【New York Cit】Inside LVMH Watch Week: Execs Sound Off on the Future

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Editor’s Note

This article discusses LVMH’s strategic shift for its 2025 watch week, moving the event from the planned location of Los Angeles to New York. It highlights the conglomerate’s history of hosting these brand-focused showcases in global hubs as an alternative to traditional trade fairs.

Louis Vuitton's new Tambour Convergence watches
A Shift from Los Angeles to New York

In January 2020, LVMH, the world’s largest luxury goods company, held its first dedicated watch week in Dubai. The event, which featured four of the group’s brands—Bulgari, Hublot, TAG Heuer, and Zenith—served as a statement-making counterpoint to Baselworld, the longstanding yet troubled Swiss trade fair. So successful was the event that in subsequent years, LVMH brought it to Singapore and Miami.
This year, the group had planned to stage its 2025 watch week in Los Angeles. Tragically, two weeks before the festivities were due to get under way, L.A. was devastated by wildfires, forcing LVMH—and its nine timepiece brands, including watch week stalwarts Bulgari, Daniel Roth, Gérald Genta, Hublot, TAG Heuer and Zenith, as well as newcomers Louis Vuitton, Tiffany & Co. and L’Epée 1839—to make a drastic pivot.

TAG Heuer, Zentih, and Hublot Watches

Which explains why on Monday, Jan. 20, the event’s new epicenter became Tiffany & Co.’s Landmark Building at the intersection of Fifth Avenue and 57th Street in New York City.

Executive Insights on Strategy and Adaptation

For real insights into the state of the business and the strategies the group’s brands are using to navigate a tougher economic climate in 2025, the focus turned to the CEOs. Below are some of the snippets of conversation that stood out over two days of discussions with watch executives.

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“So, as you all know, we were supposed to be in L.A. initially. And, of course, all of our thoughts go with the people of L.A. that went through and are still going through a very difficult time. We felt we didn’t want to take a risk of still doing the events there and also out of respect to the people in L.A. It was an event that we organized for eight months. We had to reorganize a little bit in two weeks. We decided very quickly on New York, and we thought, ‘Okay, we have probably the best monobrand stores in the world with the Landmark and Tiffany was also the No. 1 in terms of sales for the group. The new Louis Vuitton store that you all discover and, of course, the flagship of Bulgari. And the two of them are almost on the same block. And so we’re creating our own watch fair with a magnificent flagship.'”

— Frédéric Arnault, chief executive, LVMH Watches, speaking on Jan. 21.

“We are navigating a complex economic environment. Our focus is on innovation, brand storytelling, and direct engagement with our clients through our powerful retail network.”
TAG Heuer Formula 1

— Antoine Pin, chief executive of TAG Heuer, during a press roundtable on Jan. 21.

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⏰ Published on: January 29, 2025