During the darkest days of 2009, resilient Chinese buyers helped to keep the Swiss watch industry alive. Now, as the industry greets economic recovery with a slew of new models, these customers are getting the recognition they have earned. The return to fashion of classic, ultrathin designs is more than a reaction to lean economic times. It is also a direct reaction to the tastes of the mainland Chinese. In recent months, Vacheron Constantin has presented the elegantly plain, wafer-slim Historique Ultra-Fine 1955 while Piaget has introduced its Altiplano, a watch with a wide 43-millimeter, or 1.7-inch face, but a case just 5.25 millimeters thick. IWC Schaffhausen, too, has revisited its Portuguese line, introducing a sportingly elegant note with the Portuguese Yacht Club Chronograph, while Girard-Perregaux has integrated a column-wheel chronograph movement into an elegant, modest-size case for its 1966 Chronograph.
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