When will the watch market hit bottom? A lot hinges on the answer to this question. A componenet from a Zenith El Primero movement. Maintaining cash flow in a down market is never easy. For brands that went into the slump with waiting lists, this is less of a challenge. But for those brands still working hard for every sale, the watch market downturn could easily represet an existential crisis. For example, Purnell Watches, makers of extremely dynamic timepieces featuring two triple-axis tourbillons, was dissolved on December 18 of last year. And, we certainly don't know the particulars, but Rolex shuttered Carl Bucherer very recently (according to many reports ). Regrettably, a Swiss industry group, the Union Patronale Suisse (Swiss Employer's Union), seems to believe that the downturn has quite a few months left. More specifically, Marco Taddei (the group's International Affairs Section Manager) recently penned an article suggesting that one of Switzerland's m...
Economic complications in watchmaking