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Trousseau Trends EXCITING TIMES!..In addition to showcasing premier watches, The Hong Kong Watch and Clock Fair 2004 turned out to be an impressive platform for establishing and pushing business links, and flaunting the rapidly burgeoning segment of fashion watches. PRIYA TANNA reports..

September 1-5 2004 found players from over 17 countries turning up in full attendance at the Hong Kong Exhibition and Convention Centre in Hong Kong to participate in The Hong Kong Watch and Clock Fair. What showed face of being Asia’s premier timepiece event also doubled as a great business, information and networking venue.
The fair not only flaunted a varied and excited range of watches and clocks but also related products like parts, components, packaging and machinery. One of the major highlights of the exhibition was the Brand Name Gallery. Occupying an exclusive enclosure, this area housed 64 watch brands from 53 companies. The need for this section stems from the fact that in most watch markets the world over, consumers are looking for high quality items that also smack of style and technology. As a result there is high emphasis on the development of ODM (Original Design Manufacturing) and OEM (Original Equipment Management) business. This demand justified the presence of the Brand Gallery, which smacked of sophistication and elegant chic and was a great effort to promote brand awareness.
The first two days of the exhibition were also dedicated to Business Matching meetings, where numerous fashion labels from Hong Kong and overseas interested in developing watch lines talked shop with potential suppliers.
The event lived up to its repute for being informative and educative, courtesy the Asian Watch Industry Conference. This was where participants threw a volley of questions pertaining to watches and the industry to experts. Topics discussed included developments in the Indian watch market, ranking criteria and marketing strategies of branded watches, and business opportunities and challenges in the Chinese mainland..

FAIR OVERVIEW

The fair had 760 exhibitors from 17 countries.
It attracted more than 15000 visitors.
This is the 23rd year for the exhibition.
It served as a platform to show off the winning entries of the Hong Kong. Watch & Clock Design Competition, both in the open and student categories.
The fair had special group pavilions from the Chinese mainland, Korea and Taiwan.

TREND FASHIONABLY ON TIME!

The fair was a success owing to a culmination of various factors. Clearly the show stealer turned out to be the fast growing, exciting and vibrant segment of fashion watches. Finding itself a huge market in the Middle East, Russia, South East Asia and U.S.A., both the exhibitors and the visitors unanimously voted fashion watches as the big trend of the moment and a segment with tremendous potential for growth. For those still in the dark, this segment includes a mid-priced range of watches that are trendy, vibrant and punctuate style beautifully.

White and bright : Freelook
Yellow Fever : NICE
Sensory and sensibility : Latitude
Sporty Chic : FUBU
Colour Crazy : RITMO MVNDO
Pleasant Surprise : Voila
shop Talk

Five days of showcasing wares, establishing new contacts and mastering networking, the Hong Kong Watch and Clock Fair turned out to be a sophisticated marketplace for manufacturers, distributors and retailers. Meet some of the more impressive brands that caught our attention.

CYRIL RATEL
Situated in the heart of Geneva, Cyril Ratel is a 30-year-old label that offers a collection of solid stainless steel. These Swiss made watches combine elegance and sophistication. A first timer at the exhibition, the brands’ biggest market is Russia alongside Hong Kong, China and Saudi Arabia amongst others.

LAURA BIAGIOTTI, CHRONOTECH, MILA SCHON AND BLUMARINE
Produced and distributed by the Global Watch Industries Srl, Laura Biagiotti is an extension of the world famous Italian fashion label and offers an eclectic range of leather and metal watches. Its largest market is the Middle East. All the watches are manufactured in Italy. Chronotech and Mila Schon are their own brands. The company is also a licensee for Gianfranco Ferre though they do not produce them.

ELITE
An offshoot of the Elite Modelling Agency, this first timers’ range is as eye-catching as it is unconventional. Priced between 29-75 Euros, the label is targeted at watch lovers between the age group of 16-30 years and finds a huge following in Taiwan amongst other countries.

GIOVINE, KRIZIA, LANCASTER
Three diverse yet interesting brands all distributed and produced by Alvea SRL, this is the 8th year for the brands at the fair. Giovine was officially launched at Basel World 2004. It is a new name in luxury watches targeted at people who want something exclusive which is why only 1000 pieces are created per model. Krizia of course, is an offshoot of the world famous fashion label. Lancaster offering its collections with natural diamonds shows both the vitality and dynamism of a young brand that shortly has become one of the main medium-high range manufacturers of Italian Fashion.

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