Patek Philippe Maison Opening in Shanghai
Swiss watch company Patek Philippe last week opened its second store in China, a 13,000-square-foot retail outlet and parlor in Shanghai in the former residence of the British consulate, one of the city’s priciest parcels of real estate.
There the company will show off its collection of watches valued at $16,000 to $240,000, said Thierry Stern, president of Patek Philippe, in an interview.
In addition, the company rolled out a local service center so wealthy watch buyers can maintain their pricey pieces without having to send them overseas.
The brand sells about 55,000 watches globally each year, with Chinese sales accounting for 40% of this figure, though most sales are made outside of China owing to the country’s high luxury tax.
According to a report by the Wall Street Journal, Patek Philippe is hoping that China’s demand for luxury watches will continue, despite concerns that the market is slowing.
Watches have taken a significant hit. Swiss watch exports fell for the first time in three years to 1.73 billion Swiss francs ($1.86 billion) in September, down 2.7% from the year-earlier month, according to the Federation of the Swiss Watch Industry.
China accounted for the biggest decline, as sales of Swiss watches plummeted 28%, according to the data. Hong Kong sales fell 20%
Lionel Messi for Audemars Piguet!
Argentine Football superstar Lionel Messi became a brand ambassador for Audemars Piguet in 2010 and today he gets his own AP.
The Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Leo Messi Limited Edition watch is based on the new 41mm Royal Oak chronograph and will come in three different models!
Limited to just a 1000 pieces, the watch uses hour markers crafted from white gold for the steel version and pink gold for the pink-gold version with the platinum version packing a deep blue dial with contrasting white gold markers.
Chanel launching face stickers!
Chanel’s Cruise collection at Versailles earlier this week didn’t disappoint in the beauty stakes, and now fashionistas will be able to recreate the Marie Antoinette-inspired aesthetic with the launch of Chanel logo beauty spot stickers.
For Monday’s runway show, Chanel’s creative director of makeup Peter Philips adorned models’ cheekbones with black velvet Chanel logo beauty spots.
Style.com reports that the stickers recreating the effect will be available for sale in an upcoming line called Collection Versailles de Chanel.
“Last minute I added a subtle highlight with Mouche de Beauté,” said Philips, explaining the customized highlighter, a bold pink eyeshadow and CC stickers will form the forthcoming beauty set.
Chanel has previously enjoyed success with a collection of temporary jewelry-like tattoos inspired by Chanel symbols, cherry blossoms, and birds
L’Odyssée de Cartier!
On 4 March 2012, Cartier will unveil “L’Odyssée de Cartier”, a film of 3’30 that was two years in the making with a team of fifty talented people from around the world.
This film, which recounts an ongoing legend suffused with over 160 years of history, is the epic story of the King of Jewellers moved by its passion for creation and for interacting with the world’s cultures.
The heroine of this short film is the panther, the icon of Cartier since 1914. The emblematic creature goes on an imaginary voyage, between dream and reality, leaving its mark on the continents that have enriched Cartier style.
Through this film, Cartier offers a unique moment of escape, inspired by the desire to enchant, to share its passion and to communicate its values.
You will have the opportunity to discover the first screening of this film via an exclusive screening on March 2 on Cartier’s Facebook page.
