Established in 1979, The Hour Glass is a specialist luxury watch retailer in Asia, representing many of the most important brands in the watch industry.

Under the terms of this agreement, The Hour Glass will manage the Girard-Perregaux and JEANRICHARD’s sales, channel distribution, marketing and after-sales service activities across South-East Asia, with immediate effect.

Commenting on this agreement, Michele Sofisti, CEO of Sowind Group, said: ‘We are really excited about working with The Hour Glass, one of the most successful luxury watch distributors with an exceptional retail and watch making culture. We trust this agreement will offer solid opportunities to strengthen our presence in the region and will help us to fully develop the potential of our brands whilst providing the state-ofthe- art service to our consumers’. 

Michael Tay, Executive Director of The Hour Glass, commented: ‘We are thrilled to have formed this exclusive partnership with the Sowind Group. A group whose brands are at the forefront of horological innovation and design and whose cultural and business mission mirror our own.”

About Sowind Group

Based in La Chaux-de-Fonds in Switzerland, Sowind is a group specialized in Haute Horlogerie which includes the Girard-Perregaux and JEANRICHARD brands. Sowind Group incorporates a manufacturing activity that develops and produces a complete portfolio of high-end watch movements and mechanical watches for its two brands and third parties, including Kering brands. Sowind Group is majority owned by Kering, a world leader in apparel and accessories, which develops an ensemble of powerful Luxury and Sport & Lifestyle brands.

About Girard-Perregaux

Girard-Perregaux is a Swiss luxury watch manufacturer that traces its origins to 1791. The history of the Brand is marked by legendary watches that combine sharp design with innovative artisanship such as the renowned Tourbillon with Three Gold Bridges, presented by Constant Girard-Perregaux in 1889 at the Paris Universal exhibition, where it was awarded a gold medal. With more than 80 registered patents, Girard-Perregaux is devoted to the creation of state-of-the-art Haute Horlogerie and is one of the few watchmakers to unite all the skills of design and manufacture under the same roof — including the forging of the “heart” of the watch, the movement. In 2013, Girard-Perregaux received numerous prizes for its groundbreaking Constant Escapement L.M. timepiece, including the most prestigious one: the Aiguille d’Or of the Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève.

About JEANRICHARD

JEANRICHARD watches have been conceived for all those who enjoy challenges, revel in the unknown, and would like to live their lives to the fullest, savouring the best of each moment. These are the everyday adventurers, who enjoy authenticity and will make no compromises, be that on quality or on design. These are independent spirits who scorn conventions and play by their own rules, travelling off the beaten paths and that live their own philosophy of life.

The art of life JEANRICHARD timepieces come in four different collections that each pay tribute to the elements of our universe: Terrascope, Aquascope, Aeroscope and 1681. Earth, water, air, plus the fire of passion that has inspired our brand for over three centuries and has excited sophisticated globetrotters every day anew.

About The Hour Glass

Established in 1979, The Hour Glass is one of Asia’s premier luxury retail groups. As a purveyor of luxury products, The Hour Glass has been at the forefront of luxury retail development creating new frontiers that provide a differentiated store experience and offering.

A specialist luxury watch retailer, The Hour Glass represents a stable of over 50 brands across 29 boutiques in 10 cities throughout Asia Pacific. The Hour Glass prides itself as the watch world’s leading cultural retail enterprise, pioneering the development, promotion and appreciation of contemporary horological culture.

Monocle and Wallpaper magazines recognise The Hour Glass as Asia’s premier watch retailer. In 2008, The Hour Glass emerged the winner of the Singapore Prestige Brand Award whilst in 2010, L’Atelier by The Hour Glass – a boutique dedicated to expressing the culture and patrimony of traditional watchmaking garnered the ‘Best Retail Concept of the Year’ accolade by the Singapore Retailers Association as well as the 'Most Innovative Retail Concept of the Year' award by the Federation of Asia- Pacific Retail Associations (FAPRA). In the same year, Vanity Fair magazine named The Hour Glass as one of the twelve most influential retailers in the world.

In 2011, The Hour Glass broke new ground with the opening of Malmaison. Spanning over 8,000 sq ft, this multi-category emporium is a sanctuary for objects of authentic luxury housed in an elegant yet eclectic setting. Besides housing the finest of haute horology, a wide spectrum of refined objects d’art, jewellery, fragrances, collectible literature and bespoke services for the sartorially inclined, form the backbone of the exceptional Malmaison experience. Malmaison garnered the 2011 “Best Retail Concept of the Year” award which was accorded by the Singapore Retailers Association, marking the second consecutive win for The Hour Glass in the same category. 2012 marked another milestone for Malmaison by winning the “Best Shopping Experience” award by the Singapore Tourism Board. And 2013 denotes another highlight for Malmaison with the ‘Most Innovative Retail Concept of the Year’ award by the Federation of Asia-Pacific Retail Associations (FAPRA), the second win after L’Atelier.

More Passion by The Hour Glass is the Group’s third multi-brand watch concept boutique that opened in September 2012. More Passion celebrates the rediscovery of traditional craft and the culture of contemporary artisanship, particularly referencing the Nouvelle Vague design movement.

Upping the ante in the luxury retail scene in 2013, The Hour Glass introduces the globally renowned Ladurée brand of macarons in Singapore. This collaboration extends the role of The Hour Glass as the leading purveyor of luxury products and also marks Ladurée’s foray into the South East Asia market.