Skip to main content

Are Luxury Watches Going to be Redefined?


By: Soumya Jain

The world is ever-changing with trends, new products and new technology. Are traditional mechanical luxury watches also going to be redefined with the times?

It is quite a pertinent question about the future of luxury watches. Are they going to survive the onslaught of smartwatches? Apart from that, with sales of luxury watches seeing volatile shifts in multiple markets, does the industry need a shake-up in terms of design and materials? These are just some questions I ask around as an industry-outsider.



  • With the proliferation of smartwatches in the market, a watch started becoming more than just an accessory for the wealthy diaspora. Smartwatches control our calls, calendar, our heartbeat and our footsteps. No mechanical watch can claim to be so useful. Indeed, multiple traditional luxury watch brands have dipped their hands into smartwatches, releasing models which are quite a crossover offering the look of traditional luxury watches with the facilities of smartwatches. A prime example is Frederique Constant. So, what is the future of luxury watches? Are millennials and generation Z going to give as much respect to the old guns?



  • After going through a slump for the past three years, exports from Swiss luxury watch brands are finally on an uptick, especially in US and China. But with many predicting another recession, is it going to continue? That brings me to the next question – with so many luxury watch brands available in the market, each better than the previous one, how are they going to manage costs amid possibly slowing sales (due to myriad reasons) and fierce competition? I often think synthetic diamonds could be one way to lower costs, while giving the same quality and a breather to our beloved Earth. But of course, this will also entail marketing spend to make synthetic diamonds acceptable in the eyes of the rich. For those who don’t know, synthetic diamonds are essentially man-made lab diamonds offering the same (or sometimes even better) quality as natural diamonds. While they have been widely accepted for industrial purposes, synthetic diamonds are yet to see much traction for retail sales.

Like I said, these are some naïve questions of a wandering mind.

Soumya Jain is the Chief Editor & CEO of LuxuryFacts.com – the first and only luxury blog and magazine in India. She is also the Co-Editor of ‘The Luxury Market in India: Maharajas to Masses’, published by Palgrave Macmillan and launched in September 2012. The book is a window into the highly complex Indian luxury market. Soumya is also a visiting lecturer for luxury marketing and online journalism at leading educational institutes in India. She has been invited to speak at conferences and address industry colleagues about the Indian luxury market. Recognising her knowledge of the market, she has been quoted by media such as Fast Company, Wall Street Journal & Financial Times among others, while also contributing articles on luxury in various publications.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

What is Teppanyaki? Understanding Japanese Cuisine.

Although there is much involved in the creation of delectable Japanese cuisine, Teppanyaki forms a large part of it, which many misunderstand to be same as hibachi or just grilled food. By: Soumya Jain Japan’s cuisine is as technically precise as it is creating a watch or jewelry. The fish has to be placed just the way and seaweed rolled with just enough pressure to be able to present a perfectly made sushi. Apart from the more popular sushi and sashimi, Teppanyaki also forms a part of Japanese cuisine. To put it in easy words, Teppanyaki uses an iron griddle to cook food. In Japan, ‘teppanyaki’ refers to dishes cooked using an iron plate, including steak, shrimp, vegetables, okonomiyaki (Japanese pancake), yakisoba (Japanese fried noodles), and monjayaki (also a kind of savory Japanese pancake). Modern teppanyaki grills are typically propane-heated flat surface grills and are widely used to cook food in front of guests at restaurants. Teppanyaki grills are commonly ...
Post a Comment
Read more

The Rise of Indian Luxury Brands

India is no stranger to luxury. But its manifestations have only begun to rise recently. By: Soumya Jain I still remember 2009 and the huge number of trips I made to the newly opened DLF Emporio mall that year, because all international brands were opening their stores one by one at this New Delhi mecca of pure luxury. From Cartier to Dior, international brands had finally found a location apt for their sparkling stores in India. And suddenly, all these brands and the Indian luxury industry were in news. Not that Indian luxury brands didn’t exist before this. They did. After all, who else donned the celebrity and rich brides of India before this era. It’s just that Indian luxury brands were maybe only fixed on the pages of luxury magazines in India . After this time, they became mainstream. Today everybody knows J. J. Valaya, Suneet Varma, Sabyasachi Mukherjee, Abu Jani Sandeep Khosla, Good Earth, Hidesign, Zoya, Forest Essentials, Mirari and the many Indian...
Post a Comment
Read more

Indian Hospitality Entities that the Luxury Magazines in India are Raving About

The mantra of Indian hospitality has long embraced the idea that a guest is in no way inferior to God, and as such; a guest deserves god like service. Indian’s in the hospitality industry have long clung to this idea and it has served us well. However, now is the time to up the ante while clinging to the age-old adage ‘Atithi Devo Bhava’ which translates to ‘Guest is God’ from Sanskrit to English. Bearing this in mind; quite a few luxury hospitality industry brands are persevering to meet the global standards of premium hospitality services and many are excelling at it. Among these many; we have listed the top Indian hospitality entities that the luxury magazines in India are raving about. Read further to know more. Conrad in Pune Pune has grown in leaps and bounds as a viable economic hub in recent years. This city is no longer relegated to the status of ‘Backyard of Mumbai’ and is now coming into its own as a major cosmopolitan city in India. Bearing this in mind; t...
Post a Comment
Read more