Swatch Group Cancels Swiss Watch Event Due to Coronavirus

PARIS — Swatch Group has cancelled plans to host a presentation of its luxury labels in Switzerland in March citing the coronavirus, as business disruptions from the pandemic continue to sweep the globe. The group’s high-end labels, which include Breguet, Blancpain and Jaquet Droz, will instead show their products at regional events at a later stage, “in order to prevent their partners from traveling internationally in an insecure climate,” the company said in an e-mailed statement. The news from the world’s biggest watchmaker comes amid travel restrictions imposed by countries around the world, as they seek to stem the spread of the virus. The Swatch group event, dubbed “Time to Move,” was scheduled to take place in Zurich from Feb. 28 to March 2 for retailers, followed by a March 4 to 6 event for the press. The company is still planning to hold its annual press conference at its Biel, Switzerland headquarters in mid-March. Swatch Group announced in 2018 that it would break away from the Baselworld watch fair, delivering a blow to organizers who are still struggling to prop up the event, which has suffered as the industry increasingly turns to digital avenues to reach consumers.

Follow WWD on Twitter or become a fan on Facebook.

from WWDWWD https://ift.tt/2UouZd5