The sale agreement shows that Richemont, under the direction of Chief Executive Officer Nicolas Bos, is willing to jettison watch industry assets it doesn’t believe have the potential to grow at the pace or to the levels of its prestige maisons that include Cartier, Van Cleef & Arpels, and Vacheron Constantin. Müller said the group might also be considering changes for other brands that appear incongruous or a poor cultural fit within its watchmaking division.
Swatch Group, which owns some 16 brands including Omega, Breguet, Rado, Certina, and Mido, should also consider selling some of its underperforming brands, says Müller. Many are in the same entry-priced segment as Baume & Mercier and competing with each other, according to the analyst. “But the group has some dogmas and holy cows, and one of them is to never sell off a brand,” he says.
Andy Hoffman
2026-01-23 13:38:00