Latest news with #FranckMuller
Sydney Morning Herald
13 hours ago
- Business
- Sydney Morning Herald
The luxury store where customers spend $15,000 a visit
Opulent stores filled with cashmere suits, silk scarves and soft leather handbags are making room for the hard stuff on Australia's most prestigious shopping strips. Watches costing hundreds of thousands of dollars, made from gold, titanium, diamonds and stainless steel are filling temples to timepieces opening across the country. This week, the Franck Muller boutique on Sydney's Castlereagh Street opens its heavy doors, opposite Chanel's new fine jewellery and watches flagship in Sydney. Japanese brand Grand Seiko officially opened in Melbourne's historic Block Arcade last month, Vacheron Constantin reopened on Collins Street in March, and Rolex's largest boutique in the Southern Hemisphere started trading in December at Chadstone Shopping Centre. 'Australia is increasingly appealing to international watch brands due to its stable retail infrastructure and its growing base of affluent and brand-savvy consumers,' says Nicholas Rudaz, Franck Muller's chief executive. 'Cities like Sydney and Melbourne have truly matured into key luxury hubs. Loading 'The average spend of our customers in Australia is currently around $15,000.' The brand's $352,400 Gravity Skeleton Tourbillon, in a rose-gold case studded with diamonds, should help push the average customer spend higher. Australian expansion is taking place as the international luxury watch market recalibrates. The Swatch Group, whose brands include Omega and Tissot, this week reported an 11.2 per cent drop in sales for the first half of the year. Piaget and IWC Schaffhausen's parent company Richemont reported a 7 per cent decrease in sales for the first quarter ending June 2025.
The Age
13 hours ago
- Business
- The Age
The luxury store where customers spend $15,000 a visit
Opulent stores filled with cashmere suits, silk scarves and soft leather handbags are making room for the hard stuff on Australia's most prestigious shopping strips. Watches costing hundreds of thousands of dollars, made from gold, titanium, diamonds and stainless steel are filling temples to timepieces opening across the country. This week, the Franck Muller boutique on Sydney's Castlereagh Street opens its heavy doors, opposite Chanel's new fine jewellery and watches flagship in Sydney. Japanese brand Grand Seiko officially opened in Melbourne's historic Block Arcade last month, Vacheron Constantin reopened on Collins Street in March, and Rolex's largest boutique in the Southern Hemisphere started trading in December at Chadstone Shopping Centre. 'Australia is increasingly appealing to international watch brands due to its stable retail infrastructure and its growing base of affluent and brand-savvy consumers,' says Nicholas Rudaz, Franck Muller's chief executive. 'Cities like Sydney and Melbourne have truly matured into key luxury hubs. Loading 'The average spend of our customers in Australia is currently around $15,000.' The brand's $352,400 Gravity Skeleton Tourbillon, in a rose-gold case studded with diamonds, should help push the average customer spend higher. Australian expansion is taking place as the international luxury watch market recalibrates. The Swatch Group, whose brands include Omega and Tissot, this week reported an 11.2 per cent drop in sales for the first half of the year. Piaget and IWC Schaffhausen's parent company Richemont reported a 7 per cent decrease in sales for the first quarter ending June 2025.
CNA
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- CNA
Franck Muller and #FR2 unveil latest Vanguard Beach Limited Edition in summer hues
Back in 2023, Swiss watchmaker Franck Muller teamed up with provocative Tokyo streetwear label #FR2 for a rather unexpected collab. The result was the #Fr2nck Muller Vanguard watch, a bold timepiece featuring #FR2's signature cheeky rabbits motif, rendered in a sleek, monochromatic colourway. And now, the duo have reunited for a second collaboration. In the spirit of summer, the new #Fr2nck Muller Vanguard Beach Limited Edition ditches the original monochromatic colour scheme for brighter hues, evoking the carefree vibe of sun-soaked days and sea breezes. The palette is also a throwback to the Franck Muller Vanguard Beach collection which was also released in 2023. The #Fr2nck Muller Vanguard Beach Limited Edition comes in three colourways – Heatwave Red, Surf Blue and Tropical Green, each available in just 300 pieces. Creating these vibrant colours was no small feat – glass is first melted at 1,500 degrees Celsius and drawn into extremely fine threads, before being cooled and formed into sheets at 700 degrees Celsius. The sheets are then dipped in special colour baths and compressed into fibreglass composite blocks. The iconic #FR2 rabbits are once again the star of the show, this time engaged in various summer activities – lying under a beach umbrella, relaxing amongst lush vegetation or surfing. As a playful detail, the date window is positioned at 2 o'clock, a clever nod to the '2' in #FR2 and a visual stand-in for the blazing summer sun. The rabbit motif and skeletonised obelisk hands are applied with Super-Luminova to give the dial a luminous glow in the dark at night. The watch is fitted with a nylon strap lined with leather, printed with various details that nod to classic Japanese streetwear aesthetics. Powering the watch is Franck Muller's self-winding MVT 2536-SCDT2H movement.
Economic Times
5 days ago
- Business
- Economic Times
Bvlgari's Kada bracelets to Louis Vuitton's autorickshaw bags, India is haute on global luxe runway
Agencies This is an AI-generated image. It's not just Prada that's hotfooting it to the country. From couture to handbags and heels, the luxury market is having an India moment. Add watches, fine art and jewellery to the Prada is being inspired by the Kolhapuri chappal, an autorickshaw was the inspiration for a recent Louis Vuitton handbag that split the internet into the lovers, the haters and the mildly puzzled. Luxury watch brand Franck Muller is planning two Indian editions. Meanwhile, a piece in London fashion designer Robert Wun's latest Haute Couture collection created a buzz last week on social media.'Robert Wun showing a fishtail cocktail lehenga gown was not in my 2025 bingo card,' said popular fashion handle Diet there's been no official reference to the lehenga by the designer brand, the resemblance is uncanny. Wun did not respond to an email seeking brands are increasingly personalising offerings to resonate more deeply with customers, said Pushpa Bector, senior executive director and business head of DLF Retail, which runs Delhi's Emporio mall, home to several luxury labels. 'Brands are curating pieces that reflect local culture, craftsmanship while staying aligned with global luxury standards,' she said. 'Bvlgari's reimagined mangalsutra, Franck Muller's exclusive timepieces, Christian Louboutin's Diwali collection, and Valentino's India-exclusive embroidered VSling bag are examples of how global luxury houses are tailoring their products for the Indian market.'Luxury buyers are emotional about buying bespoke pieces, said Sanjay Mishra, director, India at FM International Watches & Jewellery (Franck Muller).'We will have two India editions coming up this year and one of them is inspired by Ram Navami,' Mishra said.'We will have two India editions coming up this year and one of them is inspired by Ram Navami,' Mishra Muller launched the Vanguard Slim Men in Blue special edition watch in 2023 around the time of the ICC World Cup. All 47 limited edition pieces of the watch that bore 3D embossed indexes in Devnagri were sold reported in April that slowing consumption in China is pushing makers of luxury Swiss watches to sharpen the focus on India, their fastest-growing market globally. Exports of Swiss watches to India grew nearly 30% in the March quarter from the same period in it's not just global brands. Interest in Indian art pieces is hitting records. Sonal Singh, chairman of Christie's India, said the auction house's list of top 10 jewels sold worldwide in the first half of 2025 includes two Mughal curved emerald auction in New York on June 17 realised $14.8 million for three pieces, she added that Christie's had set a new benchmark value for the work of MF Husain and the entire category in March this year.'The sale of Untitled (Gram Yatra) for $13,750,000 was a landmark moment and continues the extraordinary upward trajectory of the modern and contemporary South Asian art market,' she priority is to grow in India, Jean Christophe-Babin, the global CEO of the luxury brand, had told ET last year. Bvlgari launched its first digital boutique in India in an exclusive partnership with Tata CLiQ Luxury last Asthana, CEO of Tata CLiQ, said the brand's Kada bracelet and the mangalsutra, have received an enthusiastic response since the launch. 'Today's India represents a powerful intersection of cultural richness and a digitally savvy, engaged audience,' he said. 'For luxury brands, it offers an opportunity to craft layered narratives that are rooted in local tradition yet resonate with global consumers.'
Time of India
6 days ago
- Business
- Time of India
Bvlgari's Kada bracelets to Louis Vuitton's autorickshaw bags, India is haute on global luxe runway
It's not just Prada that's hotfooting it to the country. From couture to handbags and heels, the luxury market is having an India moment. Add watches, fine art and jewellery to the list. While Prada is being inspired by the Kolhapuri chappal, an autorickshaw was the inspiration for a recent Louis Vuitton handbag that split the internet into the lovers, the haters and the mildly puzzled. Luxury watch brand Franck Muller is planning two Indian editions. Meanwhile, a piece in London fashion designer Robert Wun's latest Haute Couture collection created a buzz last week on social media. Explore courses from Top Institutes in Select a Course Category MCA others Management Degree Operations Management Leadership Project Management Others Technology Data Analytics Public Policy Finance healthcare Product Management Digital Marketing Artificial Intelligence CXO Healthcare Data Science Cybersecurity MBA PGDM Design Thinking Data Science Skills you'll gain: Programming Proficiency Data Handling & Analysis Cybersecurity Awareness & Skills Artificial Intelligence & Machine Learning Duration: 24 Months Vellore Institute of Technology VIT Master of Computer Applications Starts on Aug 14, 2024 Get Details 'Robert Wun showing a fishtail cocktail lehenga gown was not in my 2025 bingo card,' said popular fashion handle Diet Sabya. While there's been no official reference to the lehenga by the designer brand, the resemblance is uncanny. Wun did not respond to an email seeking comment. Luxury brands are increasingly personalising offerings to resonate more deeply with customers, said Pushpa Bector, senior executive director and business head of DLF Retail, which runs Delhi's Emporio mall, home to several luxury labels. Live Events 'Brands are curating pieces that reflect local culture, craftsmanship while staying aligned with global luxury standards,' she said. 'Bvlgari's reimagined mangalsutra, Franck Muller's exclusive timepieces, Christian Louboutin's Diwali collection, and Valentino's India-exclusive embroidered VSling bag are examples of how global luxury houses are tailoring their products for the Indian market.' Luxury buyers are emotional about buying bespoke pieces, said Sanjay Mishra, director, India at FM International Watches & Jewellery (Franck Muller). 'We will have two India editions coming up this year and one of them is inspired by Ram Navami,' Mishra said. Auction Action Gains Traction 'We will have two India editions coming up this year and one of them is inspired by Ram Navami,' Mishra said. Franck Muller launched the Vanguard Slim Men in Blue special edition watch in 2023 around the time of the ICC World Cup. All 47 limited edition pieces of the watch that bore 3D embossed indexes in Devnagri were sold out. ET reported in April that slowing consumption in China is pushing makers of luxury Swiss watches to sharpen the focus on India, their fastest-growing market globally. Exports of Swiss watches to India grew nearly 30% in the March quarter from the same period in 2023. And it's not just global brands. Interest in Indian art pieces is hitting records. Sonal Singh, chairman of Christie's India, said the auction house's list of top 10 jewels sold worldwide in the first half of 2025 includes two Mughal curved emerald jewels. The auction in New York on June 17 realised $14.8 million for three pieces, she said. Singh added that Christie's had set a new benchmark value for the work of MF Husain and the entire category in March this year. 'The sale of Untitled (Gram Yatra) for $13,750,000 was a landmark moment and continues the extraordinary upward trajectory of the modern and contemporary South Asian art market,' she said. Bvlgari's priority is to grow in India, Jean Christophe-Babin, the global CEO of the luxury brand, had told ET last year. Bvlgari launched its first digital boutique in India in an exclusive partnership with Tata CLiQ Luxury last year. Gopal Asthana, CEO of Tata CLiQ, said the brand's Kada bracelet and the mangalsutra, have received an enthusiastic response since the launch. 'Today's India represents a powerful intersection of cultural richness and a digitally savvy, engaged audience,' he said. 'For luxury brands, it offers an opportunity to craft layered narratives that are rooted in local tradition yet resonate with global consumers.'
