Special Watches, on newsstands 36 pages of news and market analysis

We anticipate an excerpt from the article by Giulia Crivelli that opens the Speciale Orologi (Watch Special), on newsstands tomorrow as a supplement to Il Sole 24 Ore, with 36 pages of news from companies, from the big names in the sector to small manufacturers of excellence, market and retail analyses and trends, and with showcases dedicated to new models.

Wanting to be optimistic - an essential ingredient in times like these, when accompanied by reason - one can say that the launch orchestrated by Audemars Piguet with Swatch is a good sign for the watch industry and its deep-rooted and in some ways unshakeable culture. The Royal Pop has brought down some barriers between segments of the watch world and even between historically competing companies. The two previous 'forays' of the Swatch brand, around which the group of the same name was built, had been with Omega and Blancpain, two maisons that were apparently far removed from the Swatch style, but owned by the group. The queues that formed in front of Swatch flagship stores in the hours before the launch and in the days that followed can be seen as confirmation of the soundness of the idea of collaborating with Audemars Piguet, one of the few independent watchmaking houses and always positioned in the high-end. Already on 13 May, Beth Hannaway, Harrods' main buyer in the fine jewellery and watches sector, had shown her enthusiasm: "At a time when purse pendants are so successful, opting for the shape of the pocket watch, which can however be used in so many different ways, shows great timing and allows a brand like Audemars Piguet, with a price positioning typically around £50,000, to involve a much wider public". It should be added, however, that many of the people queuing night or day for the Royal Pops aspired to resell them at much higher prices: they were not collectors or watch enthusiasts, but were looking for an easy profit in a reselling market that has also grown for launches of, for example, trainers or other accessories.

Time will tell whether the choice of Audemars Piguet and Swatch has brought genuine advantages, but what is certain is that the world of collecting, the real one, continues to give positive signals, as the auctions also show. It was just a few days ago that Phillips in Association with Bacs & Russo set a record at its most recent auction held in Hong Kong on 30 and 31 May: an extremely rare Patek Philippe Ref. 2499 in rose gold fetched $10.2 million, an absolute record for a watch auction in Asia. In two days, the sales value of the 293 lots presented by Phillips amounted to $51.5 million, a 90% increase over the same event last year.