basel daily news

Tuesday, m

arch 23, 2010

baselworld i the watch and jewellery show i where business begins and trends are created i march 18 - 25, 2010

n Editorial

the stage is setBaseLWOrLd sees gemstones as growth marketTiming is everything, and with the gem market growing, there is no better time or place to be than here and now at BASELWORLD! Western and European economi-es appear to be on the rebound, traditional margins for gems are stabilizing, and larger, better-qua-lity gems are trending higher.Savvy jewellers know that stock-ing the truly unique, top quality gems will be the keys to remai-ning successful.“Buyers should be looking for the larger and better quality dia-monds as these stones can only increase in price as demand out-strips supply,” notes Chaim Plu-czenik, chairman and CEO of the Pluczenik Group, diamond suppliers from Antwerp.“Consumers will increasingly turn to these scarce treasures of nature as security against the printing of money driving inflation and cur-rency devaluation.”Now that the markets seem to be stronger, what will cautious gemstone buyers be looking for? Constantin Wild notes that there

is now demand for the exclusive gemstones. “A gemstone which is particularly beautiful, large and rare, will continue to be so in ten, fifty or a hundred years,” says Wild, 4th generation Idar-Oberstein gemstone supplier.It’s more difficult to simply pick up the phone and call your

supplier for that special stone. “Valuable gemstones are getting scarce!” says Wild. “Merchants saw their sales markets dwindling and stopped buying. The lack of demand and falling prices meant that the mines reduced their out-put or even stopped producing altogether.”

Whether diamonds, gems or pearls – visitors pay close attention to their beauty

Whether supplier or retailer, the key right now is taking the advan-tage of what just may be the end of the buyers’ market.Qualities and varieties are both here at BASELWORLD and when beautiful and unique are the keys to great margins, it is now time to make your move. (gr) n

Blancpain President Marc A. Hayek tells BWDN about the success of being at the show and his aims for the Super Trofeo.

BWDN: How is BASELWOLRD for Blancpain this year?Marc A. Hayek: It’s great. If you compare it on a daily basis, as of Saturday, we are up over 2008 figures – and 2008 was the ban-ner year. We didn’t expect it to be up this much but it looks like this will be a record year. Blancpain is one of the best performing brands here, but I think all the Swatch Group brands are ahead so far.

BWDN: Blancpain has a Grande Complication, the world’s first Car-

rousel Tourbillon Minute Repeater. The highlight of the show?Hayek: Yes, it is the highlight for us, and it is a world premiere for that combination. To get one of the pieces will be hard.

BWDN: And the limited edition Carrousel Sapphire? Hayek: We expect to have sold all 50 pieces by the end of the show, which is really excellent. Though it is a traditional timepiece, we have modernized the carrousel with the use of the sapphire bridg-es and case sides. This will be very appealing to Blancpain collectors.

BWDN: Is Blancpain making a departure from its classic back-ground?

marc a. hayek, Blancpain

dear ladies and gentlemen,it’s my pleasure to welcome all the exhibitors and visitors to basel and of course to basel-world! the brand basel-world is justly held in high esteem all over the globe, it stands for top quality. the trade show plays also an important role for the prosperity of our city and our region.

after all the swiss watch indus-try belongs to the country’s top industrial sectors. the fact that the world watch and jewellery show takes place in the midst of basel is of significant value too. over 90,000 visitors from 100 countries and almost 2,000 exhibitors not only come togeth-er to do business and to see the beautiful products that the big-

gest and most important event of the watch and jewellery industry has to offer, but also to experi-ence the many delights of our fair city. each year when the basel-world takes place, there’s always a very special and inter-national atmosphere in basel, one that you can’t help but enjoy tremendously. which definitely makes it a win-win situation for all the involved parties!

i sincerely hope that your stay turns out to be a most memora-ble one and i’m already looking forward welcoming you back to baselworld 2011.

dr. guy morinPresident of the executive council of Basel

city

The Art of Design – Movado premieres excit-ing new watches and shares its strategic plans with BWDN.Page 2

The large date is a popu-lar complication in the world of timepieces. Once again, many new examples are showcased.Page 4

Fawaz Gruosi is one of the most famous con-temporary jewellers. He speaks about the 2010 collection.8

An art for itself – due to high craftsmanship carved gemstone objects attract visitors of BASEL-WORLD to hall 3. Page 28

pated in Superbike racing for six years, so I have some experience in professional racing, but for this, I need a lot of help from my co-pilot, Peter Kox, who is a pro-fessional driver. Racing is a big passion. I like to push the limits. We aim for the title.Interview by Carol Besler n

Hayek: No. We are a 50% clas-sical brand and that will not change. Whenever we introduce something new that is modern, people think we have abandoned our classic roots, but we are add-ing, not subtracting. We still have the Villeret, which is a classic dress watch. Instead of modern-izing that in some major way, we introduce something new, and that protects the Villeret.

BWDN: Blancpain is the title sponsor of the Lamborghini Super Trofeo racing series in which you have a car. Will you win?Hayek: Yes, I hope so. Last year, I finished second overall, and this year I will try better. There are a lot of things to learn. I partici-

Blancpain clocks a record year at Baselmarc a. hayek: sales at this year’s show will probably exceed 2008

Tuesday. March 23. 2010watches

Strategically located as one of the first brands upon entry into hall 1, Movado has an obliga-tion to stir excitement at the show. Efraim Grinberg, CEO of Movado Group, shares product and news highlights.

BWDN: Movado has a prime, highly visible location at BASEL-WORLD. What new products are you unveiling this year?Efraim Grinberg: We have sev-eral exciting collections this year. First, we are expanding the Mas-ter Collection that we just intro-duced a few pieces of last year. This is the pinnacle product for Movado, created in limited quan-tities and retailing for $3,000 to $10,000. The new pieces include an all black version, a men’s chronograph and models with black diamonds and brown dia-monds.We are also very pleased to be unveiling the second collection of watches in collaboration with artist Kenny Scharf. The new pieces are created in editions of 250 per design and include bold looks and a bracelet version. Every watch we made last year

The retrograde display brings the dial to life: after a quarter or half circuit, the hand jumps back to its starting position. A show that is as eye-catching as it is attractive. No wonder that watch enthusiasts appreciate the retrograde display – whether it is of seconds, minutes, date or week day. This variety is also to be found in brand new watches at the BASELWORLD.

a fresh look at time Movado pulls out all the stops this year with creative new series

Back and forth When hands step out of line: watches with retrograde display

was sold out, so we expect this to be a great seller.

BWDN: What else can visitors expect?Grinberg: Finally, we are launch-ing Bold. This is an exciting new product that is a young interpretation of Movado for a young customer. It retails from $350 to $500 and is a new way to showcase the Museum dial. The watch is created of innova-tive materials. The case is high

tech TR 90 over steel so it is light weight yet rugged and the col-our palette is creative with bold bursts of colour for the hands and markers. Even though it is less expensive, it is built with the technology of today so it is crea-tive and forward-thinking.

BWDN: Is there a special mar-keting or advertising plan built around this new collection?Grinberg: We are placing Bold on our website and on our facebook

Efraim Grinberg, CEO of Movado Group

Les Classiques Jours Rétrogrades Automa-

tique from Maurice Lacroix

All in black – this is a look never before seen from Jaquet Droz. The Grande Seconde Ceramic is striking and retains the typical watch dial

of the brand: the hour and minutes display is positioned in the top half

while the dial of the seconds display is in

the bottom half. The case compo-nents too come

in black ceramics with delicate detailing.

(iwi)1.0, B09

Romain Jerome presents the Black Metal Chronograph, an individual timepiece with many characteristics involving the themes of moon and space travel. The impressive 46-mil-limetre case consists of PVD-coated stainless steel combined with mate-rial from the space craft Apollo 11. A round full moon comprising a silver alloy with integrated moonstone shimmers gently on the back of the watch. (iwi) 1.1, C05

■ News.tReNDs

Jaquet Droz Grande Seconde Ceramic

Romain Jerome Black Metal Chronograph

■ coNteNt

watches 2Movado / Retrograd watches 2Maurice Lacroix / Glashütte Original 4Rado / Pilot watches 6Ball Watch / Sports watches 8 Corum / Armin Strom 11 Geneva Watch / Watch avenue 13

Jewellery 15Mimí / Trends 15de Grisogono / Bruno Mayer 18Maria Gaspari / Baldessarini 20 Jewellery Theatre / Yvel 24 Schoeffel / Candy colours 26

Palace 28 Casio 28

gemstones 28Carvings 28 Rubins and Sapphires 30

technique 35Lasershow / Lightshow 35

countries 36India 36

International Markets 38Retail Trends / Platinum market 38 Village / celebs / Imprint 40 Premium specialised Retail 42 Brinkhaus Jewellers / Sincere Watch Industries 42

page. This is a product that is being advertised and talked about in the virtual world. Interactive market-ing is important to the younger clientele we are targeting and they can see it on line in various colours and views. We know we won’t be able to produce enough watches to meet the demands this year, but it will definitely draw attention.

BWDN: The word here is that as CEO of Movado Group, you are making changes in leadership at the Movado brand. Can you expound?Grinberg: I am taking over as CEO of the Movado brand, which gives me an opportunity to get really involved in the busi-ness. I have brought on Alan Chinich from Ebel USA to head the sales effort. It is time for fresh thinking, to take a new look at things and move forward with new perspectives. It is good to do that some times. We will review products, marketing and distri-bution for the Movado brand. If you come to the booth, you will see that Movado is true to its name: ‘Always in motion’.Interview by Roberta Naas ■

The technically outstanding inno-vation comes from Chanel. A watch whose unusual design is not apparent at first glance: The lack of a crown on the side of the J12 Rétrograde Mystérieuse is the only thing that stands out. The designers have integrated the crown in the case, where it is operated from the dial: the crown is lowered vertically into

the watch glass and dial at 3 o’clock, from where it can be elevated and operated as required. The two barrels of the hand-wound move-ment are also wound from here. Only at second glance is it apparent that the crown blocks the path of the minute hand around the dial. This has been resolved by means of a retrograde display: the minute hand commences its journey conventionally around the dial, after ten minutes it begins to slowly move back, 20 minutes after the hour it completes its retrograde leap to the lower side of the sunken crown, from

where it displays the time conven-tionally once again. During the minutes of backwards motion the exact time is displayed via a digital minute display in a window located between 5 and 6 o’clock. Alongside this sensation-al performance, the tourbillon at 9 o’clock traditionally the pinna-cle of watchmaking skill, is almost forgotten. Overall, the limited J12 Rétrograde Mystérieuse from Chanel is an horological treat for real aficionados who appreci-ate the unusual and have an eye for the modern, because the new watch is clad in black ceramic. This is combined with gold in a bicolour version.Established specialists in retro-grade displays are Gérald Genta, appearing in Basel under the Bul-gari name for the first time: in the latest models both names are to be found on the dial. However, the modern, angular appearance is as typical of Gérald Genta as the retrograde display: Octo Bi-Retro Steel Ceramic with automatic movement presents a jump hour and retrograde minute display on a three-quarter arc around the dial. A retrograde date is situated at 6 o’clock. There are no further complications, with the focus wholly upon the per-

formance supplied by the jump-ing hands.A classic in perfect elegance is the Les Classiques Jours Rétrogrades Automatique Maurice Lacroix is debuting. Here the weekdays are displayed on a semi-circle at 6 o’clock, with the hand jumping back every Sunday at midnight. In addition, the automatic calibre ML 102 also offers a large date display in a double window at 12 o’clock. A successful blend of the classic and the avantgarde. (iwi) ■ Octo Bi-Retro Steel Ceramic from Bulgari and Gérald Genta


Maurice Lacroix has ignited a firework display of ideas in Basel: numerous new products are on display at the BASELWORLD. The most exciting technical innovation is a newly-developed movement, accompanied by a range of new models with attrac-tive functions.

BWDN: Maurice Lacroix appeals to both newcomers to the world of mechanical watches and true aficionados. What range is espe-cially important to you? Martin Bachmann: Our prima-ry goal is to develop Maurice Lacroix as an overall brand; we therefore attempt to interlink our lines through commonalities in aesthetic appearance, certain functionalities or the uncompro-mising quality assurance. A com-mon denominator throughout the various product segments is a consumer who places value on authenticity, manufactur-ing expertise and contemporary design.

technical masterpiece Martin Bachmann, CEO of Maurice Lacroix, on the reinvention of the wheel

BWDN: Which watch models embody these values perfectly? Bachmann: Our three main col-lections Masterpiece, Pontos and Les Classiques embody our brand values authentically and in

a contemporary man-ner. With regard to

our Masterpiece products, watch e n t h u s i a s t s

appreciate our w a t ch m a k -ing expertise

above all, along with the manufac-

ture calibre that we have developed and

produced ourselves. Pontos stands for contemporary design, innovative mechanical

movements, materials and refinements, Les Classiques for timeless design in combination with interesting functions. BWDN: What are your latest developments?

Martin Bachmann, CEO of Maurice Lacroix

Bachmann: Highlights of the col-lection include the Masterpiece Régulateur Roue Carrée, the first watch to have a rectangular wheel. This represents the technical mas-tery of our engineers coupled with the innovative design interpreta-tion of a régulateur. Also signifi-cant are the Pontos Décentrique Phases de Lune and Les Classiques Chronograph, a timeless mechani-cal watch with clearly recognisable Maurice Lacroix design elements, which will prove a joy to newcom-ers to the world of mechanical watches.

BWDN: You have managed to acquire three very different ambassadors for Maurice Lacroix in the form of musician Bob Geldof, golfer Justin Rose and Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales. Why do these men suit your brand so well?Bachmann: Authenticity is the common characteristic of the per-sonal histories of our ambassadors. Each of them has realised his dream

without the need to compromise. They have followed their con-victions, achieving superb things in the process, whilst remaining true to themselves. These are also key orientation points for Maurice Lacroix, which we also adhere to as an independent manufacture. BWDN: What opportunities does a presentation at the BASEL-WORLD offer?Bachmann: For us, BASEL-WORLD is primarily a varied communications platform. The focus is upon our customers, to whom we present our latest products and with whom we dis-cuss developments in the market. The subsequent orders that are placed serve to provide planning security for the rest of the year. However, it is also important to talk to journalists from around the world who also reveal inter-esting aspects to us in turn.

Interview by Iris Wimmer-Olbort n

Right side: Eye catcher – Pontos Décentrique

Phases de Lune from Maurice Lacroix, with offset

displays. The displays of moon phase and moon

age are combined with one another, as are day

and night displays. Titanium case, automatic move-

ment, calibre ML 122. Limited to 500 pieces

Something like this has never been seen before: a watch which can think 30 days ahead and remind its wearer of important dates within this period – accu-rate to the quarter of an hour and with an 80 second subtle alarm tone. Watchmakers at Glashütte Original came up with this addi-tional function themselves, clear-ly tapping into the mood of the day. “So far, BASELWORLD has been very positive and the new items have been well received,” is the word at the Glashütte Origi-nal stand. The Senator Diary in particular has caused a stir with its reminder function. This addition to the Senator range – one of the most important col-lections by this German watch brand – can notify the wearer of dates up to 30 days in advance, even if the event is taking place in the following month. The watch movement contains a second bar-rel for the alarm function so that the appointment is stored even if

Long-term memoryGlashütte Original introduces exciting new models

the watch stops. The alarm func-tion is operated using a crown and pusher on the left side of the case. They can be used to select the date of the event in the sub-dial at the 9 o’clock position and the alarm time in the window at 6 o’clock. The crown and pusher on the right-hand side of the case serve to set the time and pano-rama date.It took 3 ½ years to develop the Senator Diary which is based on the calibre 100-13. The new auto-matic calibre 100-13 comprises a total of 600 components; the diary module alone is made up of 340 parts!The Senator Diary is available in stainless steel and rose gold and is a typical representative of the Senator collection with its very clear and tidy face. The new Senator Chronograph XL at BASELWORLD is also part of the Senator range and now comes in a larger and more stately format.

a touch of classLarge date – eye-catching feature on the dial

Watch enthusiasts value the large date display as a useful added feature: it enables the date to be read at a glance as well as being an attractive design feature on the face. The attractive and clear date display was first used in wristwatches in the 1930s. How-ever, the display did not take off in popularity at that time as both men and women favoured more decorative watches. It was not until the mid-1990s that the large date display made a real come-back and was met with enthusi-asm. Today, many brands offer watches featuring a large date display.Glashütte Original is one of the first brands to have opted for the large date display. Now the brand is exhibiting a brand new version of its popular ‘panorama date’: the Senator Sixties Panora-madatum. The domed face under a domed sapphire glass is an important design feature. It is very simple with golden hour indices and an elegant minutes display.In the new model, the bottom half of the face is given over to the large date display – a truly eye-catching feature. Nomos too has developed a large date display: the German brand is based in the watchmaking capi-tal of Glashütte, Saxony, and presents a clearly designed col-lection which has been carefully refined and modified over time.

A new detail has now been added to three of the watch models – a large date display which functions based on a mechanism developed and patented by the company itself. The Tangente, Orion and Ludwig models have a large new window at the 6 o’clock position which clearly displays the date. At Saint Honoré, the large date display is a striking detail on the varied face. The new Colo-seo chronograph is a watch with a dynamic new case form. The crown and pushers are embedded in the large sides of the case while the rose gold plating is repeated on the hands and indices. The striking lines of the case, colour contrasts on the face and the use of fashionable rose gold define the Coloseo as a modern new ver-sion with a large date display. The watch is available with a quartz or automatic movement. (iwi) n

Coloseo chronograph from Saint Honoré with a

large date display and stainless steel case plated

with rose goldA lively history: historic pocket watches are being presented alongside the new pocket watch

Another highlight in Basel is the presentation of the first mod-ern pocket watch from Glashütte Original which was inspired by the brand’s lively past. Visitors to the Glashütte Original stand can admire the watch in one of the display cases: in addition to the historic pocket watches, the new Pocket Watch No. 1 is featured with its quarter-hour repetition feature a worthy representative of the traditional watchmaking craftsmanship of this Saxony-based company. (iwi) n

The Senator Diary reminds of important dates


■ News.tReNDs

Roland Streule is President and Chief Executive Officer of Rado Worldwide. He spoke with BWDN about design, Rado’s award-win-ning r5.5 series, and why Rado will come out of today’s difficult economic times even stronger.

BWDN: Rado watches have long been known for innovative, high-tech materials. Now, your focus seems to be on design. Why?Roland Streule: Rado is definitely focusing on design. We believe design will become a more and more important element of our daily lives. But it isn’t simply design. Our focus will always be on design, combined with new materials and innovative tech-nologies.

BWDN: Rado’s r5.5 collection is an example of that. Since its introduction at BASELWORLD 2009, it’s won awards and praise for its design. What’s happening this year?

“we have invested in the future” Rado’s focus is on design, combined with new materials and technology

Streule: After successful launch events in 2009 and the r5.5 collec-tion winning prestigious awards like iF award 2010 (Germany), Die Besten 2009 (Switzerland) and the Good Design 2009 (United States), Rado and designer Jas-per Morrison are working on

new dial versions for r5.5. Before Basel 2010, we introduced the new r5.5 Automatic, and here in Basel, we’re presenting a new white r5.5, made entirely of white ceramics with a golden dial. The r5.5 collection is a whole new Rado watch family, but we’re also introducing two new exciting product lines at BASELWORLD 2010.

BWDN: What is your top goal for Rado in 2010 and 2011? Where are its areas of opportunity?Streule: Our goal is a double-digit growth for both years. While we already cover almost all markets, we still see potential for increase in some of them in terms of our market shares.

BWDN: How does BASEL-WORLD help achieve those goals?Streule: It is a fantastic platform to communicate with the relevant media, the retailers and agents.

Moreover, at BASELWORLD we can show the whole Rado world and invite everybody to experi-ence our products, their design, and materials.

BWDN: After two years of world-wide economic difficulties, what do you expect in the year ahead for the watch business and for Rado? Streule: The rebound has already started, so we are expecting an interesting new year and positive growth. The difficult economic situation has strengthened the solid and healthy brands. Rado will come out of this difficult economic situation even stronger, since we continued to invest in new products, retail distribution and market communication. This way we have invested in the future and now we can now har-vest from these investments.

Interview by William George Shuster ■

Roland Streule, CEO and president of Rado

If adrenaline is your thing, then there are probably times you’ll want to feel like a pre-war pilot, and what better way to do it than with 60 mm historically inspired wristwatch strapped to your thigh or over your jacket sleeve? The Ernst Benz ChronoScope, available in a limited edition of 100 pieces, is powered by a reliable automatic ETA movement.If you feel that this size is more appropriate to hang on the wall than strap to your wrist, Ernst Benz offers a whole collection of robust pilot’s timepieces in the brand’s signature 47 mm size to fit every taste – such as the new Instrument series, a line directly inspired by the design of the aircraft gauges and timers that founding Swiss engineer Ernst Benz first manufactured. On the other hand, how much more authentic can you get than to emulate American aviator Charles Lindbergh, who in 1933 set off with his wife Anne on a 47,000-kilometer trip around the North Atlantic: Lindbergh wanted to explore possible future air routes across the far north before returning to the USA via Cape Verde and Brazil. The equipment Lindbergh took with him on his long expedition included a wrist chronograph created especially by Longines for this very purpose. At BASELWORLD 2010, Longines introduces a reissue of this exceptional timepiece, known as the Longines Lindbergh’s Atlantic

Flying highPilot’s watches are a staple in the world of mechanical watchmaking

Voyage Watch. This 47.5 mm wrist chronograph with a tachymeter scale available in stainless steel or rose gold makes one important concession to the modern day: it is powered by an automatic movement. It is doubtlessly an exquisite contemporary version of a timepiece that was part of aviation’s greatest adventures.

true classic designsAnother great adventure has embarked on by Bell & Ross with its runaway BR 01 Instrument collection. The Paris-based brand’s latest model puts this brand right on your radar. With the dial and hands on a single level, the BR 01 Radar offers watch enthusiasts a perception of time that liberates them from conventional displays. The

elegant tri-coloured simplicity of the Radar’s display is surprising in its fascinating complexity.The Radar’s boldest feature is its departure from convention: its time display is reminiscent of the sweeping circular screen of a radar mechanism. The color of the dial disks and 46 mm stainless steel carbon-coated case are matte black for a simple contrast that increases the legibility of the watch. The BR 01 Radar is limited to 500 pieces.And then there is Oris: the moderately priced Swiss brand whose original Big Crown models set the standard for “high-mech” pilot-style watches in the beginning era of the mechanical renaissance. The brand’s latest is called the Sportsman, a term that refers to the first classification

Longines’ Lindbergh’s Atlantic Voyage WatchHistorically linked to pilot watches Hamilton exhibits a vintage airplane at Basel’s main station

The Gc-1 Open Dial from Guess Collection is a retro-chic interpreta-tion of the line, with guilloché finishing on the inner ring of the coppertone dial. The case, with sculpted bezel, is stainless steel, and a window on the dial displays the escapement of the Swiss-made self-winding movement. The exhibition caseback displays the movement’s oscillating weight. It is produced in a limited edition of 250 pieces. (cb) 1.1, B41

The retro-styled Gc-1 Open Dial

Pangaea is an odd name signifying the primeval super continent, and it now graces MeisterSinger’s new-est one-handed watch. The elegant Pangaea model is outfitted with a manually wound ETA Peseux 7001, which allows the stainless steel 40 mm case the opportunity to remain a svelte companion for the wrist at 9.4 mm in height. The dial is available in MeisterSinger’s typical ivory as well as white, black, or blue with a brushed sunburst decoration. (ed) 2.0, A41

Pangea from MeisterSinger

2010 is the 80th anniversary of Citizen Watch Co., and the 25th year the brand is exhibiting in Basel. On this occasion, it again unveils concept models, which propose new watch styles and use the innovative Eco-Drive technology. Among them is the Eco-Loop, which is distinguished by a loop of diamonds’ sparkles under the glass while the floating arc of the second hand keeps time by circling around the solar cell. The looping of energy in nature is captured in the clear and airy design of the watch. (sz) 1.0, D27

Citizen, Eco-Loop

level for aerobatic pilots and was developed in conjunction with Oris ambassador and pilot Don Vito Wyprächtiger. The Oris BC3 Sportsman is a contemporary 42 mm stainless steel timepiece.A good, inexpensive alternative to a mechanical pilot’s watch is a quartz model from Time Force’s new Pro Series line: these are models that harmoniously combine attractive designs with the needs of a pilot’s watch. The Pro Series Pilot, water-resistant to 100 meters, comes in a personalized case that includes matching sunglasses. (ed) ■


Ball Watch Co. SA, originally founded in 1891 in the USA, set the standard for accurate ‘railroad time’ and continues to produce high-quality mechani-cal watches. CEO Francisco A. Herrera tells BWDN about Ball’s guiding principle, goals for the next two years and major debuts at BASELWORLD.

BWDN: Many know of Ball Watch’s 19th century origin, so tell us briefly about its focus today and major markets. Francisco A. Herrera: The charac-ter of Ball Watch Co. is grounded in its railroad heritage. For over a century, our focus has been on producing mechanical watches that deliver accuracy under adverse conditions. This guid-ing principle and application of micro gas tubes to our watch dials have made Ball watches essential gear for explorers, sportsmen,

accuracy despite adversity Ball Watch focuses on lovers of mechanical watches

world travellers and millions with rugged, adventurous lifestyles in many occupations.Ball watches sell mainly for 1,000 to 3,000 CHF. We focus prima-rily on mechanical watch lov-ers who would appreciate the Ball watch character, styling and value proposition. Our principal markets are the USA, East Asia, Japan, parts of Europe and the Middle East.

BWDN: What are Ball Watch’s top goals in 2010 and 2011?Herrera: To continue our growth momentum and strengthen cus-tomer relationships at distribu-tor, dealer and consumer levels. Our management strategy is to deepen penetration of existing markets and broaden customer fulfillment.

BWDN: How does BASEL-WORLD help achieve your goals?

Herrera: BASELWORLD is a great opportunity to advance achievement of goals, as it brings the global team together with many of our customers and pro-

spective customers. It’s a mag-nificent place to showcase our collection, debrief existing cus-tomers, meet new ones, gather industry intelligence and scout for talent.

BWDN: Was Ball Watch’s 2009 business affected by the global recession? Herrera: Our business in 2009 held steady in unit terms, but was impacted adversely in some markets in cash-flow terms. The effects weren’t uniform across all markets; we’re satisfied with the overall result.

BWDN: What major debuts is Ball Watch spotlighting at BASELWORLD?Herrera: We’re showcasing our new Engineer Hydrocarbon mod-els, with major improvements in the case, crown, bezel, brace-let and buckle. They celebrate

Francisco A. Herrera

Ball Watch new Engineer

Hydrocarbon Spacemaster

Watches have to put up with a lot during sport: their exterior must be robust so that the case and watch glass can take the occa-sional hard knock. They must be protected against water so that a sudden downpour or a spontane-ous dip are not really a problem. The movement must also stand up to hard impact or blows. The shock absorbers in mechanical movements ensure that particu-larly sensitive parts of the move-ment are not damaged. But sports watches have to be more than just resilient; they also need practical functions. A run-ner will appreciate the timer func-tion in a chronograph; sailors like watches’ countdown functions,

By land, water or in the airSports watches for any occasion: robust and helpful companions

while hikers seek orientation in a compass and racing drivers use the tachymeter scale. Tissot knows the various expec-tations sporting types come with and satisfies many of these demands in one single watch: the models in the line T-Touch. The model Sailing Touch is new at BASELWORLD; it has a quartz movement in a stainless steel case attached to an Indian rub-ber strap. A simple touch of the glass activates the numerous addi-tional functions. For instance, the Sailing Touch can monitor the weather as it automatically saves the values of the last six hours and even measures the rela-tive air pressure. Thanks to an integrated computer, the watch can even state the development of tides along a coastline. The touchscreen instrument is a prac-tical assistant even during regat-tas: a countdown function can be activated for the decisive last ten minutes before the start, com-ing with an acoustic and digital

Sailing Touch by Tissot

Italo Fontana’s venture into the world of watches began in 2000, when the young Tuscan entrepre-neur styled and produced his first U-Boat timepiece, a homage to a design his grandfather Ilvo created in 1942, for special Italian Navy units. The watch never went into production: “It was a 65 millimetre diver’s watch with instant visibility, a large crown was set on the left for ease of use, even with gloves during military operations,” says Fontana. “Watches have always been a pas-sion of mine, and I must say I have never liked models that compress endless functions including horo-scopes and moon phases into 30 millimetres. I decided to attempt something different, so I went back to my grandfather’s design.” The first U-Boat came out of this concept: practical and simple over-all, just for telling the time. The only real concession to the market was the size, offered in the two models: 45 and 53 millimetres. “A year ago it gave me great satisfaction to bring it back as a limited edition, in its original incredible, fascinating pro-portions,” adds Fontana. Certainly, the designer has a strong personality and has succeeded in communicat-ing across the board all the models he has created to date.“People like Giorgio Armani, Tom Cruise and Sylvester Stallone buy our watches because they decide to, not because we approach them,” explains Fontana. “I have to confess this makes me very proud.” It’s not the only reason he

Built-in resistanceItalian watch design

should be proud: Fontana already has 13 boutiques worldwide and is planning to open more in the foreseeable future.The models making their debut at BASELWORLD 2010 all feature left-hand crowns, and the most eye-catching is the U42, in a 42 millimetre version of the legendary watch, with automatic movement, three dials, titanium case and a 300 metre depth resistance rating. To clean the bezel of any salt depos-its, it can be disassembled using the screwdriver provided. Also worth noting is the new 51 mil-limetre split-second chronograph with Valjoux movement: only 100 pieces will be made for this lim-ited edition. The U-1001 sports model has a 1,001 metre depth rat-ing. The watches are manufactured and assembled in ultra-qualified Tuscan workshops. This young, amazingly creative company has many successes under its belt. (rc) ■ 1.0, D05

The U42 model with 2824 automatic

movement and titanium case

Eberhard & Co is known

for sporty yet classic watches

our relationship with former US Navy aviator Brian Binnie, whose flights of SpaceShipOne to the outer edge of earth’s atmosphere effectively launched the private space travel industry.We’re also proud to introduce the world’s first Day/Date World Time movement, in a new ver-sion of the Engineer Master II Diver World Time model. Free diving world record holder Guil-laume Néry is its ambassador.Interview by William G. Shuster ■

signal. Furthermore, the Sailing Touch measures speed over a cer-tain distance and has a compass, an alarm clock, two time zones and a perpetual calendar. Time Force satisfies the various demands made by sporting types in the Pro Series Collection that covers four models – specifically developed for racing, trekking, pilots and diving. The model Racing is dynamic and comes in the racy colour combination of black and red. It has a triangular case that houses a chronograph. Among other things, Trekking has a compass function inlaid in a round stainless steel case.Eberhard & Co developed the new models Tazio Nuvolari Edi-tion Limitée Grand Prix en Or with automatic movement not just for water, but also for the racing track. A watch, dedicated to the legendary racing driver Tazio Nuvolari, who celebrated spectacular success in the nine-teen twenties and thirties and who is still seen even today as one of the best and most pas-sionate racing drivers ever. The new chronograph in red gold is inspired by the dashboards in historical automobiles – with the main focus on easy legibility, clarity, precision and resilience. Nevertheless, the colour combi-nation of rose gold with black and shining red highlights is top modern. Useful for automobile fans: the tachymeter scale on the ceramic bezel. (iwi) ■

A Global Leader in the Design,Manufacture and Distribution of Timepieces.

View our New 2010 Collection at Booth A31, Hall of Desires


This year’s BASELWORLD will see the advent of an interesting vintage-style watch from Italian brand Belstaff. Its three-piece stainless steel case with a diameter of 40 millimetres is inspired by the spirit of the 1950s and encloses a Belstaff automatic movement based on ETA 2824 with a 44-hour power reserve. The Vin-tage is available with a black or white dial and comes with a leather band, which imitates a used-look style. It is watertight up to 10 ATM. (sz) 2.0, A06

Belstaff Vintage

Aquitania Chronograph

One Week EarthArmin Strom has developed a new movement with a power reserve of eight days

Inspired by the world of yachting, the new Aquitania collection from Italian brand Lorenz includes a quartz chronograph which is avalaible in five different styles. Its 316L round stain-less steel case surrounds a white or black enamel dial displaying the big date at the 6-o’clock position. The Aquitania chronograph can be either worn on a cuff leather strap with a folding buckle or on a metal bracelet with butterfly buckle. (sz) 2.0, A06

T-1000 from Rebellion

With a mind-blowing power reserve of more than 1,000 hours – which translates to more than 40 days – Rebellion’s manually wound T-1000 takes on a whole new form of reality. Designed in collaboration with Eric Giroud, the titanium and aluminum case measuring 46.7 x 46.9 mm was developed concurrently with the movement to ensure complete har-monious integration. The movement of the100-piece limited edition fea-tures a patented system of energy distribution as well as six spring barrels wound in parallel and 36 jewels, 14 of which are ceramic. (ed) Palace, P01

■ News.tReNDs

The groundbreaking Golden Bridge turns 30 here at BASEL-WORLD, and the nautically themed Admiral’s Cup cele-brates 50 years: a perfect time to introduce special editions.

Since Severin Wunderman’s pass-ing in 2008, Antonio Calce has guided the 55-year-old company located in La Chaux-de-Fonds – a company known for the innova-tive flamboyance of its models. Now consumers can expect more focus on inner values.

BWDN: It seems this year’s focus is on the two brand pillars Golden

corum celebrates anniversariesGolden Bridge turns 30, Admiral’s Cup celebrates 50 years

Bridge and Admiral’s Cup. Is there a special reason for the focus on these two lines right now?Antonio Calce: As a matter of fact, yes there is! 2010 is an exceptional anniversary year for Corum: we are celebrating thirty years of Golden Bridge and fifty years of Admiral’s Cup. On this occasion, we have created not just one birthday model, but two entire collections of limited edi-tions with new in-house move-ments to show the dynamic we are in. These anniversaries are no excuses for nostalgia, but on the contrary they affirm that Corum is intending to be still strongly present in the future.

BWDN: The Admiral’s Cup line seems to be in transition right now. What have you changed about this year’s models to keep up with the zeitgeist?Calce: The real transitional period of the Admiral’s Cup line was in 2006; now we are developing the collection in-depth by adding new movements, but the line is still clearly defined by its strong genetic-identity features: the link to the nautical world, the twelve-sided case and dial’s fitted flange,

and, of course, the pennants. The aesthetic evolutions lie in the materials and the finishing such as the use of nautical technolo-gies with materials like titanium and special treatments.

BWDN: The Admiral’s Cup line is generally a sports watch collec-tion. Why did you house such a complicated movement as a minute repeater tourbillon with-in it?Calce: When we develop new products, we always start from the movement. We develop our lines starting with their func-tion, and seldom from aesthetic animations. The Admiral’s Cup is a sports collection with a strong nautical identity, but also suited to urban wear. This minute repeater was designed to be a perfectly legitimate innovation for this line, as it is completely waterproof thanks to an exclu-sive winding system through the bezel. It was inspired by the [his-torical] life of sailors, which used to be governed by ringing bells on the boat. Why would such a beautiful movement be restricted to a classic design only? Today, our clients appreciate technical content and recognize themselves

in the contemporary design of our products. This watch couldn’t be a more legitimate part of the Admiral’s Cup collection and the Corum motto: technical content and design and originality.

BWDN: What has changed at Corum since Severin Wunder-man’s passing?Calce: Actually, the major change in Corum was initiated in 2005 when I started working with him: we decided then to reposition the brand according to its his-torical DNA: we have worked to reorganize and reestablish the brand’s legitimacy by adopting a new brand and product strategy in line with Corum’s roots, and then adapting the business model in all aspects to this new positioning.

BWDN: When I think back to Severin Wunderman’s years head-ing Corum, I was always curious to discover the new booth design. What surprises can visitors to the Corum booth here at BASEL-WORLD expect to find?Calce: Our best surprises are our products! Corum has authentic ambitions to also be recognized for its content and inner value! Interview by Elizabeth Doerr ■

Antonio Calce, Corum's CEO

transparency“a dream of a moment” Armin Strom debuts innovative calibre

Armin Strom’s Caliber ARM09 boasts 146 components including 34 jewels and relies on no parts from another base movement: its design and all components are original and manufactured in Armin Strom’s new Biel factory, with only the springs, jewels, and escapement being sourced – the latter from Precision Engineering in Schaffhausen and crafted in solid gold.“It has been a dream of Claude’s to create such a movement from

A to Z,” CEO Serge Michel says of his movement designer Claude Greisler. Alongside integrating an eight-day power reserve, Greisler’s goal for the very aesthetic move-ment now powering the new One Week model was a link to tradition, giving it a distinct vintage look: 36.6 mm in diameter, the visuals boast a similarity to golden-age marine chronometers. Two seri-ally operating spring barrels with a differential gear for the power reserve display heighten the effect,

Bulova is surprising the audience with a skeleton mechanical model: Akkutron Kirkwood is the name of the stainless steel watch which is housed in a 40 millimetres case. It remains waterproof down to 100 metres. But people are unlikely to make the watch cope with all too much water, as it is more elegant in style. The transparent dial – Bulova calls it skeleton – permits a view of the Sellita SW 200 hand-wound movement. The dial is available with black or silver coloured details. An alligator strap with folding clasp rounds off the chronograph with sapphire glass base. (dd) ■ 1.1, B43

The Bulova Akkutron ticks with Sellita mechanics

as does the screw balance beating at an almost vintage 18,000 vph with four regulating screws and a Breguet balance spring. Provi-sional space was left so that mod-ules could be added later to create more complicated watches.Calibre ARM09 debuts in the One Week Earth model in a 43.4 mm stainless steel case with black PVD coating with off-center dis-plays and a power reserve boasting its one-week energy capability. (ed) ■ 1.1, A11

Hall 1.1 / Booth B51

www.technomarine.com


Jeff Gregg is CEO of the USA-based Geneva Watch Group, a major watchmaker and distribu-tor. He talked to BWDN about the Group, its innovative debuts at BASELWORLD, and how it offset the recession’s impact.

BWDN: Geneva Watch Group is owned by Italy’s Binda Group, sells 25 million watches annu-ally, and recently opened its headquarters on New York City’s Times Square. But some might not be familiar with it. Tell us briefly about it.Jeff Gregg: Geneva Watch Group, founded in 1974, is a global lead-er in the design, manufacture and distribution of digital and analog watches and clocks. It creates timepieces under license for the fashion and lifestyle brands of Kenneth Cole New York, D&G, BCBGMaxazria, Ted Baker Lon-don, Moschino, Tommy Bahama, and Speedo. It also produces its own proprietary brands, includ-ing Freestyle – a high-perform-ance watch, targeting the youth and surf markets – and luxury watch brand Breil Milano.We present a fantastic alternative for consumers looking for great styling and value across a strong portfolio of brands that appeal to a variety of consumer segments.

The roaring twenties were the force behind the design for the new Dual-timer by Jaguar. The result offers a lively dial, accommodating a second time zone, a large date and a special seconds display: unusually, the latter is not indicated by a hand, and instead by a rotating disc. The stainless steel case, waterproof down to 50 metres, also has special features to offer : not only the PVD gold shade is conspicuous, the screws on the transition from the blackened bezel to the lugs are eye-catching. The same applies to the exact-fit strap.(dd) 1.0, A25

Jaguar Special Edition

■ News.tReNDs

“a fantastic alternative”Innovative new products will drive growth in 2010 for the Geneva Watch Group

BWDN: What are Geneva Watch Group’s top goals in 2010? Gregg: Continue growing our business through development and expansion of our current brands, globally driven by prod-uct leadership and strong retail partnerships. BWDN: How is Geneva Watch Group marketing its brands worldwide in 2010?Gregg: We’ll continue to promote our brands with heavy support of our key retailers. Marketing ini-tiatives include print campaigns,

online and social media, outdoor and interactive advertising, grass-roots seeding, and unique in-store merchandising and events.

BWDN: Did the recession affect your business in 2009? What's 2010’s outlook?Gregg: Obviously, the economy had an impact on parts of our business, but we were fortunate to offset that through successes in new products and markets, letting us to show slight growth in 2009. Geneva Watch Group has many areas where we’re winning despite a difficult environment: Our price points are great for most consum-ers, our collections have both continuity and seasonal changes that are effective, and we work very effectively with our retail partners to create excitement about our brands and products. We’re cautiously optimistic about 2010. We’re seeing some recovery in down-markets, and have excit-ing and innovative products this year that we believe will really drive growth.

BWDN: Such as? Gregg: We’re excited by our major debut of Kenneth Cole's new Touch Screen watch – new in the fashion watch category

– with touch screen technology that controls watch functions with a finger’s touch. Models include a digital chronograph dis-play with world time, black LCD dial, stainless steel or black IP round case, with either a black or white silicone strap or IP bracelet. We are debuting a BCBGMaxazria collec-tion of 28 mm chron-ographs called Elite Mini, which combine the brand’s feminine styling and delicate design with function-ality. Additionally, our Ted Baker London col-lection has an assort-ment of sophisticated, straightforward designs with a quirky London twist.

BWDN: Why is participation in BASELWORLD important to Geneva Watch Group especially in this current world economic situation? Gregg: It's especially important during tough economic times that a company highlights its strengths and value proposition to its retail partners. BASELWORLD gives Geneva Watch Group the opportunity to showcase our high-profile fashion brands to

The Kenneth Cole Touch Screen watch,

worn by Jeff Gregg from Geneva Watch Group

Think of all the information you could ever want about watches – and then imagine it all on the same website. Now, this would certainly have to be an informa-tion-packed virtual playground and high-tech showroom, where watch aficionados would want to hang out and spend some quality time with their favourite hobby. And the carefully selected compa-nies have their advantages as well. With sections dedicated to each

Playground and showroomTheWatchAvenue.com – excellent features and a love of watches

brand, there is plenty of potential for exhibiting each universe from its best side – with a cinema, museums, archives, news stand and company histories to high-light the experience of each.In a fast-moving, fast-consuming world, information is the most precious of marketing-tools. And TheWatchAvenue.com delivers exactly that. When browsing the page, the graphics are set up like a virtual walk down Bond Street

in London, with a little Place Vendôme (Paris), a dash of Fifth Avenue (New York) and trees from Rodeo Drive (Los Angeles) thrown in for good measure. The hostess of the site is a woman clad in black, who greets the audi-ence, by alternately walking along the pavement, reading a news-paper and listening and dancing to music. And just like on an actual street, some facades are covered with signs such as “TAG Heuer – coming soon” – a great way to throw in a little humour as well. The layout of the page is extremely user-friendly and easy to navigate. Users looking for sites rich in professional, spe-cialized and technical competent watch content and atmosphere have come to the right spot. And the content can be accessed from different platforms, which is why the site is also established on Facebook and Twitter.With a seriously well-stocked bookstore from Watch Print, every topic of interest – from sundi-als to cult watches, from price

guides when attending auctions to glossaries of fine watchmaking – should be extensively covered. The Geneva watch school is cer-tainly worth a visit: The audience can choose from some 14 ques-tions, and get mini-lecturers on different topics such as “the dif-ference between a chronograph and a chronometer”. For several years, the company Editions Temps International has been publishing “Watch Your Time” in association with some of the world’s greatest newspapers. Isabelle Boudringhin from the company recalls the beginning of the website: “We were won-dering about online media. Our team decided we had to invent something really innovative for the Internet. The Watch Avenue came up during one of our brain-storming session. I don’t even remember who got the idea... but we all loved it! Then further research into how we could real-ize this Watch Avenue took off very quickly, and the result is as you see it today.” (nh) ■ 1.1, C81

the international community and exhibit our strengths as one of the top watchmaking groups in the world.Interview by William G. Shuster ■

During the last months of 2009, the Avenue had some 370.000 visitors a month,

making the website one of the most popular in the world of watches

BCBGMaxazria’s Elite Mini chronograph

Hall 1.1 D23

www.elle-time.com

Tuesday. March 23. 2010jewellery | trends

2)1)

4)

Milk and honey – nature meets luxury The current nude look gets under your skin!

Champagne, powder and skin tones are the colours which define the current ‘nude look’ which has returned to the catwalks of the fashion capitals this season. But the look with its shimmering fab-rics and tailored cuts, which dis-play more nakedness and physi-cal attributes than they conceal, is anything but new. The devel-opment of this skin-tone trend dates back to the boudoir style of the turn of the 20th century when somewhat frivolous and often transparent lingerie with

plunging necklines, lace, romantic ruffles, pleats and flounces became

common everyday items in bourgeois circles. The current

look is less about freedom and more about gentle wraps and

6)

7)

5)3)

Mimí is a cosmopolitan and very feminine jewellery company which skilfully combines ideas from the East and West. The designers of this Milan-based firm derive their inspiration from many areas of the world. The jewellery collection is like a small travel journal of a voy-age around the globe. The adven-ture started ten years ago when

joy, beauty, feelingMimí celebrates its first ten years at BASELWORLD 2010

8)

1) Schoeffel | 2) Marc Cain | 3) Longchamp | 4) Jacob's Miiori | 5) H&M | 6) Autore | 7) Magerit Joyas | 8) Al Coro

Design company Mimí displays highlights of the past ten years at the First Avenue

From the En collection: rings in rosé

gold, with amethyst, pink sapphires, rock

crystal and diamonds

exquisite cocooning. The beauty and well-being concept also plays an important part: luxury relaxa-tion and ravishing naturalness are the keywords. Unlike in the recent past, exquisite materials and reserved colours create a sense of refined yet discreet luxu-ry in both fashion and jewellery. Some good examples of this can be found in the leather accesso-ries sector. Stylish handbags and matching shoes in the soft nude look tones set off any outfit.In the jewellery sector too, the nude look is expressed in the latest colours and forms. Long, flowing chains, delicate earrings with feminine motifs such as lace and butterflies or filigree jewel-lery elements dominate. Chunky rings in these corresponding col-ours are also evident in addition

to the more delicate forms. Milk and cream-coloured

stones such as opal, moon-stone, chalcedony and citrine are set predomi-nantly in warm yellow or red gold alloys and add a sense of weight. In this

way, the lightness and transparency of organza,

tulle and silk create an excit-ing contrast. Pearls ranging from snow white to cham-

pagne and delicate pink and brown tones also form part of

the trend. (cete) ■

the brand was first launched. The designer jewellery label quickly celebrated its initial successes. Today it is one of the top luxury brands as demonstrated by the fact that it is now based on First Avenue at BASELWORLD. “The ten year anniversary is a great occasion for us to depict the most important themes in our history

through a collection,” says Barbara Villa, Communications Manager. “It is in no way a nostalgic look back but rather a tender homage to the spirit of the brand.” Mimí is also presenting a book of themes for this purpose which highlights the influences and creativity of the past in a semi-autobiographical manner. It also presents the most attractive and striking images from the Italian brand’s advertising campaigns. Mimí’s history can also be traced through the various colours of the gemstones used, which still inject a strong flare today. The anni-versary collection comprises cocktail rings with various col-oured gemstones, among other things, for example in rose gold with lavender jade and a pavé of amethyst spheres. Mimí was also the first company to give lavender jade a key role in its collection. This colour appeals in particular to women who like to subtly sur-

prise people with their appearance and who know how to appreciate the magic of this refined stone. Necklaces of up to two metres in length strung with pearls, gem-stones and diamonds are typical of Mimí, such as the latest version of Shan Teki. Another key feature are

pearls which shimmer on chains or rings in their natural colours, sometimes in a pavé design. They seduce the observer into a myste-rious world at the depths of the sea and emphasise the individual beauty of every woman. Mimí is defined by its motto ‘All the best’ (ognibene). It stands for peace, happiness, health and pleasure. (ahe) ■ 2.2, A10

Tuesday. March 23. 2010jewellery

With the Anemone collection, Bibigi‘ confirms a special skill: that it is always very important to be able to interpret jewellery with a really personal taste and touch. Bibigi‘s Anemone can have petals in black obsidian, iridescent morganite or amethyst, but the style and each single detail, the arrange-ment of diamond pistils and sinuous play of ring shanks and the pendant mesh, studded with diamonds and col-oured stones, all recall the designer’s signature. Certainly one of the most creative exponents of contemporary Valenza jewellery. (rc) 2.2, D80

Pendant from the Bibigi‘ Anemone collection

Bold, urban, chic: organic, geo-metric shapes characterise the jewellery of the ck Chain collection from Calvin Klein Jewelry. The oval-shaped bracelets, rings, pendants and earrings in stainless steel feature white or black enamel inlays. (ahe) 1.0, C01

ck Chain collection by Calvin Klein Jewelry

Magic Snake is the name of the new Staurino Fratelli ring, in black burnished gold, set with both black and white diamonds. The fin-ger isn’t actually wrapped with a spiral, but with five overlapping rings welded together. In any case, Sandra Bullock, the actress who has won most awards this year, must have liked it so much she wore one at the ceremony for the 15th Annual Critics’ Choice Award. Apart from Hollywood, Staurino jewellery was seen in the most prestigious magazines and on the Paris and Milan catwalks. To the great satisfaction of Davide and Ste-fano Staurino, the fourth generation of a family of Valenza jewellers. The two young Italians keep a close eye on fashion and are experts at inter-preting trends. (rc) 2.2, G80

From Staurino Fratelli: the Magic Snake ring

Bruno Mayer Fine Jewellery

■ NewS.TreNDS

de Grisogono is one of the most famous international jewellers of its generation. BWDN spoke to proprietor Fawaz Gruosi about the highlights of his jewellery and watch collection this year.

BWDN: Mr Gruosi, what novel-ties have you brought along to BASELWORLD this year?Fawaz Gruosi: In addition to our jewellery collections we also devel-oped a watch line for our 10th anniversary of creating prestig-ious timepieces. As you know, we entered the watch scene in 2000 with the Instrumento N°Uno. This year, we created the most expensive Instrumento N°Uno ever – it is a unique piece with baguette diamonds. We are also showing two different lines of the Uno, one of them is a limited edi-tion with only three models and another very colourful line. We are also presenting a chronograph named Grande, which follows the Grande line we already have.

jewellery for glamorous peoplede Grisogono presents colourful jewellery and unique watches

BWDN: And what about the jew-ellery collection?Fawaz Gruosi: People have to come and take a look – that is much better than describing it. We created five collections that are each very different. This year we have used wood as a jewellery material for the first time, com-bined with gold and diamonds.

BWDN: Do you see certain col-ours as ‘the’ trend colours for the 2010 season? Fawaz Gruosi: I don’t know what the competitors chose as the trend colour for this season because I never walk around on the show. But for me I can say I am a very colourful person and I mix colours all the time. So you will see a wide range of colours in our collections.

BWDN: de Grisogono was the first company to use black diamonds in jewellery. How large is the propor-tion of jewellery with black dia-monds at de Grisogono, after other

companies have jumped onto the trend bandwagon?

Gruosi: Well, I made my reputa-tion as “the black man with the black diamonds” some years ago. But even at that time – when black diamonds made up 50 percent of the collection – I was using all other stones, too. But for some reason the public and the press focused on me mostly because of the black diamonds. In the mean-time, people have realized that de Grisogono also uses all kinds of precious gemstones. As the collec-tions grew bigger the percentage of black diamonds is now around 25 to 30 percent.

BWDN: Men’s jewellery is becoming consistently more popular. Did you develop any jewellery for men?Gruosi: No. And I never will! I think the only jew-ellery a man should wear is a watch and cufflinks.

BWDN: Many international celebrities such as Rihanna or Naomi Campbell wear jewel-lery from de Grisogono at public

events. Who are we going to see next?Gruosi: Well, Cannes is only two months from now and as always we will have some beautiful mod-els or actresses wearing our pieces. I myself often only know who it will be a few days before the event. We will have to wait and see!

Interview by Christel Trimborn ■

Fawaz Gruosi, founder and owner of de Grisogono

Bracelet from the High Jewellery collection in white gold set with 1,674 white diamonds of 52.15 carats,

742 blue sapphires of 40.88 carats and 14 tsavorites of 0.42 carat

60 years with its finger on the pulseBruno Mayer presents the new trends in gold

Bruno Mayer laid the foundations for the renowned and internation-ally active jewellery company 60 years ago in Keltern. Trends have always played a part in the development of new col-lections, as demonstrated by the Managing Director of the company, Wolfgang Girr-bach: “Certain fashion trends are always of interest to jewellery design. We observe these trends at all of the important interna-tional trade fairs and fash-ion shows. Fashion trends determine whether we wear long or short chains and whether the design is sim-ple or chunky. Fashionable colours are particularly important

and must be reflected in the form of gemstones and pearls. The same is also true of shades of gold. A great deal of attention has been

paid to these aspects in our col-lections. Our new collection for 2010 incorporates all of these

fashion trends. Chunky parts, long chains, some

with large striking pendants as well as coloured stones

and pearls combined with a matching shade of gold are all a theme.” Bru-

no Mayer covers the various market sectors

with its own companies and jewellery brands. The high

quality category is covered by the Bruno Mayer fine jewellery brand at an international level.

Wedding rings are sold under the ‘7th Heaven’ label. Elaine Ferrari Goldwaren GmbH was launched 20 years ago with the aim of con-quering the market with an Italian jewellery collection. The lifestyle brand Viventy Jewels appeals in particular to young customers and the young at heart with its latest New York City Girls collection. (ahe) ■ 2.1, K19

Elaine Firenze

left side Viventy Jewels

Bracelet in pink gold


Hearts, hearts, hearts – hearts are the main theme of the Q-Ori range, one of several new collections being presented by Italian company Nanis at this year’s BASELWORLD. Hearts are featured in the form of sculptured rings as well as multi-string bracelets, cute pendants and earrings. All of the items are made from yellow, white or rose gold – toning in with the colour of the stones set into the surfaces of the hearts: yellow and red sapphires, black and ice diamonds as well as pink sapphires in different shades. (cete) 2.2, G 41

Hearty ring from the Q-Ori collec-tion by Nanis

Deep Sea ring from Carlo Palmiero

The world’s great jewellers have always found nature and art to be two very important sources of inspira-tion. In some cases designers can go beyond the object of inspiration, taking a personal and quite original path. In a word, creating real works of art. This is the case of Carlo Palmiero and the pieces he is presenting at Basel this year bear out the concept. Like the Deep Sea ring , clearly inspired by a sea creature, even if it’s not possible to identify which one, because Deep Sea conjures up the idea of a jellyfish, but does not replicate one: it is not depicting one creature, but a world, the sea’s flora and fauna, of which is an artist’s version. A version created with extraordinary skill, by Valenza manufacturers. (rc) 2.2, C90

■ NewS.TreNDS

The name stands for uncom-promising high quality, finesse and exclusivity. Jewellery set with sapphires, emeralds, rubies, dia-monds and other sought-after gemstones lights up the display cases of the First Avenue. The finest items of jewellery are a trademark of Maria Gaspari. These opulent pieces transform any woman into a princess: jew-ellery which exudes glitz and glamour.The Italian manufacturer is based in Valenza. For the last 40 years, unique items of jewellery have been hand-crafted here in the workshops of the various gold-smiths and artists. This family from South Italy has experience in the jewellery industry which dates back 160 years. Every piece is unique. “We want to make jewellery of significance,” is the claim made by Maria Gaspari. As such, the company focuses on class rather than mass produc-tion. A maximum of five to six pieces from the collections leave the workshops each year.“Jewellery cannot exist without beautiful women,” is their motto.

What is the world of men’s fash-ion looking for at BASELWORLD 2010? In the jewellery hall at the stand of Pranda & Kroll, men are certainly getting their money’s worth! The international multi-brand company is presenting its jewellery and accessories for men here to go with the fashions of luxury label Baldessarini. When approaching the stand, you are immediately struck by the lat-est collection by this gentlemen’s tailor. Once you see the latest textiles, the matching jewellery items and accessories make per-fect sense. The jewellery taps into the characteristics which are typi-cal of Baldessarini. It is the high quality of the processing which is striking in particular. Solid 925 sterling silver, com-bined with the finest nappa calf leather and gemstones such as onyx and tiger’s eye as well as olive wood, meet the brand’s high standards in luxury. The designs are powerful. The brand’s slogan “Separates the men from the boys” reflects the essence of the jewellery perfectly. The surfaces of the items repro-duce certain style features of the clothing with bracelets, rings, cufflinks and pendants in a her-ringbone design all available. Another range incorporates the

Prescious for personalities Jewellery from Maria Gaspari touches a woman

Style with substance Pranda Group presents the new jewellery collection by Baldessarini

The sophisticated pieces empha-sise the personality of the woman who makes them unique. Jewel-lery should touch the heart. It is also the most beautiful gift a man can give to a woman. This explains why jewellery is always loaded with emotion. The Gaspari jewellery designs are a perfect expression of deep emo-tion. In addition to the classic designs, there is also a trendier and more sporty range for daily use. Maria Gaspari has also been producing a collection of jewel-lery watches for the last few years. Over 90% of the items produced are exported. The designs are adapted to suit the regional pref-erences of the relevant target markets. (ahe) ■ 2.2, A80

Jewellery of Baldessarini are shown at the booth of Pranda Group

Ring from Baldessarini with crocodile pattern

With the jewels of Maria Gaspari a woman transforms into a glamourous princessMaria Gaspari is luxury par excellence

Natural gemstones glitter with yellow gold on the new chain from Schofer

The chains from the Schofer Natural Beauty range give the impression of flowing water. Warm, timeless brown smoky quartz with whiskey quartz and citrine, elegantly combined as a multi-string chain draws all eyes towards it. (ahe) 2.1, J01

braided pattern of the leather jacket buttons. Special clasps, reminiscent of the karabiners used by mountain climbers, add a masculine touch to the accesso-ries. A special clasp has been developed for the Baldessarini cufflinks. The Croc collection is also bound to be popular with urban Crocodile Dundees, far away from the Australian bush. The line includes much more than just crocodile patterns. A

highlight is the braided leather bracelet with a crocodile head clasp. Small carnelians are used to represent the eyes of the reptile. A perfect eye-catching piece for any gentleman. All of the items demonstrate Baldessarini’s char-acteristic attention to detail. The Pranda Group is also presenting new items from its brands at the stand including by Caï, Esse, Pompöös, Merii, V&A, H. Grin-goire. (ahe) ■ 2.0, G 21

Hall 1.1 - Booth B75

www.tendencewatches.com

TiTanium GulliverSwiss madeTitanium and PC case10aTm, Ø 50mm

COBRA LIP MICHEL HERBELIN NAVITEC

PASSION PIERRE LANNIER SAINT-HONORÉ PARIS YONGER & BRESSON

BACCARAT JEAN-MARC GAREL GL FASHION GUY LAROCHE BELLON CRÉATEUR BERMUDES BRIGITTE ERMEL PARIS

HERZO CRÉATEUR PARIS INÉDIT MARCHAK

MATHON PARIS MONNAIE DE PARIS OTELINE

CHARLES PERROUD SFM JOAILLERIE UMANE PARIS

JOIA KIDOU KORLOFF

PORCHETMESSIKA DESIGNMARCEL PONCET ROCHET SCHMITTGALL CFC

GARAUDEALAIN BOITEWASKOLL PIAT

BACHETAVEVA

JOAILLERIE DEFRANCE

BIJOUTERIEJOAILLERIE

JEWELLERY, HIGH JEWELLERY

ALAIN ROURE 2.0 K31BACCARAT 2.2 A01CACHAREL 1.1 B19CERRUTI 1881 1.1 A33CHRISTIAN BERNARD GROUP 1.1 B19CHUT… JE T’AIME 2.0 K31CLYDA 1.1 A33COBRA 5.0 A31DIAMANTI 1.1 B19FERAUD 1.1 B19FRANCE BIJOUX 2.0 K31JEAN MARC GAREL 2.1 A55GAY FRERES 2.1 B72GL FASHION 2.1 A62GL GROUP 2.1 A62GUY LAROCHE 1.1 B19HERBELIN 1.1 B11INES DE LA FRESSANGE 2.1 A62IPITONGA 2.1 A55JOELLI 1.1 B19JOIA 2.1 F86KENZO 2.1 A62KIDOU 2.1 B72KORLOFF 2.2 B60MARCEL PONCET 3.1 G11MESSIKA DESIGN 2.1 B32MICHEL HERBELIN 1.1 B11

MULNET 2.0 K31PACOMA 2.1 N52PAUL & JOE 2.1 A62PORCHET 3.0 E14PRIMA CLASSE 1.1 A51MARC PRINC 3.1 N60REPLAY 1.1 B19ROCHET 2.0 C01SAINT HONORE PARIS 1.1 C11SCHMITTGALL CFC 2.1 N52TED LAPIDUS 2.1 A62THIERRY MUGLER 1.1 A33TWC GROUP 1.1 A33VALLES DORDAL 2.1 A62WASKOLL 2.2 C80YONGER & BRESSON 1.1 A51ZUCCOLO ROCHET & Cie 2.0 C01

PIERRES ET PERLESGEMS & PEARLSALAIN BOITE 3.1 H11GARAUDE 3.1 K14MARCEL PONCET 3.1 G11PIAT 3.1 C31PORCHET 3.0 E14MARC PRINC 3.1 N60

BIJOUTERIE JOAILLERIEJEWELLERY, HIGH JEWELLERY

STANDSTAND

JOAILLERIE DE FRANCE

STAND

AIGLE 1.1 A61AMBRE 1.1 A51BE POP 2.0 A60BERNARD FLORENTIN 2.0 A60CACHAREL 1.1 B19CERRUTI 1881 1.1 A33CERTUS PARIS 1.1 A63CHRISTIAN BERNARD PARIS 1.1 B19CLYDA 1.1 A33COBRA 5.0 A31FONTENAY 1.1 B19JEAN MARC GAREL 2.1 A55GO, Girl Only 1.1 A63HECTOR H 1.1 A63HERBELIN 1.1 B11JEAN MARCEL 1.1 A63KENZO 2.1 A62KORLOFF 2.2 B60LIP 1.1 A70MICHEL HERBELIN 1.1 B11NAVITEC 5.1 A17PACO RABANNE 1.1 A51PARIS FRANCE MONTRES 5.1 A17PASSION 2.0 A60PIERRE LANNIER 1.1 A61PRIMA CLASSE 1.1 A51REGNIER 1.1 A70

ROCHET 2.0 C01REPLAY 1.1 B19SAINT-HONORÉ PARIS 1.1 C11S.D.D.H. 2.0 A60SMB 1.1 A63TED LAPIDUS 1.1 A33THIERRY MUGLER 1.1 A33TWC GROUP 1.1 A33WAW 2.0 E11YEMA 1.1 A51YONGER & BRESSON 1.1 A51

MOUVEMENTS ET COMPOSANTSMOVEMENTS & COMPONENTSISA FRANCE 5.0 A11ROBUR 3.U B30TENA BUTTY 3.U B30VERLUX 3.U B10

BRACELETS POUR MONTRESWATCH BRACELETSZRC 2.0 C01ZUCCOLO ROCHET & Cie 2.0 C01

MONTRESWATCHES

STANDSTAND

PALACE 2

ALAIN ROUREAV10 / AVEVABACHETBELLON CRÉATEURBERMUDESBRIGITTE ERMEL PARISCOMMELINHERZO CRÉATEUR PARISINÉDITJOIAMARCHAK PARIS BY CRISTOFOLMATHON PARISMONNAIE DE PARISOTELINECHARLES PERROUDSFM JOAILLERIEUMANE PARIS

MONTRESWATCHES

CERTUS PARIS CLYDA

ALAIN ROURE

MARC PRINC

COMMELIN

ADV1_comite_franceclat.qxd:Mise en page 1 16/02/10 11:53 Page 1


Jewellery Theatre knows how to present jewellery well. In the display cases and boxes of the black pavilion, rings, pendants, brooches and decorative figures dance around. The new collec-tion from this Russian jewellery manufacturer is called Fairytales and is based on characters from Russian stories, fairytales and leg-ends. A toadstool made from red sapphires, diamonds and garnets sprouts from a ring, for example, as a sacred symbol of paganism. “Our jewellery items are actors,” says Maria Nikolaenko, Head of the Public Relations Department

The curtain rises on a world of stories Jewellery Theatre presents its new Fairytale collection

at Jewellery Theatre. “They play a role, and not just when they are being worn.” The master crafts-men of the company have devel-oped and patented a special ‘heel’, located in the lower part of the shank of the rings. Thanks to this ‘heel’ the rings take on the appear-ance and presence of monumental sculptures. In addition, the ‘heel’ has extra functions – its surface is either encrusted with precious stones, engraved, or else used to display a monogram, while the ‘heel’ of some of the larger rings serves as a counterweight for the massive upper section. The year of the premieres

Jewellery Theatre was founded in 1998 by Irina Dorofeeva and Max-im Voznesensky. The company has been represented at BASEL-WORLD since 2002 and is being featured on First Avenue for the first time this year. The Silver Line range is also being presented for the first time at BASEL-WORLD 2010, representing yet another premiere. Jewellery Thea-tre uses gold, silver, diamond, various coloured gemstones and pearls to create its pieces. The luxury jewellery brand’s selec-tion also includes a collection

Pendant with diamonds and coloured sapphires

Jewellery Theatre’s booth at the BASELWORLD compares to a stage

Squirrel figure with diamond tail and gold nut Ring with red sapphires, diamonds and garnets

for men containing bracelets, rings and cufflinks. “Our jewel-lery differs greatly from that of other brands. We do not simply produce high class jewellery, we create true works of art,” stresses Nikolaenko. “Our prices are nev-ertheless competitive.”

Free stage for expansionIn its home country of Russia, Jewellery Theatre also presents its jewellery in a creative manner: in the shop windows of the bou-tique, depending on the theme, the pieces of jewellery acquire the ability to move and even dance.

The idea behind Jewellery Theatre is that these actors are also able to put on a real show outside the confines of their theatre and that any customer who so desires can acquire their own little domestic stage. Until now, the items have only been available in Moscow yet the customer base is interna-tional. The company is planning to expand in the future: “BASEL-WORLD continues to show just how much interest visitors have in our jewellery,” says Nikolaenko. “Now it is likely that we will be able to win over the international market, too.” (mm) ■ 2.2, A92

Young, sexy, modern – this is what contemporary and high quality pearl jewellery should look like, according to Orna and Isaac Levy, the founders and own-ers of the Israeli jewellery com-pany Yvel. Since the company was founded in 1986, they have been ridding pearls of their once old-fashioned image with their exquisite high-end jewellery lines, often in limited editions. In some cases, opulent natural multi-colour South Sea pearls from Australia are processed into breath-takingly beautiful and exquisite jewellery items, and in others naturally grown Keshi pearls are combined with raw diamonds. The two designers and owners, who produce all of their

jewellery in Israel, use exclusively large baroque freshwater pearls in every conceivable pastel shade from silver to grey, pink and pur-ple in their latest new Pastel Col-lection. “Only freshwater pearls can be found in such colours – such a wide range of colours is inconceivable with South Sea pearls,” explains Isaac Levy.

jewellery without pearlsThough pearls are still the central focus of all Yvel jewellery designs, follow-ing more than 20 years of

BASELWORLD experience,

the brand is presenting gemstone jewellery without pearls for the very first time this year. Under the motto of ‘Nature is not about perfection’, irregularly shaped sap-phires in different sizes and in mild red, green, blue and brown shades, simply sliced and only pol-ished, are set in 18 kt yellow gold to form a very natural collection. The Rainbow Collection creates an impressive overall appearance which combines wildness and pas-sion into a sensual look, from sim-ple rings to conversation pieces with diamonds surrounding every sapphire. “More and more people are returning to nature; they want to establish ease, naturalness and a

sense of well-being as basic ele-ments in their lives,” explains Isaac Levy. The current collec-tion featuring sapphires derives its inspiration from this notion, says Levy of this concept, which has apparently been met with enthusiasm among customers.Another new feature being pre-sented in Basel this year is the Daniel by Yvel brand which is described as Yvel’s sister com-pany. “In today’s dynamic business world, Yvel recognised the niche of addressing unique fashion design to the younger, fashion-oriented chic woman of the world,” says Isaac Levy of the inspiration and target group of the two Daniel by Yvel ranges. The first range combines silver with 18 kt gold, pearls, natural sapphires, aquamarines and diamonds. The second line is an 18 kt yellow, white and rose gold collection com-bining diamonds and mother-of-pearl from Tahitian, Australian South Sea and pink freshwater mussels. Both are more affordable than the high-end jewellery lines such as the Golden Brown Collec-tion and the Unique Pieces Col-lection, yet are no less perfect in

their refinement. The inside of the rings, for example, is deco-rated with delightful elements set with stones. All of the items impress with their high level of wearing comfort.

School of jewelry and art An exciting new Yvel project is being launched based on the company’s own history – Isaac Levy was born in Argentina and emigrated to Israel with his parents at the age of five. As such, he experienced what it was like not to be wel-

comed in a country. Fol-lowing his experiences, he promised himself that if he ever had the

chance to show a dif-ferent way of embracing

immigrants in Israel, he would do so. It is for this reason that Isaac and Orna Yvel

are opening the Yvel Design Center in May 2010 as well as the Andrea Bronfman School of Jewelry and Art, a unique school for the study of jewellery crafting. Ethiopian new immigrants are the target population – a population especially close to Isaac Levy’s heart. (cete) ■ 2.2, G20

Nature is not about perfectionYvel is presenting two jewellery ranges without pearls for the first time

Yvel has been exhibiting at BASELWORLD for more than 20 years

Necklace from Yvel’s One of a Kind Collection

Feminine coloured gemstone jewellery

from the new Rainbow collection

B a s e l w o r l d H a l l 1 . 0 , B o o t h B 1 7

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Maître Horloger - Les Genevezdepuis 1884

“At 270 km/h what you see in front of you isalready history.”

AD_004_ClassH_Mise en page 1 16.02.10 09:06 Page1


Lasting value and classic beauty are back in demand. This is the clear trend in evidence at BASEL-WORLD 2010. This has been accompanied by a growing inter-est in pearls. They stand for natu-ral elegance and aesthetics. “We are again sensing a significant increase in demand,” confirms Till Schoeffel, owner of the pearl specialist of the same name from Stuttgart. “The new collections feature almost exclusively pearls of 15 millimetres and above. And this decision was precisely the right one, as it is now becom-ing clear. Demand is focused on top quality pearls,” he con-tinues. Schoeffel is presenting

Focusing on pearls Daytime and evening couture from Schoeffel

pearls and pearl jewellery for almost any occasion at BASEL-WORLD 2010. The highlights of the Couture Collection are the Marguerite and Tsarina ranges. Marguerite captures the essence of a magnificent summer day in its marguerite flower form.Stylistically reduced flowers and leaves set with smoky-coloured and brown diamonds, with a delightful South Sea pearl in the centre, are a typical example of Schoeffel jewellery. “The beauty of the pearl is always at the centre of our designs,” says Till Schoeffel. “Nothing should distract the eye and the gemstones and diamonds used in the designs serve only to

highlight the mysterious shim-mer of the pearls.” Till Schoeffel creates the designs himself. Mar-guerite is the ideal collection of everyday jewellery as the pieces fit perfectly with any business outfit or with a casual jeans look. The Tsarina collection features soli-taire pearls in sensational dimen-sions competing with the radiant elegance of diamond bands. This is breath-taking haute joaillerie in pure white, ideal for receptions, balls and gala dinners. Schoeffel is also exhibiting numer-ous new items from its Collier Col-lection featuring exquisite pearls in refined colour tones as well as the Classic Collection with its

feminine designs. The Time Col-lection rounds off the company’s selection of pearl jewellery with a collection of sophisticated timepieces. The highlight of the company’s trade show presence this year is the Unikat necklace with its baroque shimmer-ing freshwater cul-tured pearls of 18 to 22 millimetres in diameter in delicate metallic rose and gold tones. The neck-lace is 49 centimetres long and weighs 966 ct. Only one farmer in China is able to produce these pearls using a new method. “Thanks to our increasing per-sonal contacts, we now have access to rare items from all over the world which are very hard to come by,” explains Till Schoef-fel. There is also great interest from buyers all over the world. Till Schoeffel sees a recovery of the pearl market The Schoeffel team is fully booked until the end of BASELWORLD

The Marguerite

Collection evokes

a sense of spring

With the Tsarina Collection, women

become empresses for the evening

Ring quartet

from Al Coro:

white, yellow and pink

gold with pink-coloured and yellow

sapphire, tsavorite and aquamarine

Parentesi cocktail earrings

from Bulgari in pink gold

with green quartz, amethyst

and diamond pavé

“Our team is fully booked with appointments right up until the end of the trade show,” says the company manager. “For me, BASELWORLD 2010 is an indi-cation that the pearl market is now on the road to recovery”. (ahe) ■ 2.2, D20

The name “candy colours” is a perfect fit: mellow, gentle colours are conjured up, radiating cheer-fulness and freshness. Pastel yel-low, girlie pink and apple shades lift the mood. Nature has gifted the gemstones this wealth of col-our: they alternate to blue, green, red and yellow shades, offering magical nuances such as lilac, turquoise and pink. Sapphire is the colour conjurer here. One of the most precious gemstones, it is amazingly ver-satile, being found in almost all shades. At Bulgari the sapphire has advanced to become a fre-quently employed favourite, ena-bling the Italian jewellery and watch brand to create effusive and shimmering jewellery. The

new Parentesi collection also cel-ebrates coloured gemstones such as citrine, quartz and amethyst. Cheerfully mixed, they represent the typically colourful Bulgari look. The greatest challenge is to find stones with the right har-monious nuances, in order for the designers to incorporate these into successfully compositions of necklaces, earrings and rings.The sapphire brings the popu-lar candy colours to bear for

the Italian jewellery brand Fope. The classic

brand, which offers an Italian-inspired collection with esprit, provides an effective platform

for pink-coloured sapphire in its Flex

it collection. These pieces com-prise a golden, flexible weave, an ingenious creation that has received its own patent. Flex-ible, fine bracelets are joined by matching chains, rings and ear-rings. At BASELWORLD Fope now presents the complementary Niue collection, with fine balls decorating the Flex it bracelets. As a highlight of the range these balls are decorated with pink-coloured sapphires, lending them a feminine, sensual appearance.

Al Coro has placed the candy colours

at the focal point of a new collec-tion, received with great en -thu siasm by cus-tomers at BASEL-WORLD. “Jewellers are looking for creations with colour, because we are well-known for jewellery with col-oured stones and a great affin-ity for colour,” says Alexander Corolli, CEO of the brand.This year the Al Coro design-ers have gone for candy col-ours, rounded fancy cuts and a transparent, tender look. New rings bear asymmetrically ordered gemstones in various oval and round cuts. Warm colours such as pink and yellow sapphire are skil-fully set in pink and yellow gold respectively, with a fragile, cool green and light blue standing out in white gold. “These new rings

are ideal for the mod-

ern woman with a strong

eye for style,” says Corolli.

Highlight of the new coloured gemstone crea-

tions from Al Coro is a bracelet with five intricate

chains, upon which translucent aquamarines meet white dia-monds. “The gentle colours of these gemstones appear

very feminine and flattering,” says Corolli and marvels at the adaptability of the candy colours: “These nuances suit every occa-sion and every style of clothing, whether casual or highly elegant.” (iwi) ■

Sweet as sugar: candy colours herald springFresh and colourful: jewellery bewitches with mellow colours

Bulgari necklace from the High

Jewellery collection in 18 karat white

gold with a briolette-cut aquamarine

(33.75 carat), 102 spinels, 78 emeralds

and brilliant-cut diamonds (21.97 carat)

Parentesi cocktail necklace from Bulgari

matching the earrings on the right

Ring from Fope: flexible gold

weave with an eyecatching ball,

set with pink-coloured sapphire

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Tuesday. March 23. 2010Palace | gemstones

Future conceptsCasio introduces some innovative dial designs

gem carvers cut it upCarved gems are used in jewellery as well as works of art

Taking a cue from its famous G-Shock collection, Casio aims to “shock the world” into buy-ing watches again after a reces-sion that left consumers cautious about buying luxury goods. The brand’s strategy, announced at BaSelworld, is to reinvigor-ate the watch market with new product innovations, including advanced digital technologies, and functional exterior design, combined with vigorous market-ing.“with the struggling global econ-omy, the watch industry faces challenges,” says Yuichi Masuda, the director of Casio’s Timepiece division. “once again, we are seeing how vitally important it is to provide added value.” Casio is calling its push for product inno-vation and creative dial design “Faces of the Future,” which will include not only digital but ana-log dial designs. “we successfully entered the analog market a few years ago and now we will be creating new modes of analog expression,” he says. “The goal is not only to make the watches user-friendly but for people to enjoy using the watches. we want to create more exciting watches.”

Creating gem art takes beauti-ful gem material, carving tools, talent, and a sense of art and humour. The masters of gem carving are here, as you can see from these images.First and foremost, Manfred wild from emil Becker (3.0, K30), standing in front of one of his signature pieces that highlights a very large ruby Buddha seated inside an opening blossom of rock crystal quartz petals. within the emil Becker booth, you will see small to large carvings, and with the exception of an occa-sional piece of gold, the entire piece will have been carved from beautiful gem materials. Catching everyone’s attention upstairs is this skiing bear, created by gem carver Stefan Klein from Herbert Klein (3.1, K10). The showpiece is carved from rock crystal quartz, accented with 18 karat white gold ski poles, obsid-ian skis, a sugelite hat, and one very serious skiing bear which is about to launch down a natural face slope made of rock crystal quartz, too.a magnificent carving, these two love birds, a pair of pink cocka-toos, are perched upon a very light pink rock. The entire piece perch and all, is carved from

Some of these new, exciting watches were introduced at the press conference by Casio’s watch Marketing direc-tor Toni Tanaka. The edifice 1/1000, for example, is a 1/1,000-sec-ond stopwatch that dis-plays time elapsed using a combination of the second hand and motorized disk-shaped indicators. an indi-cator at 9 o’clock moves for-wards and backwards, alternating between 1/1000th and 1/100th of a second. The idea, according to

just one piece of morganite. Yes, says axel Henn (3.1, H30), this includes the perch.But gem carvings do not have to be just works of art. Smaller carvings like this carved bi-colour tourmaline orchid can be used by jewellery designers, creating even more wonderful jewels. Herbert Klein (3.1, K10). (gr) n

Tanaka, is to convey both speed and intelligence. ediface sales, he pointed out, have doubled since 2005. This specific collection is the sponsor of the red Bull For-mula one racing team. The new G-Shock, on the oth-er hand, is meant to convey the notion of toughness. The

G-Shock Gravity defier is shock

res i s tant , w a t e r

resistant, low-temperature resist-ant, vibration resistant and electricity resistant. It is geared toward aviators, and therefore also has bold, luminous numer-als to enhance readability. The watch is resistant to centrifugal gravitational force, and is pow-ered by radio signals from each of the worlds six transmission stations. “This watch exceeds all standards,” says Tanaka. The new Baby-G is a divers watch (or, as Casio calls it, an ocean sports line), with 200-metre water resistance and a colourful pop design in keeping with surf fash-

ion.The new Protrek is an

analog-face model with three hands

and a lCd. It is equipped with triple sensors that measure com-

pass bearing, temperature and

altitude or atmospheric pressure. The hour and minute hands are used for the time, while the sec-onds hand works with the lCd controls to gauge different func-tions. Masuda says the brand’s mar-keting style is to create enthu-siasts, who will in turn create more enthusiasts through word of mouth. “we established this strategy in the late 1990s, when we enjoyed extraordinary success with our G-Shock line,” he says. one of the strategies behind this marketing style is the ‘Shock the world Tour,’ which is aimed at building word-of-mouth buzz as well as generating media support. Casio will sponsor or host events in 20 cities in 14 countries in 2010. “we believe we have three dis-tinct advantages,” says Masuda, “creative product development that makes the most of our advanced digital technologies and functional exterior design; strong, individualistic product brands; and our fine traditional of innovative marketing. This year, we introduce some of our most innovative design faces ever.” (cb) n

Yuichi Masuda

It looks like our hippo is tired after a long day here at the show

The Casio Edifice with 1/1000th of second timing

The G-Shock

Gravity Defier

Morganite love birds, cockatoos, from Henn GmbH

A skiing bear ready to hit the slopes,

from Herbert Klein

Manfred Wild and his Buddha, from Emil BeckerBicolour tourmaline orchid, from Herbert Klein

o l e ly n g g a a r d c o p e n h a g e n w e l c o m e s y o u a t o u r s t a n d n 5 1 i n t h e h a l l o f f e e l i n g s 2 . 1s w e e t d r o p s ™ & s w e e t s p o t s ™ , a l u x u r i o u s b r a c e l e t h a n d m a d e i n d e n m a r k i n e x c l u s i v e l e a t h e r , w i t h c h a n g e a b l e s w e e t d r o p s & s w e e t s p o t s .

o l e ly n g g a a r d c o p e n h a g e n h e i s s t s i e w i l l k o m m e n a u f u n s e r e m s ta n d n 5 1 i n d e r h a l l o f f e e l i n g s 2 . 1s w e e t d r o p s ™ & s w e e t s p o t s ™ , e i n l u x u r i ö s e s a r m b a n d a u s w e i c h e m , e x k l u s i v e m l e d e r ,

h a n d g e m a c h t i n d ä n e m a r k m i t a b n e h m b a r e n u n d a u s ta u s c h b a r e n s w e e t d r o p s & s w e e t s p o t s .

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ALCORO_dailynewsBASEL_AMICI 25-02-2010 12:23 Pagina 1

Untitled-2 2/23/10 5:17 PM Page 1

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Tuesday. March 23. 2010gemstones

Ruby, emerald, sapphire – the ‘big three’ – will always be the envy of the rest of the coloured gem world. Intense primary col-our, with a rich and long his-tory, what else could one ask for? Once again, we went in search of what the gem hall had in store, and here is what we found on Monday morning.The very first window we gazed in presented us with the king, a classic 10.89 carat Mogok, Burma ruby. Bursting in flaming pigeon blood red, this incredible gem has been set in a ring with 9.53 carats of Brazilian alexandrites. Speaking with Patrick Aldridge at Gemcut S.A. (3.0, L20), we discovered that the ruby has two gemmological reports showing no evidence of heat, natural col-our, from the Gübelin Gem Lab, and the Swiss lab SSEF. Just a short walk down the aisle and we noticed this 1930s Art Deco pin, adorned with the Tutti Fruitti fruit basket of carved ruby, emerald, sapphire, which fit perfectly with our gem theme today. Set with diamonds and rock crystal in platinum. From Frederic Torroni (3.0, L40).

Rubies, emeralds, and sapphires, oh myBack in hall 3 for more gem hunting, we went looking for the most important of them all

And now for the big three togeth-er, from Colombia, a 14.75 car-at emerald with accompanying Gübelin report showing minor enhancement, an Afghanistan cushion shape ruby weighing 6.86 carats, along with a Sri Lankan natural colour unheated sapphire. Now this is the way to see all three together at Kothari (3.0, G40). One of the classic shapes you will see for ruby, emerald and sapphire is the sugar loaf. Here we came across a beau-tiful bracelet that contains not only sugar loaf cabochon rubies, but also plenty of rose cut dia-monds to satisfy your search for old but new. Raju Kothari helped us with the photo shoot and then gave us the weights - 8.06 carats t.w. of ruby, 16.88 carats t.w. of rose cut diamonds.Keeping with big and loose gems, we literally stumbled across Nat-ural Sapphires Ceylon (3.1, M57) in the upstairs far corner of the hall. And we are glad we did. Faiq Rehan brought out the all unheated natural colour sap-phires from Sri Lanka – a blue mountain, weighing 233 carats, a large faceted blue cushion, weigh-

ing 60.47 carats, three yellow sap-phires, 28.16 cts., 21.60 cts., and 16.20 carats, with a nice slightly purplish-pink weighing 10.07 car-ats to round out the selection. Last in large loose gems and certainly not least, and just a few short steps away, we noticed an incredible pink-orange sapphire on display. Somewhat hidden amongst all of the other fine sapphires in the case, this rare lotus blossom colour, the pad-paradscha, and quite possibly the largest padparadscha in the show, was just the stone for us. Shaun Ajodan from Shaun Gems (3.1, M55) let us photograph this for you, an 18.36 carat pear shape. Interestingly enough, it looked perfect in the hand. If you love blue, but are simply looking for sapphire accents, don’t forget to check out Antwerp Coloured Stones (3.0, K54), with a fine selection of blue sapphire melee. Probably one of our favourite pastel pieces we saw today, and a favourite of its owner Chang Hatta from Hatta New World (3.1, D40) is this quite elegant blue and pink sapphire and dia-mond bracelet. (gr) ■ The big three, from Kothari

A pastel pair, from Hatta New World Co. Blue melee, from Antwerp Coloured Gems

Mogok, Burma ruby, 10.89 carats, from Gemcut S.A.

1930s Art Deco Tutti Fruitti from Frederic Torroni Emerald beads were everywhere

The classic padparadscha sapphire, from Shaun Gems

Mountainous gems, from Natural Sapphires Ceylon

Sugar loafs and rose cuts, from Kothari

A nice ruby ring, from Hatta New World Co.

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Tuesday. March 23. 2010technique

Wax injection

At the Topcast stand, a tool from Riacetech is on display which does not require the entire quantity of wax to be moved during injection mould-ing. The required quantity is simply sucked out and then injected using a small nozzle. According to the developer and company owner, Giovanni Lejkowski, this enables the pro-duction of highly filigree items. The device also enables the casting of hollow items. The company’s competitor, Profi-cast, exhibited a similar solu-tion last year which has now been developed to deal with larger quantities. Unlike Profi-cast, with the Riacetech device the mould component, located inside the hollow body during casting for stabilisation pur-poses, can be dissolved using water. (pgl) ■ 3U, K41

Lasers have become a useful tool for jewellers, enabling them to repair items of jewellery quick-ly and easily without having to remove the stones from their settings. They can also be used with cast parts, settings, antique items, spectacle frames and in implementing new designs. The technology itself may be well-es-tablished but this has not stopped some of the manufacturers com-ing up with some exciting new innovations to BASELWORLD 2010.

tools are minimisedManufacturers are trying to mini-mise the size of the tools to make it easier for jewellers to use them in their workshops. They are easy to operate either via external touch screens or an internal joy-stick. Orotig is presenting tools from its XXS Evo range with a pulse strength of between 30 and 100 joules. The new smaller

Lasers are useful everyday toolsRepairing jewellery items without having to remove the stones

devices can be used on a table top. Another special feature, according to Silvano Aprili, is that the information on the weld-ing processes can be stored on a USB stick. Employees in larger companies can therefore work on a lot of different devices and take their required settings with them. The company is able to present such small machines as it originally operated in the dental industry where size is of great importance, explains Orotigs Silvano Aprili. By contrast, the Sales Manager at Sisma, Gianni Panizzon, feels that his company offers the great advantage of having its roots in the jewellery industry. His com-pany is also presenting smaller machines for the first time. They offer the exact same possibili-ties as a larger device, explains Panizzon. The performance is in no way reduced. Elettrolaser is exhibiting tools with different

performance levels. They can be viewed at the manufacturer’s own stand as well as being sold by Bijoutil.Laser tools from Siro Lasertec and Laser-In are also on offer. Siro Lasertec is presenting tools by Alphalaser of 50 and 100 watt. The tabletop laser welding device VL 50 is compact yet offers a spacious working chamber. The ALS 100 is suited to demand-ing hand-welding work as well as for the industrial welding of small-batch productions. Accord-ing to Silvio Valenta, Managing Director at Siro Lasertec, the dif-

ferences between the individual products lie in the quality of the laser beam. He claims that his company offers advantages in this respect. Rofin makes similar claims. The products from this manufacturer can be seen at the Laser-IN stand. Here, goldsmith Karlheinz Voth provides an introduction to using the tools. Voth praises the beam properties and solidity of the Rofin tools, based on his own experience. They also offer a more precise parameterisation of the individual laser shots with sweet-spot technology. (pgl) ■ Goldsmith Karlheinz Voth demonstrates laser

Lasers for welding are at display at Elettrolaser

When brilliant-cut diamonds and coloured gemstones are placed under halogen lamps in jewellery store windows, they are not presented at their best: their magnificent sparkle and beauty is very often dulled by the poor lighting. And this is where the DiaLumen Light-ing System, developed by Cyril and Jean-Claude Pilet, comes in. The gemmologist has spent many years constructing bou-tiques for renowned interna-tional companies in the indus-try and constantly came up against the problem of light-ing. DiaLumen is presenting a new patented lighting system at BASELWORLD for the first time which allows diamonds

DiaLumen sparkles with diamonds Colourful LEDs set off the gemstones perfectly

and coloured gemstones to spar-kle in a whole new light. Pilet uses various ways to achieve this.Firstly, he does not use any white LEDs but rather LEDs which emit cold and warm light, alternately. They have worked on the wave-length so that the light makes the diamonds sparkle. Pilet then adds primary color LEDs. This recre-ates the daylight.The second development is that the LEDs move at random. This makes the sheen of the stones look very natural, as it would when worn or catching the sun-light. The jewellery manufactur-ers Chopard and Lançon were so impressed with the system that they have already installed it in some of their display cases

at BASELWORLD. It's certainly surprising just how much the system enhances the effects of

diamond jewellery and watches set with stones. The system is already available in various different versions – for display cases, high display windows, counter displays or smaller presentation boxes. In the case of the high display windows, the light is focused to achieve optimal illumination. How-ever, this is not a ready-made solution and instead is adapt-ed to the relevant customer requirements. The developers have even selected different LEDs for displaying coloured gemstones and exhibiting dia-monds. A short video on the website www.dialumen.com shows the effect of the new lighting system. (pgl) ■

Jean-Claude Pilet from DiaLumen

Orotig shows desktop machine

Tuesday. March 23. 2010countries

Power playIndia positioned to lead global jewellery market in new decadeIndia has the world’s most com-petitive gems and jewellery mar-ket, thanks to its low cost manu-facturing capabilities and skilled labor, coupled with strong gov-ernment support in the establish-ment of special economic zones and incentives. The gems and jewellery market plays a vital role in India’s econo-my, as a leading foreign exchange earner, representing over 12% of the country’s total exports. The India Brand Equity Foundation (IBEF) hails the Indian gems and jewellery market as the fastest growing on the planet. Eleven out of 12 diamonds are cut and polished in India, according to IBEF, the public-private partner-ship between the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Gov-ernment of India and Confedera-tion of Indian Industry. The cost per carat to process diamonds is US$10 in India, as compared to US$17 in China and US$150 in Belgium.India has become the diamond cutting and polishing center of the world, accounting for more than 60% value share, 80% by carats, and 95% by number of pieces. Moreover, India is the third largest consumer of pol-ished diamonds, after the United States and Japan, expected to reach US$6.41 billion by 2012. India’s diamond industry is the strength behind the explosive development of the country’s jewellery manufacturing sector. Also dominating gold and silver consumption globally (about 800 tons per annum), reports IBEF, India has become an interna-tional sourcing destination for high-quality jewellery.Government support has pro-vided an impetus to the booming gems and jewellery trade with favourable foreign trade policies: 100% foreign direct investment in gems and jewellery through the automatic route is allowed. The government lowered import duty on platinum and exempted rough coloured precious gem-stones from customs duty. India’s gems and jewellery indus-try, while still fragmented, is rap-idly transforming to meet the needs of the global market. Part of the effort includes educating the international gems and jewellery community that while India does provide low production costs, its skilled labour force does not sac-rifice on quality in both volume orders and design-led pieces for the high-end market.

Managing the recessionIndia’s overall exports of gems and jewellery, registered for April 2009 through January 2010, stood at more than US$22.5 billion, up

from nearly US$21 billion the same period a year prior, reports the Gem & Jewellery Export Pro-motion Council (GJEPC). All India Gem and Jewellery Trade Federation (GJF) expects 15% growth for the industry this year, and 15% to 18% growth per annum for the next few years.But this may not have been possible, had India’s gem and jewellery trade not acted boldly early on in the recession. “As the industry leader, the GJEPC gave a call for time bound suspension of the import of rough diamonds in order to streamline the situa-tion,” explains Dolly Choudhary, Assistant Director of promotion, marketing, and business develop-ment for GJEPC. “This move was envisaged as a two pronged meas-ure to help clear the overhang in the pipeline and avoid inventory buildup at a time when everyone could ill afford it. It helped man-age the liquidity crunch.”There was an unanimous and overwhelming response to this call, says Choudhary, deeming the effort a total success. “We wit-nessed a net increase of 13.37% (in December 2009) in our exports of cut and polished diamonds, which is a clear indicator that we sustained through the economic downturn.” In fact, GJEPC is working to create inroads for

India’s gem and jewellery trade into untapped markets including China, the Middle East and Rus-sia, particularly for diamond and diamond jewellery, because of declining U.S. demand. The United States accounts for about 50% of global sales of dia-monds and diamond jewellery, while India and China combined hold 15% of the jewellery market today, with forecasts doubling that share within five years.GJEPC is not only developing programs to promote India’s wholesale gems and jewellery trade abroad, but also its domes-tic jewellery retail sector through projects like the ‘India Diamond Jewelry Promotion’ campaign, partnering with local retailers and diamond jewellery manufacturers in common marketing efforts.

raising retailThe general retail sector has been growing at a compound annual rate of 28% for the last five years. Also fragmented, India’s retail jewellery sector is quickly chang-ing to accommodate its grow-ing consumer market. According to IBEF, unorganized retail for-mats are converging to create a mushrooming village affect. The number of malls in the top seven cities is expected to reach 360 this year, up from 148 in 2009.

While gems and jewellery produc-tion account for about US$27 bil-lion in sales, according to IBEF, the Federation pegs annual retail jewellery sales at US$16 million, with the expectation of increas-ing from about US$20 to $21 million by 2012.IBEF expects a bright future for jewellery retail in India, report-ing that the increasingly savvy Indian consumer is partial to branded merchandise associated with better services, premium quality products and attractive exchange policy. Also, the grow-ing popularity of machine-made jewellery over traditional hand-crafted designs is spurring growth in the domestic market.The Indian market research firm RNCOS attributed the country’s booming retail market to chang-ing consumer behaviour and lifestyle, increasing influence of western culture as well as a rising middle class.Working to fortify India’s domes-tic retail jewellery trade, the All India Gem and Jewellery Trade Federation launched a jewel-ler certification program called Trustmark, aimed at increasing consumer confidence through well-trained staff, and organised best practices. The Trustmark pro-gram also emphasizes fair pricing for creative artisans.

Moving ForwardDemand for Indian jewellery has increased across the globe. “India today is one of the most lucrative market destinations for brands from across the world,” Choudhary describes. “Gems and jewellery are still one if not the best form of investment and the

demand for them will never fade. Thus now is the time to invest in this industry, especially in India as it has risen like a phoenix to be one of the most competitive markets in the world.”The Indian government projects double-digit growth in its Gross Domestic Product within the next four years. Its Economic Survey 2009-10 sees India grow-ing the fastest between 2013-14. It has predicted 8.5% growth for the retail trade in 2010-11 and 9% for 2011-12. In general, India’s organized retail market is expected to reach US$50 by 2011. Specifically in the retail jewellery sector, GJEPC developed a buy-er-seller meeting platform, called ANANT. Now in its second year, the initiative hosted manufactur-ers for the first time. “So far, all our activities were focused on helping retailers sell their jew-ellery; this is the first activity centered around the manufac-turers, as we are bringing the jewellers to them for restocking,” explains Hemant Shah, GJEPC committee member overseeing the ANANT program.Moving forward, a senior analyst for RNCOS advises in its report about the country’s future that India’s gems and jewellery indus-try takes the initiative to establish design centers with the chief focus of training jewellers to compete with international markets, as well as develop industry-wide stand-ards and certification to foster customer confidence. From both a manufacturing and consuming perspective, India’s gems and jew-ellry market is poised for success in the coming years. (dy) n

‘Made in India’: Fashion and contemporary jewellery design for modern women

Classic design from

Core Jewellery

Exquisite pavé ring

from DN Jewels

Tuesday. March 23. 2010international markets

“Best networking platform”

With 20 shops all over India in cities such as New Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, Chennai, Rajkot, Hyderabad, Ahmeda-bad and others, plus 20 exclu-sive watch category manage-ment corners, in addition to 200 points of distribution, Just In Vogue is the retail chain of Priority Marketing, a distribution company based in India.

BWDN: What is the impor-tance of BASELWORLD for your business?Manisha Sangani: This is where you get the trends for the next year and build rela-tionships. Also, we find new partners here.

BWDN: Which brands do you work with at the show?Sangani: Skagen Designs from Denmark, Kenneth Cole New York, BCBGMaxazria, Ted Baker London and recently, at BASELWORLD 2010, we have tied up with Anne Klein New York.

BWDN: BASELWORLD is also a meeting point for the industry. How important is the networking factor for your company?Sangani: It is the only exhibi-tion where each retailer from India and the world comes together for, making it the best networking platform. It is the one opportunity where we meet with all our partners and socialize with distributors from other countries.

Interview by Pooja Agarwal n

luxury retail trends 2010Quality is all that counts in the premium segment of jewellery and watches

asians love platinumDemand in China reaches record levels

The message is clear: Quality all the way around. After newcom-ers in the luxury-providing sector tried their luck at manufacturing and selling beautiful sensuous products, the crisis has separated the sheep from the goats. The skill required, the investments needed, the dedication and time has weeded out the amateurs. The luxury market may be slow to react, but if a company endures and consistently delivers on all the parameters – quality, beauty and service – success will be achieved. Consumers are first and foremost looking for quality and some-thing that will set them apart from the Joneses; that certain product that exudes craftsman-ship and that proclaim the begin-ning of a new era, a fresh start. As the economy stabilizes, certain segments are experiencing hav-ing money to spend again. They go looking for classical luxury virtues, but stay conscious of their choices. As The Luxury Institute in New York states it in one of the company’s yearly sur-veys: “Price does matter. Luxury will appeal to the rational brain again.” Even if people continue

to spend less for a period of time – entertaining friends and family all the more, staying at home, enjoying the quiet pleasures of life – well-established providers of luxury will appear triumphant again soon, if not already. The old companies assume leadership for the benefit of all. Luxury is once again allowed to send exactly that message: luxu-rious products are statements in themselves – the cocktail ring being a prime example. But even with minor jewellery that is not wildly expensive, a special expres-sion of style is paramount.

According to the latest “Platinum 2009 Interim Review” by John-son Matthey, the worldwide net demand for platinum fell by 4.4 percent to 184.0 tonnes last year. Platinum demand for use in jew-ellery reached a new record level of 54.5 tonnes in China.Gross demand for platinum fell by a third in 2009 to 77.2 tonnes due to cutbacks in vehicle pro-duction in most regions. Indus-trial demand fell sharply due to falling demand from consumers and a running down of stock in most sectors. Johnson Matthey predicts that the relatively mod-est price of platinum will stimu-late demand both in the jewellery industry and demand for plati-num as a safe investment. The precious metals specialist is pre-dicting a demand of 76.2 tonnes for use in jewellery.The lower price of platinum last year triggered another increase in demand from the Chinese jewellery industry in particular and motivated producers to top up and expand their supplies, especially during the first half of 2009. Improved profit mar-gins have attracted new manufacturers and distributors to the platinum jewellery industry.

The customer’s shopping experi-ence will be further enhanced: excellent service and intimate surroundings, personal relations – shoppers on the look-out for the outstanding experience and ambience thrive once again. Wealthy consumers will opt for classic luxury that is unique and exclusive, with exquisite artistic design, craftsmanship, and qual-ity, delivered with impeccable service. Only things that can be easily changed – flower decorations, bags and perhaps even gift boxes – are replaced. The basic décor of

Lower sale prices have fuelled consumer demand. As a result, demand in China increased by 28.1 tonnes in 2009 to a record 54.5 tonnes. The net demand for platinum in the jewellery indus-try also increased significantly in Japan. The low price of platinum meant that less platinum jewel-lery was melted down. Demand from the jewellery industry and consumers in Europe and the USA has also fallen due to the recession. Overall, sales of newly mined platinum to the jewel-lery industry rose by 80 percent worldwide due to strong demand from the Far East.

boutiques stay the same. Trend colours exert a certain influence, but nobody compromises with the logo expression. Concepts stay the same with minor adap-tations. The most basic com-modity is still centred on qual-ity. Statements – counting both watches and jewellery – are made in gold, with a wide selection of coloured stones to match for the jewel creations. Moonstones, aquamarines, topaz, tourmalines, tsavorites and amethysts are men-tioned frequently. Luxury has embraced (corporate) social responsibility as an inte-gral part of the business model. High-end brands are expected to be ethical on every account, charitable and eco-friendly as a part of their business that makes a real difference to beneficiaries. Principals of fair-trade are a mat-ter of course – no longer just a sales or price argument. Europe-an production of luxury is valued highly, adding further arguments for purchases. Brand heritage and history is significant once again, now that the year of blind spend-ing is over. Certificates go hand in hand with trust, authenticity and value. (nh) n

Interior of the Bulgari store in Rome, located in Palazzo Lepri dating to the Renaissance period

Engagement ring in platinum and diamonds from

Matthia’s Claire by Orexport

Manisha Sangani, Director of Priority Marketing

Platinum Demand: Jewellery

Europe

Japan

North America

China

Rest of the World

total

gross¹

2008 2009

205 190

530 540

200 145

1,060 2,050

65 65

2,060 2,990

recycling²

2008 2009

(5) (5)

(475) (230)

(5) (5)

(210) (300)

0 0

(695) (540)

net³

2008 2009

200 185

55 310

195 140

850 1,750

65 65

1,365 2,450

notes to table ¹ Gross demand is equivalent to the sum of platinum jewellery manufacturing volumes and changes in unfabricated metal stocks within the industry. ² Recycling represents the amount of old stock and old jewellery recycled whether the metal is re-used within the jewellery industry or sold back to the market. ³ Net demand (our headline figure) is the sum of these figures and therefore represents the industry’s net requirement for new metal.

source: Platinum 2009 Interim Review

Experts from Johnson Matthey are predicting a slight recov-ery in platinum consumption for 2010. Improvements in the world economy are expected to increase demand for the precious white metal again, especially in the vehicle sector and in indus-try. However, supplies are not expected to increase in the same way such that a moderate deficit on the market may emerge. These positive circumstances should help push the price of platinum up to new heights. The majority of the increase in the price of platinum over the last 12 months was due to the weakness of the

dollar, the high price of gold and growing interest from investors. Since the end of February, the price of platinum has been push-ing towards a new high with the price at the start of March stand-ing at significantly above 1,500 US dollars per troy ounce.Part of the reason for this is the strengthening of the dollar again. The price of platinum in mid-2008 reached a record of over 2,250 US dollars per troy ounce. The price of platinum needs to reach a stable yet high level in the medium-term for mining to be worthwhile. At the Anglo Platinum mining compa-ny, for example, the net costs are approx. 1,231 US dollars per troy ounce. To fully cover the process-ing costs, the mining company must make approx. 1,550 US dol-lars per troy ounce. (ahe) n

With 21 jewels on the inside and genuine Swarovski® crystals on the dial, the newTimex T Series® Women’s Automatic expresses time accurately and eloquently.

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Tuesday. March 23. 2010Village | Celebs | imprint page 40

BASELWORLD Daily NewsA publication by Untitled Verlag und Agentur GmbH & Co. KG

Managing Director:Dr. Christian Jürgens

Editors:Watches: Iris Wimmer-Olbort (iwi), Sabine Zwettler (sz) Jewellery: Axel Henselder (ahe), Christel Trimborn (cete), Carol Besler (cb)Gemstones: Gary Roskin (gr)Countries/International Markets: Axel Henselder (ahe), Roberto Chilleri (rc)Technique: Pia Grund-Ludwig (pgl)Village/Books: Magdalena Malawska (mm)

Authors:Pooja Agarwal (pa)Kyra Brenzinger (kb)Gerhard Claußen (gc)Dr. Dorea Dauner (dd)Elizabeth Doerr (ed)Nina Hald (nh)Jan Lehmhaus (jl)Nancy R. Olson (nro)Roberta Naas (rn)George W. Shuster (gs)

Editorial Management:Mathias Menzelphone +49 189 [email protected]

Thomas Friemelphone +41 61 699 80 [email protected]

Art Direction:Kerstin Vorwalter

Layout: Janina Demiana Roll | Martin Tubbesing Marlene Wolf

Picture editor: Andre Weinberg

Photos:David Matthiesen | Volker Renner Daniel Stauch

Translation:Ad Rem SprachdienstleistungenPrisca DeGroat

Advertising:MCH Swiss Exhibition (Basel) Ltd.BASELWORLDCH-4005 Basel / Switzerlandtel. +41 58 206 [email protected]

Printing:Vogt-Schild Druck AGCH-4552 Derendingen

BASELWORLD Daily News is published by Untitled Verlag und Agentur GmbH & Co. KG. Reprints of articles are obtainable

on application to the publisher. All rights reserved.

BASELWORLD Daily News may not be reproduced in any manner of form without written permission.

Publisher’s address:Untitled Verlag und Agentur GmbH & Co. KGInnocentiastraße 33 D-20144 Hamburgphone +49 40 189 881-0fax. +49 40 189 [email protected]

■ imprint

Chilling at the Village

ELLE celebrated its new spring watch and jewellery collection in casual style with music, champagne, snacks and lots of guests. Following the official clo-sure of the trade show halls, guests gathered at the stand of this young brand in hall 1.1. Here they were welcomed by Marco Shai, owner of the company.

A brief fashion show was then held to present the company’s latest products. ELLE Time and Jewelry is an extension of ELLE Magazine, the largest fash-ion and beauty publication in the world. The watch and jewellery designers work closely with the ELLE Magazine stylists in creating the collections.

High time for elle

In the Hall of Universe the Hong Kong Trade Development Council staged a fashion show on three days of the BASELWORLD. The models pre-sented new, premium watches and jewellery from Hong Kong brands. Following the presentation came the call “Stage open for shootings!” – with the spectators seizing the opportunity eagerly.

Hong Kong Fashion Show

Group photo with pretty ladies, from left to right: Stanley Lau, Chairman of

the HKTDC Watches and Clocks Advisory Committee, Raymond Yip, Assis-

tant Executive Director, HKTDC, Lawrence Ma, Chairman of the HKTDC

jewellery advisory committeeModel presenting sparkling watchbrand from Hong Kong

HALL 1.1, BOOTH # E19

Paris Watch Ad RD COLL 2010.indd 1 2/12/10 5:44 PM

Tuesday. March 23. 2010premium specialised retail page 42

important networking opportunitiesBrinkhaus taps BASELWORLD for enduring value

Brinkhaus Jewellers of Calgary and Vancouver, Canada, was founded in the 1970s by Carl Brinkhaus, who first started his jewellery business in Muenster, Germany, in 1936. His son, Nor-bert Brinkhaus, and his wife Kim run the operation in both Cal-gary and Vancouver, after selling a majority stake in the company last year to Birks/Mayors.

Norbert Brinkhaus, of Brinkhaus Jewellers in Calgary and Vancou-ver, has been attending BASEL-WORLD since 1970, when it was

the “Mustermesse”, where every-thing from coffee machines to cheese – and, of course, watches were showcasted. Even back then, Brinkhaus remembers the show as a glamorous occasion, and one of the things that influenced him to engage in the family jewellery business.Brinkhaus is an important watch dealer, with brands that include Rolex, Patek Philippe, Omega and Corum, plus watch band companies such as Hirsch. His jewellery lines include Roberto Coin, Fabergé, Schoeffel and Nouvelle Bague, all of which exhibit in Basel. “This is a very important show because it is a trendsetter,” says Brinkhaus. “We see the new mechanical introduc-tions for watches for the next 12 to 18 months. We also see new designs at the idea stage. At Basel, you see model samples from reputable manufacturers, who ask for input and feedback. You can’t see this anywhere else. At other shows, you see what the decisions are – it’s too late for input.” Brinkhaus and his partner, and wife, Kim, always reserve one full

day in Basel just to source new suppliers and search the show for new products, and trends. “We often make new contacts in Basel. Some of them have been recommended by other exhibi-tors; sometimes it leads to a factory visit or a visit to their offices at a later date. We often work with them afterwards. The important thing is that, if you didn’t see them in Basel, you wouldn’t know they existed,” says Brinkhaus. Each year, the firm picks up one or two new suppli-ers. The show is also a good place to drop in on previous suppliers that they are not currently work-ing with – “just to say hello and see what’s new”. Brinkhaus also sees BASEL-WORLD as an important net-working opportunity. “Basel is a couture level show that attracts the leaders in the industry, so there is an opportunity to net-work with some of the important people in the industry – the executive chefs.” Has the buying strategy changed because of the recession? “No. If anything we will go a little bit more high end,” says Brinkhaus.

Norbert Brinkhaus of Brinkhaus Jewellers has

been attending BASELWORLD since 1970

Brinkhaus Jewellers carries several top watch lines, including Rolex

“All of a sudden, a lot of manu-facturers are trying to get into the $5,000 to $10,000 game, but the quality and substance is not there. They are telling you the champagne is good after the fizz has left. But our clientele has certain expectations. They want value.” Although Brinkhaus ini-tially didn’t want to do what his parents were doing – “they were working 60 to 70 hours a week.

When you close your doors at 6 or 6:30 p.m. in this business, that’s when the real work starts” – he eventually began to see the other, glamorous side of the business. “I went to Basel for the first time about 40 years ago, and gradually I started to understand the mystique of the industry,” he says.

Interview by Carol Besler ■

Ban: This is where all the orders for novelties are placed and trends are set. BASELWORLD is important because it sets our merchandising tone for the year to come. We carry a portfolio of over 40 internationally acclaimed brands from the Swatch Group to Chopard, Corum, Zenith, Bell & Ross and many more. The show is critical in the sense that what is displayed here, will essentially be what the collectors will be wear-ing on their wrists.

BWDN: BASELWORLD is also a meeting point for the industry. How important is the networking factor for your company?Ban: Once a year, I really appre-ciate seeing everyone in one hall. For the friendship of the busi-ness, this is so important. Here, you renew your ties and that is the most important thing about the show. It’s vital for us to catch up on what is happen-ing in other markets. When you have a good network of friends at BASELWORLD, in these few days you pretty much can find out what’s going on in the rest of the world. Interview by Pooja Agarwal ■

BaselWOrld is where trends are set For Sincere Watch the show is a place to renew ties and strengthen friendships

Established in 1954, Sincere Watch Limited is one of Singa-pore’s oldest retailers of brand-name luxury watches. Listed on the Singapore Exchange in 1993, now the Group operates 30 boutiques with a distribution network spanning ten countries – Australia, China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, the Philip-pines and Thailand.

BWDN: How many times have you visited the show?

Ong Ban: Personally, this is my 13th time. The company has been visiting since 1972.

BWDN: What does BASEL-WORLD have that other trade shows don’t? Ban: There is only one BASEL-WORLD, so in terms of the sheer size of what the industry offers, there is no comparison in the market. One word describes it – ‘buzz’. The day starts at 9 a.m. and finishes at 7 p.m., every-one is running around, trying to cope with ten appointments.

BWDN: From BASELWORLD, do you take away any ideas from the products on display which you can then incorporate into your own business strategic approach?Ban: Our business being very relationship orientated and the key thing is that all our major partners are here, from Patek Phillippe to Rolex to Omega, including our in-house brands like Ebel and de Grisogono. So, each year, before we take, we give feed-back about consumer senti-ment for the last year and review the year. From there, we look at new strategies our partners are

embarking on for the following year. Obviously, we incorporate those product strategies into our business plan.

BWDN: Do you find Singapore to be a unique and distinctive market? Ban: Singapore has garnered a very creditable reputation as a watch hub. Given the size, it’s a very important market for Swiss exports, and ranks 6th or 7th. One of the reasons why it’s ranked so high is, when it comes to distribution and retailing, there is a lot of value adding in

Ong Ban, CEO of Singapore headquartered

Sincere Watch for South East Asia

Sincere boutique at Ngee Ann City Shopping Centre in Singapore

Singapore. The retailers are very advanced in the retailing con-cepts and bring in trendsetting products and innovations that have appeared in the industry. Singapore to the watch industry is like a window to the world. A lot of manufacturer showcase their creativity there first, before introducing them elsewhere. In Singapore, the level of sophisti-cation of the consumer is very high.

BWDN: What significance does BASELWORLD have for your business?

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