Timeless attractions

For Millereau, people attach lots of emotion to a watch which is worn close to the skin.

"You vividly recall when you bought it, for what occasion, or whether is it a gift from someone special," says Millereau. "Once you have a watch, you keep it for a long time, or save it for a loved one, such as your child, or spouse.

"What's important for us is the emotion, the dream and the service that we bring to our customer. All the work our watchmakers do in a remote valley in Switzerland is very meaningful," says Millereau.

"For us, it is the highest accomplishment we can achieve in China, and also in the rest of the world."

Jaeger-LeCoultre has been doing very well in China in the past few years, he says, adding that Chinese customers "have a very definite taste: they know what they want".

The Chinese digital ecosystem is strong and dense and large amounts of information is available, he says.

"Chinese customers do a lot of research about the brands: they know all about the history, the heritage … So they understand what a brand stands for, and then they look at the products, and look for the value."

This is a challenge for Jaeger-LeCoultre, because "we have to make sure that we are a relevant brand, an appealing brand.