We want to be seen as serious watch-makers: Victorinox

AHMEDABAD: Switzerland-based watch maker Victorinox today said it wants to be identified as a manufacturer of "serious" watches.

"Our focus is on serious business. We want to be seen as serious watch-makers and not as fashion brand," Country Head Debraj Sengupta said after the launch of a limited edition Alpnach Chronograph by actress Pooja Bedi here.

The new offering is named for Alpnach, the main helicopter base of the Swiss armed forces.

It is priced at Rs 1,95,090. Sengupta said Victorinox may start its first solo watch boutique in the city by 2015. When asked the reason for preferring Ahmedabad for the launch, he said the company's products had received good response in the city and it wanted to tap this market.

International consumer trends are being followed in Gujarat, he said.

The luxury watch market is presently growing at 20-25 per cent in the country, Sengupta claimed, adding that India and China are poised to achieve good growth in this segment.

Apart from watches, Victorinox, which currently has 75 stores across the country, deals in knives, travel gear, perfumes and apparel.