1. Market introduction

1. Key figures
The market of watch industry is always increasing instead of the crisis and other external economical factors. There is a lot of “luxury watches” brand that can be divided on two groups, according to the watchmaker “Berner” dictionary: the factory watchmaking and ending workshop.
Another mean to be sure to identify a brand of “Haute Horlogerie”, is the presence in the product catalogue of a big complication.
According to Wikipedia: “In horology, the term complication refers to any feature beyond the simple display of hours, minutes, and seconds in a timepiece. These functions can be astronomic, practical or technical to improve the precision….”
A complicated piece is referring to a “high know-how” horloger.
The most important brands are present in the listing elaborated by the Steering Committee of “la Fondation de la Haute Horlogerie” that accounts 60 brands.
2. Main actors

LBSI (Luxury Brand Status Index) realized a survey on les Ultra-Luxury Watches 2006, some key points of this survey are:
• Rolex (82%) and Cartier (73%) are the luxury brand the most known. A Rolex watch has been bought by 45% of the asked people during the last eighteen months.

• The brands Patek Philippe and Piaget are known by 58% of rich people asked. Then we find Hermès, Van Cleef & Arpels

• Men know the less famous brand better than women. The knowledge of the famous brands (Rolex, Cartier, Patek Philippe and Piaget) increase with the age, but decrease with the incomes and the prosperity.

• For the social statut, Patek Philippe, et Audemars Piguet take the first position.

2. Rolex and Patek Philippe comparaisons

1. Brand origins
ROLEX was founded by Hans wilsdorf. This latter entered the world of swiss watchmaking at a time when the pocket watch was the order of the day. He began to dream of a watch worn on the wrist. In 1908 Wilsdorf registered the trademark "Rolex" and opened an office in Switzerland.