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Martin Braun Is Back With New "Antoine Martin" Watch Brand

Talented watch maker Martin Braun's self-named brand went under as a result of heavy losses in the Franck Muller group. Having left the Franck Muller Group sometime ago, Martin Braun wanted/needed to do something new. Legally speaking, he was not able to use his own name again for the brand because it is owned by the Franck Muller Group. Now with backing from an entrepreneur named Antoine Meier, Braun is back with his new brand called (not very creatively) Antoine Martin. The new brand will focus on making their own movements (as before), but stylistically is said not have any similarities with the original Martin Braun brand. Antoine Martin is due to release their first timepieces pretty soon.

Ariel Adams publishes the luxury watch reviews site aBlogtoRead.com

Tags: antoine martin, brand, martin braun, watch

Pierre Kunz Watch Manufacture In Danger Of Closing Shop?

by Ariel Adams (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Timepieces / Watches

Pierre Kunz could be another luxury watch brand that will fall victim to "the crisis" or as the luxury watch industry is less than affectionately referring to the current economic downturn. I reported a while ago that Franck Muller was about to cut a large number of jobs. Looks like things are worse than expected at the company who owns watch brand Pierre Kunz, among a couple of other more boutique brands - Pierre Kunz being the most well known. According to the Tribune De Geneve, Franck Muller can "no longer support its young brands." It is unclear whether this means Franck Muller operated brands like Pierre Kunz will cease operation, be sold, or be "consolidated" somehow.

Pierre Kunz has some innovative and beautiful models under its catalog including the pictured G703 T STR Tourbillon and the Infinity Looping Black Steel watches. They have even announced new watches recently. In instances where a brand is highly marketable but its parent company does not have the funds to continue to support it, there is often an interested outside buyer who will save the small manufacture. It is unclear in today's economy how likely this is for Pierre Kunz. Other Franck Muller brands likely to kick the bucket are ECW, Rodolphe, and Barthelay.

Via WorldTempus (in mostly French).

Ariel Adams publishes the luxury watch review site aBlogtoRead.com.

Tags: brand, closing, company, franck muller, FranckMuller, pierre kunz, PierreKunz, swiss, watch

IWC Rated Best Luxury Watch Brand By Wealthy People

by Ariel Adams (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Timepieces / Watches

The results of this study details the perception of wealthy buyers towards luxury watches. An LBSI survey asked individuals with $2 million or more money in investable assets about various brands and IWC was rated "best of the best" out of 33 competing luxury watch brands. IWC earned tops scores for luxury, value, as well as being recommended to others as a good luxury watch brand. IWC, part of the Richemont Group is one of many luxury brands under the company's umbrella. Two and three on the list of best brands were Patek Philippe and Vacheron Constantin.

It is important to understand that the results of the survey does not mean that IWC is the best luxury brand, but merely that it is perceived as such by the population surveyed. This is thanks to effective marketing and brand positioning, as well as the user experience owners have had with IWC watches. Buyers of luxury watches expect their watches not only to look nice, but be reliable and free from defects. This means that overall IWC owners were happy, likely repeat customers - more so than those of comparable brands. Other key factors that surveyed consumers indicated about IWC was they they appreciate the classic yet unique looks of IWC watches, as well as the rareness of the brands overall character. This either speaks to the difficulty in finding a brand with this blend of traits, or that IWC watches are in fact difficult to find.

Luxury watch brands each have their fare share of positive and negative qualities - but IWC has apparently succeeded in winning the most amount of hearts for its target demographic. They are in fact excellent timepieces, and now I know that I am not the only one that feels this way. The pictured watch is the IWC Grand Complication perpetual calendar watch in 18k rose gold.

Via National Jeweler.

Ariel Adams publishes the luxury watch review site aBlogtoRead.com.

Tags: best, brand, IWC, luxury

Gucci Is The "Most Coveted" Luxury Brand

by Rigel Celeste (RSS feed) —

It's official, according to the latest Global Luxury Brands Survey the "most coveted luxury brand" in the world is Gucci -- 1 in 5 global customers said that if money was not an issue they would choose Gucci over every other luxury brand. The survey was done this past November and this marks Gucci's third year holding on to the top spot in what is a more challenging and competitive luxury market than ever before.

It's worth noting that this survey ranked Gucci as #1 globally, not regionally. Other brands ranked better in specific places, like Chanel was #1 in China and Christian Dior did the best in Russia.

Gallery: The Most Coveted Luxury Brands

Source

Tags: brand, brands, gucci, luxury brands, LuxuryBrands, most coveted, MostCoveted, survey

Louis Vuitton buys Aston Martin

by Nicole Weston (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Cars & Autos

Aston Martin is being bought by LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton SA, the most high-profile luxury goods consortium in the world, joining the 60-or-so other brands that already make up the group. Aston Martin will be the first luxury car brand in LVMH's portfolio and it is the first to be run by a lifestyle/luxury goods group. The sale price wasn't revealed, but Aston Martin was reportedly valued at as much as $1.2 billion last December. Ford Motor Company, which put Aston Martin up for sale to begin with, is said to be retaining 15% interest.

We're not expecting to see a LV logo roadster entering the automaker's lineup anytime soon, but we wouldn't be too surprised if a limited edition, branded car rolled out of the factory at some point in the future.

Source

Tags: Aston Martin, AstonMartin, brand, car, cars, Louis Vuitton, LouisVuitton, LVMH, LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton, LvmhMoetHennessyLouisVuitton, Moet Hennessy

Luxury Market Tight in China

by Nicole Weston (RSS feed) —

Are luxury retailers too optimistic about the opportunities in China? As the economy rapidly grows, retailers are faced with rising costs for labor and rent and a customer base that is more reluctant to purchase luxury items than in other countries. Many high end brands - Cartier, Louis Vuitton, Chanel and Hermès, to name but a few - are all in competition for the same small segment of the population. While that doesn't sound so different from the way the retailers operate in other parts of the world, there is on big difference. In China, consumers are primarily interested in things that are "obvious status symbols," with easily visible logos from only the top brand, so many companies, even big name ones, are barely breaking even after years in the country.

But the segment of the population that can afford luxury is growing and as the country moves more towards a market economy, they grow more willing to purchase such goods. The lesson to retailers? Start small and learn the market. It's probably only a matter of time before more consumers start to want to add some luxury to their lives.

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Tags: brand, china, chinese, louis vuitton, luxury, luxury brands, market, retail

Rebadging Adds a Luxe Look to Cars

by Nicole Weston (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Cars & Autos

Naming your Porsche is one thing, but the line must be drawn somewhere, since more and more car buyers want to pass their cars off as something they're not. We're not talking about body kits and fresh paint, but about buying the manufacturer's emblems from more expensive cars to try to make their own seem more impressive. This isn't necessarily a new concept, but apparently automakers don't have a problem selling the parts. Mercedes dealers sell the lettering and logos that indicate "cars are the high-end AMG version for about $65" and the GM of the country's top-selling dealership says that 1-2% of all buyers "ask to have their car rebadged." High performance companies, like Shelby Automobiles and Saleen, on the other hand, aren't about to risk their reputations by selling their various indicators of authenticity, so not every brand is available for purchase.

No one who knows their wheels is going to blink twice at an obviously mis-branded vehicle, so the question remains as to who these buyers think they're fooling? Most likely, the answer is themselves.

Source

Tags: brand, car, cars, dealers, emblem, logo, logos, mercedes

New Burberry CEO Wants Less "Check"

by Nicole Weston (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Apparel

According to the Wall Street Journal, only a few days into her new gig, Burberry CEO Angela Ahrendts said that she wants to see more diversity in the label. Their signature plaid, a.k.a. "check," is a bit overexposed at the moment due to its tremendous popularity over the past few years and the rise in counterfeit or look-a-like goods. They're not eliminating the check, but they're scaling it back already. For example, their new fall quilted jackets (the one pictured is $495) all feature solid colors and the square-toe pumps ($365) have only the smallest amount of checked piping.

The general plan is to always keep the check, but to promote other brand symbols, such as a mounted knight that was trademarked by the company over a century ago. The company has also hired several new designers to focus on adding accessories to the brand, giving consumers options beyond just clothes.

Tags: apparel, brand, burberry, ceo, check, design, plaid