Hot Revolution

AT THE RECENTLY CONCLUDED Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie (SIHH) in Geneva, the amount of mechanical wizardry on show wasn't just a display of luxury watchmakers' prowess, but a bid to speed up the recovery of the upscale watch industry.

Swiss watch exports, which account for the bulk of the global market for upscale timepieces, fell 3.5 per cent in 2015 and 9.9 per cent in 2016. But things have been turning around since, with shipments in the first 11 months of 2017 rising by 22.8 per cent - not yet enough to make up for the losses, but getting there.

Participants at SIHH 2018 - still dominated by Swiss luxury group Richemont despite the increase in independent brands - were not popping any champagne yet. But like other SIHHs before, the anticipation level was high as brands unveiled their latest and best. Here's a peek at what was trending at the fair: