Ralph Lauren Watch & Jewelry Co., a joint venture between Richemont Group and Ralph Lauren, is not exhibiting at the Geneva fair Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie (SIHH) in 2016. The joint venture was signed in 2007, and the first Ralph Lauren watches were presented in January 2009 at SIHH. From then Ralph Lauren…
Company profile: Ralph Lauren (whose real name is Ralph Lifshitz) began his career in the fashion industry back in 1967, launching a range of ties that he named “Polo,” drawing on his own sports interests. “It was exciting,” he said, “that tie grew into a whole industry.” His fashion ranges were joined by fragrances (1978),…
SIHH (19-23 January 2015) is the first major watch show of the year, and even though it includes just 16 brands, all part of the Richemont group, it provides some indications on trends and developments in the watch industry. The brands exhibiting at SIHH were A. Lange & Söhne, Audemars Piguet, Baume & Mercier, Cartier,…
Ralph’s passion for watches is fuelled by another of his hobbies, collecting cars, and the latest models in the Automotive collection were inspired by one of his favourite cars, the rare vintage 1938 Bugatti Type 57SC Atlantic Coupe. This has a wooden steering wheel, and in three of the Automotive collection watches, this becomes a…
Watch brands are already looking forward to 2015, and Ralph Lauren has presented the Automotive Chronograph, inspired by the dashboard of Ralph Lauren’s Bugatti Type 57SC Atlantic Coupe, shown below, image courtesy of http://www.conceptcarz.com/ It is a large piece at 45 mm diameter, 12.2 mm thickness, but the actual dial with the indications is on…
This article on the best fashion watches looks at what could be considered as a form of brand extension: as a fashion brand grows, the name spreads from garments to kidswear, accessories, perfumes, cosmetics, and watches. Often the watches are more about style than content, and most have quartz movements. But there is an interesting…
The Stirrup collection was introduced in 2009 and is still a cornerstone of the Ralph Lauren collection, with models for men and women. Ralph Lauren is a lifestyle brand, making garments and accessories in its instantly recognizable sport-influenced style, and so it was only natural that they should launch their own watches as well, with…
Several fashion brands have taken watches very seriously. Bulgari, Hermès, Chanel and Cartier produce fabulous timepieces. Burberry and Dolce & Gabbana have launched into the area of mechanical watches. With the Ralph Lauren Watch & Jewelry Company, founded in 2007 in a joint venture with Richemont, the American designer is taking things equally seriously, with…