A cavalcade of global semi-luxury and super luxury watch brands like Calvin Klein, Breguet and Blancpain will make their India debut in 2007.
MUMBAI: Time continues to tick to the luxury drumbeat. As we wind into early 2007, get ready for a cavalcade of global semi-luxury and super luxury watch brands from Calvin Klein, Breguet, Blancpain and Hamilton to make their India debut.
The exclusive retailer of these tags for the turbo Mumbai market is the Popley Group a la their retail formats of La Classique (for luxury brands above $1,000) and Diatime (for semi-luxury brands below $1,000).
With such upbeat additions, Rajiv Popley, director of the Popley Group, in a one-one with DNA Money, projects a 35-40% overall sales growth , with 10-12% fed by these new entries. This luxury retailer has a turnover of Rs 450 crore and is looking at touching 650 crore by next year.
Strap up also a local and global retail expansion push, with the number of La Classique boutiques to scale from two to seven in a year’s time. Expect also 14 more Diatime stores by 2008 and the first Diatime standalone boutique by this December. Already present in Dubai’s famous gold souk, the group’s retail footprint will extend to London soon.
Know these fancy tickers
American and Swiss flags will fly here with these debuts:
*The entire hip line of Calvin Klein unisex, fashion watches will come in here, for the 16-25 year-olds at a $120-200 price band, followed by other launches through the year. This semi-luxury American brand is fashioned in ceramic and also fabric.
- The Swiss, hand-made Breguet watches for men and women are definitely a crème number at $10,000. Crafted along classical lines in platinum and solid gold, it will aspire to grace the 45-year-plus watch connoisseur, says Poley.
- Sandwiched between Omega and Breguet at a price band of $2,000 upward, the Swiss brand of Blancpain is close to the Cartiers of the watch world, says Popley. The affluent class here will avail of classic-designed products for men and women that are made in solid gold, platinum and steel
- The trendy American brand of Hamilton takes its inspiration from World War II and the brand’s affiliations with the air force. In the mid-line price bracket of $300-800, lines for men and women will come in here complete in fabric and leather for the younger 16-30-year group.
According to rough industry estimates, about 35-40 million watch pieces are sold per year here and this is growing at 20%, while the the luxury watches market is growing at about 40%. Given that global stars such as Omega, Rado, Tissot, Tag Heuer, Fredrique are already here, these new entrants will obviously have to mark time well in the coming calendar.
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