PARIS — The record-breaking year for Europe’s luxury jewelry and watch houses is continuing into the Christmas season.
Firms are benefiting from robust stock markets and wealth creation in emerging countries around the world.
“Traffic has been up significantly in our shops,” said Jean-Christophe Bedos, president of Boucheron. “Sales are far above expectations.”
Bedos noted that although this was a historic year for the house’s high-end jewelry, more affordable lines had gained momentum during the holiday season. Watches were a standout, he said.
Cartier chairman Bernard Fornas said jewelry and watches had been selling “equally well.”
He added, “Higher prices are selling better than lower prices. So far, sales are going fine, but we’re heading into a crucial week. Momentum has started to pick up now and it looks good.”
Van Cleef & Arpels chief executive officer Stanislas de Quercize said the Christmas season had been “very good” so far. “Our Alhambra line has been very strong,” he said.
Quercize said customers continued to ask for high quality.
“They’ve become more discerning,” he said. “There is more wealth in the world, but it is knowledgeable wealth that demands the best.”
He added that Van Cleef had just wrapped up a series of high-jewelry selling events, including dinners in Hong Kong and New York this month that generated record sales.
Swiss watch firms are profiting, too. Severin Wunderman, the owner of Corum, said this year had been his “best ever” for high-end watches. “Our sales are up 48 percent over the last year, with much higher sales. Our average sales prices have gone up from $2,900 to close to $8,000 per unit.”