Sami continued to showcase some of the key trends that have emerged this year, including how ultra-luxury watch brands are developing cultural cachet through participation in various subcultures such as sport. She highlighted a recent activation Jaeger Le-Coultre, which enabled the brand to communicate the origin story of the Reverso design, which was developed for Polo players in the 1930s. “It shows that these cultural opportunities are not just important for brand awareness, but even have a profound impact on product innovation,” Sami said.
Then, Vogue Business head of custom insights Anusha Couttigane took guests through the key findings of the report. Amid a backdrop of slow Swiss exports, tariff concerns and increased manufacturing costs, luxury watch consumers are exhibiting considerable resilience. The research, which included a consumer survey of seven markets, shows that the majority of luxury watch consumers don’t plan to change the way they shop if price hikes persist. “We often see this in times of economic headwinds, as luxury watches are perceived as a category that holds value, outlasts trends and even appreciates. So shoppers view it as investible during times of economic uncertainty,” Couttigane explained.
She added: “As we see more female shoppers engage with the category, this becomes more true. While female shoppers are acquiring higher disposable incomes, there is still a gap in financial literacy and we often see women investing in tangible assets that they can understand better compared to stocks and shares.”