Published - Swiss Makers Reward the Chinese Market

During the darkest days of 2009, resilient Chinese buyers helped to keep the Swiss watch industry alive. Now, as the industry greets economic recovery with a slew of new models, these customers are getting the recognition they have earned. The return to fashion of classic, ultrathin designs is more than a reaction to lean economic times. It is also a direct reaction to the tastes of the mainland Chinese. In recent months, Vacheron Constantin has presented the elegantly plain, wafer-slim Historique Ultra-Fine 1955 while Piaget has introduced its Altiplano, a watch with a wide 43-millimeter, or 1.7-inch face, but a case just 5.25 millimeters thick. IWC Schaffhausen, too, has revisited its Portuguese line, introducing a sportingly elegant note with the Portuguese Yacht Club Chronograph, while Girard-Perregaux has integrated a column-wheel chronograph movement into an elegant, modest-size case for its 1966 Chronograph. Read more