表界弄潮@巴塞爾

表界弄潮@巴塞爾

The eight-day Baselworld watch and jewelry exhibition held between March 17-25 sets the tone in the world of luxury fashion for the next 12 months. Baselworld takes place in the modern Messe Basel exhibition centre where 1,500 top luxury brands are brought together to present a visual feast for its 15,000 strong audience from more than 100 countries. It is a concentrated exhibition of the top luxury watches that will eventually show up in the shop windows of the world.

今年3月底的巴塞爾國際鐘表珠寶展用八個精彩紛呈的日夜奠定了接下來12個月的奢侈品潮流動向。在這個占地14.1萬平方米的巴塞爾展覽中心里，1,500 個國際品牌爭奇斗艷，為來自100多個國家約15萬名的專業人士上演了一場頂級視覺盛宴。觀者好似走進了一扇通往未來的大門，在短時間內欣賞到了即將占領世界各大都市櫥窗的鐘表新品。

OMEGA TO THE MOON AND BACK

N: Nihao

O: OMEGA

Stephen Urquhart, President of OMEGA

N: In what direction do you think the trend for Swiss watches is heading?

O: It's diff i cult to def i ne trends because every Swiss watch brand has its own business model and product structure. But one thing that we all know to be important is attracting a younger market. There is a new generation of wearers coming through, so we have to adapt our marketing and social media channels to connect with them, while also developing our products to match their needs. Every brand will do that differently, but for OMEGA, we are improving precision and introducing new materials such as ceramic, so that our traditional lines are given a dynamic edge.

N: The traditional watch industry is now facing challenges due to the current global economy and the changing condition of the Chinese market. How will Omega meet the challenges?

O: It is quite normal for the luxury industry to experience booms and slowdowns, and in view of the situation there may be several small adjustments to our product selection. However, we don't feel that the current situation should have a direct impact on our marketing strategies. Certainly, prices will not be affected and our strategic approach to design, distribution and innovation will not be compromised. Our main principle is to retain our reputation for quality and excellence. Within Swatch the Group we have experience and expertise to cope with any challenges.

N: As one of the earliest Swiss watch brands entering the Chinese market, OMEGA has gained high brand recognition. This year, how will OMEGA continue to uphold its position in the Chinese market?

O: China is, without doubt, a very important market for OMEGA and the brand is greatly admired there. As you say, I think it's because we were one of the fi rst in the market, which allowed us to establish a reputation and respect. Going forward, we are expanding our network of boutiques in China so that we are accessible in even more regions. We also have a very dedicated OMEGA team in China who listen to customers and help us evolve our collections based on current preferences and sales.

N: How would you describe your average consumers? Have they changed over the years?

O: There really isn't an average consumer. Everyone is different, which is one of the reasons that the watch market is so interesting. There is such a great variety of choice with OMEGA, and we have different styled watches to suit different personalities. But one thing that has always remained true is that our consumers appreciate quality. They know that we are one of the pioneering watch brands and that we are renowned for exquisite precision and craftsmanship.

Speedmaster Grey Side of the Moon “Meteorite”超霸系列皓月之灰 “隕石” 腕表

N:您認為當今手表品牌的潮流會往什么方向發展？

O:定義潮流趨勢非常困難，因為瑞士的每一個腕表品牌都有自己的商業模式和產品結構。但盡力去吸引年輕的消費者對所有品牌來說都非常重要。目前市場上已經迎來了新一代的腕表佩戴者，因此我們需要相應地去調整品牌的市場策略和社交媒體渠道與他們互動，同時設計出更加符合他們需求的產品。我們將引入諸如陶瓷等全新材料，從而讓我們的傳統產品線保持活力。

N:近幾年，全球經濟低迷，奢侈品行業受到嚴峻挑戰。OMEGA是否會作出相應的策略改變？

O:奢侈品行業都會經歷淡季和旺季，這很正常。針對目前的情況，我們在選擇產品上可能會作出一些細微的調整，但是我們并不認為當前的形勢會對我們的市場戰略產生直接影響。可以肯定的是，價格不會受到影響，而我們在產品設計、經銷和創新方面的相應戰略也不會因此妥協。在斯沃琪集團內部，我們也擁有豐富的經驗和專業知識來應對各種挑戰。

N:OMEGA是最早進入中國的瑞士鐘表品牌之一，在中國的認知度很高，是中國需求量最大的腕表。今年OMEGA將如何鞏固在中國市場的地位？

O:中國市場對歐米茄來說十分重要，我們的品牌在這里也廣受歡迎。接下來，歐米茄將進一步擴大其在中國的店鋪數量，讓更多地區的消費者可以接觸品牌。同時，歐米茄在中國也擁有非常專業的團隊來聆聽消費者的聲音，幫助我們根據當前的市場喜好和銷售狀況來調整品牌的產品系列。

N: OMEGA在過去一年里的主要消費群體是什么？是否有所變化？

O:并不存在某個特定的消費群體。歐米茄提供了非常豐富的腕表選擇，并為擁有不同個性的消費者設計風格各異的時計臻品。然而，不變的是消費者對品質的重視。

THE TRENDSET TERS IN BASELWOR LD 2016

Text by Madeline Weng