The Swiss Watch industry is always a bit of a cyclical one. It is also one that is often very difficult to get real data on. Trying to figure out which sells more watches, Rolex vs Omega, for instance, can be especially tricky.

So I was especially pleased when someone popped something into my inbox. It is a piece of research from analysts at Credit Suisse, a Swiss bank, on trends in the Swiss Watch Industry.

The basically went around for a couple of months doing a survey of luxury retailers, asking them a bunch of questions around which watches are selling well. The results are pretty impressive for the biggest names in Swiss watches. Rolex is doing incredibly well, Omega is also on a roll. So are Cartier and Tissot.

Here’s the result of one of their surveys on which brands are selling well:

The chart clearly shows how brands such as Dior and Ebel are not performing at all well in the market.

They also looked at which price segment of watches is performing best and found that without any doubt, the best performing segment is for high end watches, which it categorises as costing more than $5000 each.

The results would seem to be good news for the biggest groups. They say that the investment implications are that these trends favour Swatch Group and Richemont. They say:

Swatch Group remains our preferred idea in the hard luxury space thanks to best-in-class supply chain capabilities, diversification across price points and strong momentum for Omega, Longines and Tissot. Richemont’s main brands are also performing well – we will hear from the company (i.e. interim results) on November 11.

Please bear in mind that this report is a few months old (so don’t go and start buying shares just because this blog had a post on how great the industry is). Also note that I’m here to provide news and interesting facts on the industry, not investment advice. With that little disclaimer out the way, I thought I’d also share another piece of outdated stockbroker research that someone has given me. This time it is from Nomura, a Japanese bank. In a report titled: Watches: why we like telling the time (August 31, 2011), they say:

We continue to be bullish on the watch industry long term due to: 1) regulatory changes: that should help alleviate longer term bottlenecks and increase capacity utilisation rates; 2) China potential: still just scratching the surface; 3) US: premiumise the category and increase distribution control, which should help increase transparency of stock levels in the channels and elevate pricing power.

Luxury Swiss Watch Brands Are Performing Best: Credit Suisse Says

Examples of this extraordinary Swatch Collection Source: Phillips de Pury & Company

This is probably a once in a lifetime event as a huge Swatch collection with more than 4,300 watches including incredibly rare models and prototypes that have never before been on sale will be sold on auction by  Phillips de Pury & Company in Hong Kong.

The collection, which has gone on a world tour to New York, Shanghai and London, includes a number of watches dating back to the early 1980s before the launch of the now iconic Swiss watch brand.

The collection was assembled by the late Peter Blum, a Swiss businessman and watch collector of note, and his wife Linda. This is probably the greatest collection of Swatch watches ever assembled. You can read more about it on the official Swatch website.

The Auction house said the following about the Swatch Collection:

“When the Swatch was introduced in 1983 it was a revolutionary concept and an instant success. Today, 28 years since its introduction, Swatch continues to be a vibrant, cool, fun watch and fashion accessory and is an important part of the cultural history of our times. Despite its numerous fans around the world, nobody, including Swatch, had succeeded in amassing the ultimate, most comprehensive collection of Swatches including all special editions and countless prototypes than the late Mr. Peter Blum. Phillips de Pury & Company prides itself on being entirely focused on contemporary culture and lending support to Swatch in disposing this historic collection fits right into that remit.” Simon de Pury, Chairman Phillips de Pury & Company.

Amazing Swatch Collection on Auction

The history of some of the more popular Swiss Watch brands dates as far back as 1735. Swiss watch makers today draw on a tradition and craft that has been built up over centuries. So although many Swiss watch manufacturers use the most modern techniques and technology, their craft is one that runs deep in their blood.

Is is for this reason that Swiss watch companies are still so renowned for their high quality and why many of these watches are even more popular today than they were 100 years ago. There are numerous brands to choose from, however, there are a few that stand above the rest and are the most sought after watches and famous Swiss watch brands available.

Rolex

One of the most well-known and most  popular Swiss watch brands is Rolex. This is partly because Rolex watches are a well recognized status-symbol. The Rolex brand has a rich history that has developed since 1908 when the name was submitted for trademark. Rolex watches are distinctive and breathtaking. Today it is still one of the most counterfeited watches around the world. An authentic Rolex will cost at least $4800.00 with many styles that will cost over $45,000.00. You can find pre-owned watches for as low as $2500.00 depending on the age and style of the watch.

Some of the most popular lines include the Submariner, Oyster Perpetual, the Yachtmaster-II, Day-Date, Datejust, Daytona and the GMT Master II. It is a wide enough range that there is one for every taste, from the stylish dress watch to a rugged outdoor one. The most popular Rolex is probably the Rolex Submariner although the Rolex Daytona has a huge following too.

Omega

The original Nasa-issue Omega Speedmaster watch

Omega is probably the second-most famous Swiss Watches. In popular culture it is renowned for having been adopted by James Bond (who traditionally used to wear a Rolex). More important is the fact that Omega was the first wristwatch that was sent to space. In the past these watches were seen as something of a poor man’s Rolex, but in recent years Omega Swiss watches have managed to re-establish their reputation in their own right.

The leading Omega is the Speedmaster. In times past this was thought of as a cheap version of the Rolex Daytona. But since it was selected by Nasa it is now widely known as the first watch on the moon. Nasa notes that although it was never specifically designed to be used in space, it performed admirably. In space-walks it was worn on the outside of the space suit. It as, Nasa says, still worn on many current missions too.

In more recent years the Omega has also gained fame as being the watch worn by James Bond (or 007). In 1995 Bond dumped his Rolex for an Omega Seamaster Ocean with a blue dial.

Hublot

Hublot Watches are a real newcomer to the market. This is a brand that has only really emerged over the past decade or so under the leadership of Jean-Claude Biver, an inspirational marketer with a real passion for watches. These watches are unimaginably modern, using materials that include Kevlar and rubber. The Hublot Big Bang deliberately sets out to differentiate itself from all other Swiss watch brands. Unless you are young, modern and rich you probably won’t get a Hublot as your first watch but you may well choose to get it as a second watch to add to a collection.

Tag Heuer

Tag Heuer watches have quickly become popular and some styles are as expensive as Rolex watches. Known for creating a watch with a high level of accuracy it has become a favorite watch of sports enthusiasts. Tag Heuer has become the official watch for many sporting events. You can find some of there styles that sell for $775 and many of their high-end styles will range up to several thousand dollars or more. The watches are beautiful and have quickly become a very popular watch among men and women alike.

Breitling

Breitling watches are a favorite and unofficial watch choice of pilots. These watches are exceptional quality timepieces that were originally marketed to professionals such as pilots. You can find some styles for approximately $1895.00.with a few styles such as the Breitling Bentley that sell for $99,000.00. Designed with the best technology, the watches will last a lifetime. Breitling watches are distinctive and have unique features that set them apart from many of the high-end watches on the market.

Affordable Swiss Watch brands

Wenger: One of the most popular Swiss Watch Brands

Most of the luxury Swiss watches mentioned above are the finest in the world. But they also happen to cost thousands of dollars each (if you are lucky).  That doesn’t mean that people of more modest wealth can’t also enjoy Swiss quality and style. For there is also a large range of affordable Swiss watches that start much more cheaply. Generally these will have quartz movements, rather than mechanical ones, but they will still be made to exacting standards. The cheaper Swiss watch brands won’t cost more than a month’s salary, but they still give satisfaction and can be worn with pride.

Wenger

If you are looking for affordable Swiss watches you would do well to look at the high quality Wenger brand. Wenger Swiss watches are popular and very affordable as many styles start at a $210.00. The company was established in 1886 and was a well-known manufacturer of the Swiss Army Knife. Wenger started making watches in 1997 and the company was committed to making an attractive line of quality watches. Since then, they have developed a line of ladies watches and sport watches. The watches are very attractive and made with Swiss accuracy and precision. They may not carry the exorbitant price tag of the many other popular watches; however, they are a beautiful line of stylish watches.

Swatch

Many more popular Swiss Watch Brands available are affordable. Swiss quality is not limited to watches that carry a high price tag. Swatch makes a great line of cheap Swiss watches that are still pretty well made. Many of the most popular watchmakers have developed more affordable lines of watches. You do not have to spend thousands of dollars to have a quality Swiss made timepiece. Although, if you are looking for a status symbol that advertises your individual success, a high-end Swiss watch may be a solution. You will want to shop at a reputable dealer to avoid purchasing a counterfeit.

People looking for an affordable watch can do a lot worse than try a Swatch. These generally don’t cost much more than $50, yet because they are still pretty well made and look good they are among the world’s most popular watches. They also come in enough designs and colours to make almost anyone happy. I own a couple for times when I’m running at night or going into a bad neighbourhood and don’t want to risk having an expensive watch stolen.

The Most Popular Swiss Watch Brands

After a record year in 2008 the Swiss watch industry faced serious headwinds from the global economic crisis in 2009. Yet there are signs of a change in fortune for Swiss watch makers. In November 2009, watch makers reported their best month so far for the year with sales of 1.4 billion Swiss francs. That was, however, still down about 10% on the year before but a huge improvement over some months earlier in the year where sales where down by 40 percent to 50 percent.
The turnaround, though, is happening at the cheaper end of the market. Figures released by the Swiss Watch Federation showed that sales of platinum watches were down by about 26% (by value) and gold watch sales were down by 19%. The biggest gain was in Swiss watches costing between 200 Swiss francs and 500 Swiss francs.  These include many military style watches. Sales of these sorts of watches was up by about 20%. That will help the lower end of the market and the mass producers of quartz watches such as Swatch. A lot of the growth in demand came from China, where sales of Swiss watches increased by 36%. Major developed markets such as Germany, France and America all recorded drops.

The industry and Swiss government aren’t sitting around waiting for things to improve but are being proactive. In November the Swiss Federal Council announced its Swissness project to promote Swiss-made watches and other Swiss products. This introduces stricter rules over how much Swiss content there must be in a product such as a watch for it to call itself Swiss. Under the new rules, 60 percent of the value of a watch must come from Switzerland for it to claim to be a Swiss-made watch, which should help reassure buyers of watches that they really are Swiss made, as opposed to be mostly made in Asia and then just given a last polish in a Swiss assembly shop. The move has been a contentious one, even within the industry, as a number of Swiss watch makers have complained they would not be able to compete and might go out of business if they weren’t allowed to call their watches Swiss, even though much of their content and value comes from elsewhere. Yet the industry as a whole, probably rightly, feels that the rules should be tightened and that firms will create more jobs in Switzerland as a result. The brand value of being able to say a that a particular model is a Swiss-made watch must surely be worth more than the small number of low-skilled jobs Switzerland might be able to hang onto by having loose standards and selling what are in fact, if not in law, replica Swiss watches.

Swiss Watch Industry Shows New Signs of Life