Zenith greets 2023 with a smile

MANY governments worry China’s reopening will spark a spike in Covid cases. Swiss watch brand Zenith’s chief executive officer Julien Tornare, however, is grinning. He sees more sales for watches.

“(The reopening) is positive,” he tells The Business Times. “We’re tired of Covid, (so are) our Chinese friends. They still have money. They’ve been locked down for three years. It’s (been) a nightmare. What they need is to go out, enjoy life, smile again, and we’ll put them into the mood to buy.”

Pointing out the Chinese’s love of luxury watches, Tornare says Zenith has continued to invest in China when others have stalled.