BASELWORLD - Results of the WorldWatchReport 2010 Revealed

Online global demand for watch brands has increased by 24.5%

Press release

After publishing early results related to 10 Haute Horlogerie brands for SIHH, here are the full results of the 6th edition of the study that deciphers the online demand for the 25 luxury watch brands, based on over 500 million online searches.

Important facts:
• Global demand for watch brands has increased by 24.5%
• China dominates BRIC : 59% of demand originates from the Middle Kingdom
• Counterfeits: for the first time, demand for counterfeit products decreased by 22% in
the U.S., while increasing in the European markets
• Facebook: watch brands have an average of 18'400 fans. Hublot becomes the first
brand to surpass 100’000 fans.

The new  Omega Seamaster Ploprof 1200M.
Omega claims – for the second consecutive year – the top two searched models with the Seamaster (10.6%) and the Speedmaster (5.1%) © Omega

Global demand for watch brands has increased by 24.5%

This number confirms the increasing importance of the internet in the act of purchasing Consumer interest in the “High Range” category (Ebel, Baume & Mercier, Longines, Montblanc, Rado, Raymond Weil) has seen the biggest increase (+42.4%), followed by the “Prestige” category (Breitling, Hublot, Omega, Rolex, TAG Heuer) which has increased by 34.8%, and the “Women’s/Jewellery” category (Bulgari, Cartier, Chopard, Piaget) which has increased by 27.2%. Finally, the “Haute Horlogerie” category (Audemars Piguet, Blancpain, Breguet, Franck Muller, Girard-Perregaux, IWC, Jaeger-LeCoultre, Patek Philippe, Vacheron Constantin, Zenith) rounds out the field with a more modest increase of 14%.

China Dominates BRIC

The Middle Kingdom represents 59% of online demand coming from the BRIC, leaving Brazil (20%), Russia (13%) and India (8%) to make up the remaining 41%.
Within the BRIC, nearly one in every two searches relates to Omega or Rolex, who hold 23% and 21% market shares, respectively. Rolex remains the most acclaimed brand among Russian and Brazilian internet users, while the Chinese and Indian markets prefer Omega.

Decrease in Counterfeits

Demand for counterfeits in the U.S. has decreased by 22%. However, the U.S. is still the leader in total volume (47% of global searches) Of note, however, is that this bane continues to increase in Europe (+5.8%).

Social Networks

Facebook and its 400 million users worldwide is becoming the largest community of watchmaking aficionados, with over 450’000 users declaring themselves as fans. Among the strongest progressions, Hublot takes the prize with over 107'000 fans on their “Hublot-Genève” page, followed by Cartier and Rolex, who boast 64’000 and 60’000 fans, respectively.

107'000 fans for « Hublot-Genève » on Facebook. DR

Omega Confirms Leadership of Flagship Models

Of the 450 watch models analyzed in the study, Omega claims – for the second consecutive year – the top two searched models with the Seamaster (10.6%) and the Speedmaster (5.1%), both ahead of Rolex’s Submariner, which moved from 4th to 3rd this year with 4.4% of searches.

About the WorldWatchReport

The baseline study was produced by IC-Agency, Luxury Digital Marketing company, and published in partnership with Europa Star (www.europastar.com) “the most influential watch magazine” with support from Fondation de la Haute Horlogerie.
The complete study will officially become available on March 18, 2010 to coincide with Baselworld. http://www.worldwatchreport.com