From Your Personal Shopper in Geneva: Swiss Watchmaker Corum sold to China Haidian

The Swiss watchmaker Corum has been acquired by Haldian Holdings Limited of China, marking the first time a Swiss watchmaker with the “haute horlogerie” distinction has been bought out by a Chinese company.

The CHF86 million ($90.6) agreement is intended to allow Haldian to expand its presence in the Swiss luxury watch market while helping Corum to strengthen its brand worldwide, company representatives expressed at this week’s Baselworld watch industry trade fair.

Antonio Calce, the CEO of Corum, expressed his belief that Hon Kwak Lung, who heads Haldian’s executive committee, will continue the Swiss watchmaking tradition as head of the company.

“He is a man committed to the preservation and development of the Swiss watch industry, craftsmanship and know-how we have in the region,”

Calce said. Calce will remain in his position after the Haldian takeover.   The La-Chaux-de-Fonds-based Corum, which was founded in 1955, was bought by American philanthropist Severin Wunderman in 2000.

It employs around 130 people.   Haldian took over the Solothurn-based watch brand Eterna two years ago and also has holdings in the Biel-based Codex watch company.

China Haidian, which owns two of the top four domestic Chinese watch brands,  EBOHR and ROSSINI, also owns the Swiss brand Eterna which has a license to  manufacture and distribute globally “Porsche Design” watches.

The sale was announced on the eve of Baselworld, the world’s biggest watch  trade fair held in the Swiss city of Basel.

From Your Personal Shopper in Switzerland: Fashion at BASELWORLD

Alongside renowned watch and jewellery manufacturers, such as Omega, Chopard, Bulgari, Rolex or Patek Philippe, a number of the world’s most well-known fashion brands will also be exhibiting in Basel and giving visitors an initial peek at their new watch and jewellery lines. For several years now, a close bond has existed between BASELWORLD, the most important watch and jewellery show globally, and the leading fashion houses with their designers. This liaison has its roots in the early 1970s when Gucci was one of the first fashion houses to introduce watches of its own.

The link between fashion trends and designs in the world of fashion, on the one hand, and accessories like watches and jewellery, on the other, is evident in a large number of brands. Examples include the GG and Bamboo motifs at Gucci or the B watch from Fendi, which constitutes the ideal match for the famous Fendi B bag. In many of the luxury goods companies, including Hermès, Dior and Chanel, a constant flow of design and material-based inspirations takes place in both directions between the watch and jewellery collections and the company’s remaining lines, with the result that they influence and complement each other in the ideal manner. A large number of the watches unveiled here captivate visitors with their accomplished French or Italian design and their perfected art of Swiss watchmaking.

While many of the collections shown at BASELWORLD reflect the major fashion trends and currents from the international catwalks, an influence in the opposite direction is also repeatedly in evidence. Yellow and rose gold have featured frequently at BASELWORLD over the past few years and are now being taken up by the big fashion house collections too. The wider fashion and design trends have similarly been influenced by the use of ceramics, titanium and PVD, as well as by the pavé technique for setting diamonds and the use of coloured stones.

Over the years, a large number of icons from the fashion world have been guests at BASELWORLD, including Vivienne Westwood and Diane von Fürstenberg. And this year once again, brilliant new designs and impressive creations from the most successful watch and jewellery brands and the biggest fashion houses will be enticing people to Basel.

From Your Personal Shopper in Geneva: David Beckham for Breitling

International sports celebrity and style icon, David Beckham, is the new face for the Breitling Transocean Chronograph Unitime worldtimer watch.

The partnership includes a new advertisement with Beckham pictured on the runway of the Mojave Air & Space Port in California. The image, taken by American photographer Anthony Mandler, shows the soccer star standing in front of a private jet wearing his Transocean Chronograph Unitime.

The Transocean Chronograph Unitime is equipped with the new Manufacture Breitling Caliber B05 and provides permanent readings of the time in all 24 timezones through its crown-operated correction system.

“I’ve always been a long-time admirer of Breitling. As a company they create not only the highest-performance watches but also timeless designs that have inspired generations. It was a natural choice for me to partner with this fantastic brand.”