China Omega Watch

One of the advantages for the company, Sofisti believes, is the "strong brand awareness" among Chinese consumers, although dedicated manufacturers such as Rolex Watch Co and Omega Watch Co still dominate the market. Unsurprisingly, Gucci, one of the top three "most desirable brands" in China, as ranked by Bain, has seen a similarly promising increase in sales, with "double-digit growth" in its watch and jewelry sector every year in China, according to Sofisti. Statistics from the global advisor Bain & Co show that watches and jewelry have taken the place of perfume and cosmetics, becoming bestsellers in China since 2010, leading the market with an annual output of 20 billion yuan ($3 billion) in 2010. "There are lots of opportunities for hardworking young people, and they are the real driving force here," said Sofisti, who worked for Swatch Group, Fred Jewellers and Christian Dior SA watches at LVMH before arriving at Gucci.

Watch brands go where the money is. At least where the money being used to buy watches is. I’ve always felt that watch brands are a great bellwether of regions with new money, or high economic growth. That fact, mixed with China’s traditional high value placed on image and brands, makes for the perfect environment to market watches. This image is merely representative of a wave, a big tsunami-sized wave of watch brands pouring over China and other places in Asia. Resources like eBay and the gray market in the US and Europe have made people who do buy luxury watches less inclined to venture into a store and pay the full retail price. Recently, the Swatch Group (who owns Swatch, Omega, Breguet, Longines, Tissot, and other brands) opened up a Hotel (well reopened) with their name on it. In Shanghai, the Swatch Peace Art Hotel is just a small sample of Swiss attention on the orient. With China and surrounding countries experiencing growth unparalleled in other places in the world, spending for luxury items is high. A recent statement by the Swatch Group mentioned that about half of the major company’s income last year came from places like China, Hong Kong, Singapore, and Japan.

Another brand, Swatch Group, which owns 19 watch labels including Omega and Breguet, opened the Swatch Art Peace Hotel in Shanghai last month. The event was broadcast live by Weibo users, with more than 1500 users tweeting about it on the same day.

“My parents insisted that I go to a good school and enrolled me in ACS (Anglo Chinese School).” New to the social dynamics at play, he felt totally out of place. “Even a primary school student would wear an Omega or Rolex.

Sponsors at the last week's Mission Hills World Cup of Golf, the world renowned watch maker, Omega, is apparently not satisfied with the stature of the event and its officials have now openly declared China as an unfavourable venue for the event.

Numerous environmental warnings about Chinese-raised tilapia from such groups as the Monterey Bay Aquarium's Seafood Watch have put this fish on their “avoid' list of seafoods, this despite the fact that the US has increased it's imports every year

A scene in the 2011 Chinese epic Beginning of the Great Revival even featured Mao Zedong… with an Omega watch. That demonstrated Chinese productions were willing to reach consumers through less direct product placement in its own fare.