China manufactures 30 per cent of the world’s watches and exported more than 500 million of them in 2022, figures show. Yet, its influence has never matched that of the Swiss, who export 16 million watches a year.

If the Middle Kingdom has been denied due recognition as a serious manufacturer of luxury watches, it’s because of a reputation for producing a large volume of cheaper pieces, a stark contrast to the local appetite for finer fare. And let’s not forget that China and Hong Kong have been, until recently, the world’s largest consumers of Swiss luxury timepieces.