growth in the Americas more than compensated for decreases in Europe and the Middle East and Africa.

According to Executive Board of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the real non-oil growth of Saudi Arabia is expected to strengthen to 2.9 per cent in 2019 as government spending and confidence increase, but real GDP growth is projected to slow to 1.9 per cent as real oil growth slows to 0.7 per cent. The IMF recently concluded the Article IV Consultation with Saudi Arabia and expects that the implementation of the Opec+ agreement will act as drag on the real GDP growth this year. However, the Fund expects growth to pick-up over the medium-term as ongoing reforms take hold.

Splendida Tubereuse Mystique, the new addition to the Splendida Bvlgari Collection has been unveiled on July 9th in the prestigious Villa Pizzo, a glamourous venue overlooking Lake Como. As the mystical tuberose flourishes when the dark night is falling, Bvlgari unveiled Splendida Tubereuse Mystique at night with an immersive experience into the fragrance ingredients with master perfumer Sophie Labbè and a unique light show that surprised all guests after a sparkling dinner. Bvlgari’s CEO Jean-Christophe Babin and Global General Manager Parfums Luis Miguel Gonzalez Sebastiani welcomed an elite of international and Italian celebrities, influencers and media for a spectacular night.

Audemars Piguet and the Montreux Jazz Festival celebrated the closing night of the Festival’s 53rd edition on July 13, 2019—a co-organised event starring legendary Quincy Jones, godfather of the Montreux Jazz Festival and long-lasting friend of the brand. The closing party was the perfect occasion to officially celebrate the Global partnership between the two entities, which extends their ongoing collaboration begun in 2010 with the Montreux Jazz Digital Project.

At last year's Phillips spring auction in Geneva, the 1815 "Homage to Walter Lange", manufactured only once with a steel case, was sold for more than 700,000 euro. It was the highest auction result ever achieved for an A. Lange & Söhne wristwatch. The entire sale proceeds were donated by A. Lange & Söhne to the foundation Children Action in honour of Walter Lange, the founder of the company who died in 2017. Almost a year after the auction, Lange CEO Wilhelm Schmid met the surgeon Professor André Kaelin, who works for Children Action, at Clinique de Grangettes in Geneva to talk to him about the foundation's current work.

Under the patronage of His Serene Highness Prince Albert II, Chaumet in Majesty Jewels of Sovereigns Since 1780 is orchestrated by two curators with renowned expertise of royal courts: Stéphane Bern, a media and cultural figure, and Christophe Vachaudez, an historian specialising in jewellery. Bringing together some 250 jewellery creations, works of art and exceptional historical pieces, the exhibition takes the visitor on a voyage of rediscovery of the history of a cult jewel, the tiara, a symbol of sovereignty that has become one of radiant femininity.

On the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 lunar landing, OMEGA is proud to unveil the first new Speedmaster Moonwatch to house the movement. To view the reconstructed movement, customers will be able to look through the sapphire-crystal caseback of the new Speedmaster Moonwatch 321 Platinum. As the name suggests, the chronograph features a 42 mm brushed and polished case crafted from a special platinum alloy with the use of gold (Pt950Au20). The case design is inspired by the asymmetrical 4th generation Speedmaster case with twisted lugs (ST 105.012), and is presented on a black leather strap with a platinum buckle. Furthermore, this exciting timepiece includes a black ceramic bezel with the Speedmaster’s famous tachymeter scale in white enamel.

Launched in 2018 at London’s legendary Abbey Road Studios in the company of Benjamin Clementine – one of the talents personifying the collection in the new Vacheron Constantin communication campaign –, Fiftysix is revisiting the codes of an iconic 1956 model. The models unveiled to date are now joined by a version featuring a petrol blue dial specifically developed for this collection. The epitome of relaxed elegance, this shade lends a noble touch to the masculine wardrobe, and will now attire the dials of the Fiftysix self-winding and Fiftysix complete calendar models.

Mr. Raffy and Maison BOVET 1822 are sending a sincere message of hope by faithfully supporting the ONLY WATCH initiative, which raises money for Duchenne muscular dystrophy research. For this edition of the biennial auction, Mr. Raffy imagined a timepiece that would resonate with the ONLY WATCH cause. The result is a unique Récital 23 timepiece. It was presented at the SIHH 2019, and is the first women's style with the iconic writing slope case. The case is in the form of a vertically elongated oval. The bezel inclines reverently to meet one's gaze and ingeniously reveals the three-dimensional architecture of the movement and its time display.

Minute Repeater Resonance by Armin Strom, the world’s first and only resonance chiming wristwatch, offers two-in-one for double the pleasure. Two complications, resonance and minute repeater; two vertically-stacked independent movements; two forms of resonance (oscillators and sound propagation); two independent mainsprings in one barrel; and two top development teams in Armin Strom (resonance) and Le Cercle des Horlogers (repeaters).

This hot season, it is time to spice up your beach outfits and what perfect way to do this than to wear CASIO’s newly released Summer-Ready BABY-G wristwatch model for women. Adding glamor to a lady’s overall beach ensemble, the shock-resistant G-Lide BAX-100 is packed with impressive features and key functionalities fully capable of withstanding extreme beach activities such as swimming, diving, snorkelling, and summer sporting events. 

The largest jewelry event in Singapore which gathers the biggest names from the world’s jewelry capitals opened its doors  to showcase rare gemstones and stunning creations worth more than US$150 million. This year’s showcase of more than 230 jewelers, designers and manufacturers from 26 countries filled two convention halls to present one of the largest editions of the Singapore International Jewelry Expo (SIJE). The event was opened by Guest of Honour, Dr Lily Neo, Member of Parliament, Jalan Besar GRC.