The Watch Market Split in Two: a Record $235M Auction Season While the Retailers Concede a Slowdown

July 5: The Watch Market Split in Two: a Record $235M Auction Season While the Retailers Concede a Slowdown
This week, the watch market told the whole story of luxury in miniature: Phillips posted the biggest watch-auction season in history at about 235 million dollars, even as Watches of Switzerland, one of the largest sellers of Rolex in the world, walked back its growth targets and admitted the market had cooled. The rare and collectible are winning while the mass retail end softens. Plus a former Audemars Piguet chief launches a brand of his own, and a rare crocodile Birkin reminds everyone that the Hermès handbag is still the hardest currency in fashion.

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The Split in Watches
- Phillips closed a spring season that brought in about 235 million dollars, the highest total for a watch-auction season in the history of the category, with records across vintage and independent watchmakers.
- At the same time, Watches of Switzerland scrapped its target to more than double sales by 2028 and conceded the market had cooled. The collectible end is booming while the new-watch retail end slows, the same divergence we track across all of luxury, playing out inside a single category.

The Industry Remakes Itself
- François-Henri Bennahmias, the former chief executive of Audemars Piguet, launched his own Swiss brand, N3W5, set to debut at Dubai Watch Week next year.
- Swatch Group, the parent of Omega and Tissot, is seeking about 170 million dollars from Samsung over copied watch-face designs.
- Cartier announced a new prize for emerging watchmaking talent, and London Watch Week returned for a strong second edition. The industry is investing in craft and the next generation, not retreating.

Jewelry and the Hardest Bag in Fashion
- Christie's set records in its Paris handbag sale, led by rare exotic-skin Hermès pieces including a crocodile Birkin, a bag that has outpaced many stock indices over the past decade.
- Messika unveiled a one-of-a-kind necklace built around a 20.46-carat blue diamond from Botswana.
- Fred, the LVMH-owned jeweler, marked its 90th anniversary with a 101-carat yellow diamond, the Soleil d'Or, a stone so significant it returns to the house's private vaults rather than being sold.

Also from ALT/FNDATA:
- Open Bid — every weekday evening, the day's read on the luxury and collectibles markets
- The Wealth Signal — the weekly newsletter on LinkedIn (Sharon Obuobi)