1159638023 ae64464995

(c) ltinner / Flickr / some rights reserved

The Swiss Watch Industry has reported that the export value of wristwatches has grown by 7.2% in the last 12 months to CHF 15.9 billion – and all time record.
However, closer examininatio of their figures shows that volume has actually only increased 0.8% with average prices rising 6.4% (and mechanical watches increasing in price by avg 10.7%).

Further, Dec 08 sales show a decline in sales of 7.6%, which whilst not good is at least better than the 15% decline in November.

Figures were released for Oceania which showed 327,055 swiss watches were sold in 2008 at an export value of CHF144709475, representing a 0.4% increase in volume and a 1.4% decline in value.

The New Luxury Signal: Emotional Stability

The New Luxury Signal: Emotional Stability

Luxury resorts used to sell status and spectacle. Now they sell something quieter: relief. Guests arrive overloaded, and the best resorts are redesigning around sensory calm, reduced friction, and emotional steadiness. Modern luxury is less about what you add, and more about what you remove.

When a town becomes the Shock Absorber

When a town becomes the Shock Absorber

The closure of AKD’s Yarram mill is more than a job loss. It’s a systemic emergency that exposes how vulnerable small towns become when economic shocks arrive without a formal response system. Yarram’s community is already mobilising, but goodwill alone can’t carry what should be a structured, predictable framework for regional crises.