Richemont reported another increase in jewelry sales in the three months to 30 June, but saw its watch revenue dip again.
The Swiss luxury goods conglomerate said its jewelry maisons – including Cartier, Van Cleef & Arpels, Buccellati, Piaget and Vhernier – saw sales increase by 11 per cent at constant exchange rates during Q1 FY2026 to EUR 2.914bn (USD 3.359bn).
It marks the third consecutive quarter of double-digit growth. In Q4 2025 the increase was 8 per cent.
Richemont said sales had been boosted in Europe, Americas, and Middle East & Africa by a robust recovery in tourism local spending. All regions posted increases, except for Japan.
But watch sales declined by 7 per cent to EUR 824m (USD 950m), mainly due to downturns in China and Japan, but offset by double-digit growth in the Americas.
Consumers were cautious, switching from high-end to mid-range watches from Richemont’s brands – A. Lange & Söhne, Baume & Mercier, IWC Schaffhausen, Jaeger-LeCoultre, Panerai, Piaget, Roger Dubuis and Vacheron Constantin.
Watches and jewelry account for almost 90 per cent of Richemont’s total revenue (the rest is fashion and accessories).
Across the entire group sales increased 6 per cent to EUR 5.4bn (USD 6.23bn) despite macroeconomic volatility.
With more than 200 years of watchmaking expertise, Vacheron Constantin – the oldest, continually operating Swiss watch brand has a lot of archives to turn to for inspiration.
That is exactly what it did when the brand opted to release a new timepiece to its Heures Creatives collection.
Today, Vacheron Constantin unveils the highly sophisticated and somewhat dramatic new Heures Creatives Heure Romantique ladies’ watch.
With this new diamond-set 18 karat gold ultra feminine timepiece, Vacheron Constantin not only showcases its ability to embrace the past and translate it to today with ease, but also deftly demonstrates its watchmaking and gem-setting expertise.
The new flower-shaped watch with great curves recalls the Art Nouveau era in its shape and its setting.
The watch boasts a striking black mother of pearl dial with beautiful striations and highly stylized Roman numerals within the arabesques.
It is meticulously set with diamond brilliants on the case, case sides, and leaf like lugs using a prong setting that was prevalent in the early 1920’s and ‘30’s and that is still relevant today.
In fact, the 18 karat white gold watch boasts a total of 104 diamonds set on two levels of the case for stunning appeal.
Even the white gold folding clasp and the crown are set with diamonds – for a total of 123 stones weighing 2.6 carats.
As if the diamonds and the meticulous setting which takes an artisan hundreds of hours to complete Vacheron Constantin also adds finely engraved small gold beads to the entire circumference of the case, with another row of beads outlining the diamonds on the case.
This incredible detailing takes dozens of hours of work and is barely noticeable from a distance. However, Vacheron Constantin would have it no other way. The brand is a stickler for details.
The Heure Romantique ladies’ watch features diamonds set on two levels, as well as the leaf-shaped VACHERON CONSTANTIN
The Heures Creatives Heure Romantique watch, which was inspired by a 1916 archival piece that was created with an all diamond bracelet, joins Vacheron Constantin’s Heures Creatives collection.
The series was started five years ago in 2015, with the first watches released being a trilogy of watches inspired by the Belle Epoque era and forward through the 1970’s.
Looking at this elegant watch, one would guess it to be fitted with a quartz movement. However, Vacheron Constantin prides itself on its watchmaking as well as its artistic craftsmanship.
This watch is more than just a beautiful statement piece, it also boasts a top notch in-house-made mechanical movement.
Powered by the extremely thin manual winding Caliber 1055, with 115 individual components and 21 jewels, the petite watch boasts 40 hours of power reserve.
It is finished with a black satin strap perfect for any black-tie soiree. The watch retails for $54,500.
With more than 200 years of watchmaking expertise, Vacheron Constantin – the oldest, continually operating Swiss watch brand has a lot of archives to turn to for inspiration.
That is exactly what it did when the brand opted to release a new timepiece to its Heures Creatives collection.
Today, Vacheron Constantin unveils the highly sophisticated and somewhat dramatic new Heures Creatives Heure Romantique ladies’ watch.
With this new diamond-set 18 karat gold ultra feminine timepiece, Vacheron Constantin not only showcases its ability to embrace the past and translate it to today with ease, but also deftly demonstrates its watchmaking and gem-setting expertise.
The new flower-shaped watch with great curves recalls the Art Nouveau era in its shape and its setting.
The watch boasts a striking black mother of pearl dial with beautiful striations and highly stylized Roman numerals within the arabesques.
It is meticulously set with diamond brilliants on the case, case sides, and leaf like lugs using a prong setting that was prevalent in the early 1920’s and ‘30’s and that is still relevant today.
In fact, the 18 karat white gold watch boasts a total of 104 diamonds set on two levels of the case for stunning appeal.
Even the white gold folding clasp and the crown are set with diamonds – for a total of 123 stones weighing 2.6 carats.
As if the diamonds and the meticulous setting which takes an artisan hundreds of hours to complete Vacheron Constantin also adds finely engraved small gold beads to the entire circumference of the case, with another row of beads outlining the diamonds on the case.
This incredible detailing takes dozens of hours of work and is barely noticeable from a distance. However, Vacheron Constantin would have it no other way. The brand is a stickler for details.
The Heure Romantique ladies’ watch features diamonds set on two levels, as well as the leaf-shaped VACHERON CONSTANTIN
The Heures Creatives Heure Romantique watch, which was inspired by a 1916 archival piece that was created with an all diamond bracelet, joins Vacheron Constantin’s Heures Creatives collection.
The series was started five years ago in 2015, with the first watches released being a trilogy of watches inspired by the Belle Epoque era and forward through the 1970’s.
Looking at this elegant watch, one would guess it to be fitted with a quartz movement. However, Vacheron Constantin prides itself on its watchmaking as well as its artistic craftsmanship.
This watch is more than just a beautiful statement piece, it also boasts a top notch in-house-made mechanical movement.
Powered by the extremely thin manual winding Caliber 1055, with 115 individual components and 21 jewels, the petite watch boasts 40 hours of power reserve.
It is finished with a black satin strap perfect for any black-tie soiree. The watch retails for $54,500.
Swiss watch exports plunged in April as coronavirus lockdowns brought the entire supply chain to a near halt.
“Swiss watch exports were extremely low in April as a direct result of the standstill in production, distribution and sales, causing them to collapse,” the Federation of the Swiss Watch Industry reported Tuesday.
Shipments slid 81% to CHF 328.8 million ($339.1 million) for the month, with nearly all markets declining significantly. Orders from Hong Kong plummeted 83% to CHF 42.2 million ($43.5 million), while supply to the US dropped 86% to CHF 27.9 million ($28.8 million). Exports to Japan fell 86% to CHF 19.5 million ($20.1 million).
The decline in China was more mild, slipping 16% to CHF 110.3 million ($113.7 million), and accounting for one-third of total Swiss watch exports in April, as the economy began to recover. However that compares with an increase of 11% to CHF 155.9 million ($160.6 million) in March. In February, shipments to China fell 52% due to the coronavirus.
All price categories “contracted sharply,” as exports of timepieces valued between CHF 500 ($516) to CHF 3,000 ($3,095) declined 72% by value. Watches worth more than CHF 3,000 dropped 86%.
Shipments of timepieces made from precious metal decreased 82% to CHF 102.4 million ($105.6 million). Supply of gold and steel watches saw the steepest decline, tumbling 90% to CHF 28.4 million ($29.3 million).
Swiss watch exports plunged in April as coronavirus lockdowns brought the entire supply chain to a near halt.
“Swiss watch exports were extremely low in April as a direct result of the standstill in production, distribution and sales, causing them to collapse,” the Federation of the Swiss Watch Industry reported Tuesday.
Shipments slid 81% to CHF 328.8 million ($339.1 million) for the month, with nearly all markets declining significantly. Orders from Hong Kong plummeted 83% to CHF 42.2 million ($43.5 million), while supply to the US dropped 86% to CHF 27.9 million ($28.8 million). Exports to Japan fell 86% to CHF 19.5 million ($20.1 million).
The decline in China was more mild, slipping 16% to CHF 110.3 million ($113.7 million), and accounting for one-third of total Swiss watch exports in April, as the economy began to recover. However that compares with an increase of 11% to CHF 155.9 million ($160.6 million) in March. In February, shipments to China fell 52% due to the coronavirus.
All price categories “contracted sharply,” as exports of timepieces valued between CHF 500 ($516) to CHF 3,000 ($3,095) declined 72% by value. Watches worth more than CHF 3,000 dropped 86%.
Shipments of timepieces made from precious metal decreased 82% to CHF 102.4 million ($105.6 million). Supply of gold and steel watches saw the steepest decline, tumbling 90% to CHF 28.4 million ($29.3 million).
