As Rolex shrinks retail near new New York City flagship, Patek Philippe expands

[NEW YORK] After 45 years, Rolexes will no longer be sold at Wempe, the tony watch and jewellery dealer at 700 Fifth Ave, one of retail's most prestigious addresses.
The watches are not going far, though. Rolex is finishing construction on a new, 199,000-square-foot New York headquarters designed by David Chipperfield Architects two blocks away at 665 Fifth Ave.
Once it's complete, which the company has said should happen by the end of 2026, the space will host a multi-floor flagship that the company hopes will become a magnet for shoppers and curious tourists. As a result, the Swiss luxury timepiece behemoth is shrinking its retail network in that part of Manhattan to just the flagship plus emporiums owned by Bucherer, a previously independent retailer Rolex bought in 2023.
Wempe has some time left to offer its customers a Rolex.
'We will be doing business as usual until the end of the year, fulfilling every order that we can,' said Rudy Albers, president of Wempe, noting that the Rolex partnership will end at the end of 2025. 'However, we have not been sleeping at the wheel either. We will be partnering with Patek Philippe to open one of the biggest boutiques on the East Coast in 2026.'
Wempe has also sold Pateks since it opened its emporium in the Peninsula Hotel building in 1980, and has several retail locations in its home country of Germany. On Fifth Avenue, the footprint of the in-store Patek boutique will expand from 600 square feet to 1,600. There will be private showrooms and galleries, and according to Wempe the store's allocation-how many watches it's given to sell-will be increased.
'With the opening of the new Patek Philippe showroom, Wempe continues its longstanding, trusting relationship with the Swiss family-led company,' said Kim-Eva Wempe, owner and managing partner of her family's company, in a statement. Her grandfather Herbert started as an authorised Patek Philippe seller in Hamburg, Germany, in 1927.
As popular as Pateks are with New Yorkers, there are only four places to buy the brand's Nautiluses, Aquanauts and Calatravas in the city: Wempe, Tiffany & Co, the Bucherer TimeMachine on 57th Street and Watches of Switzerland in Hudson Yards.
In 2023, Patek Philippe boss Thierry Stern told Bloomberg he had begun reducing the brand's retail network by 30 per cent. BLOOMBERG

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Learn with AIFact CheckingText to SpeechAI Summary

Related Articles

Straits Times

7 hours ago

• Straits Times

How middlemen funnel illegal Chinese vapes into the United States

LONDON/NEW YORK/CHICAGO - From an office a 15-minute drive from Chicago's O'Hare International Airport, one small firm helped import millions of unauthorized Chinese-made vapes last year alone, forming a key link in the supply chain feeding U.S. demand for illegal e-cigarettes. In a little over four years, the firm, a customs brokerage run by a man named Jay Kim, became a go-to broker for the Chinese vape industry. The firm worked on 60% of all shipments of vapes and vape parts from China to the U.S. in 2024 registered by the Food and Drug Administration, according to a Reuters analysis. "A lot of them have FDA authorization," Kim said in an interview in his office in April, referring to the vape shipments his firm handled. However, FDA data on imports into the U.S. of FDA-regulated goods such as tobacco products or medicines showed the products Kim's firm helped bring into the United States included unauthorized brands like Lost Mary and Geek Bar. The FDA has declared those brands illegal to import or sell, warning their array of fruit and candy flavors may appeal to children. The agency says nicotine can harm developing brains, and impact attention, learning and mood in young people, who can get hooked more easily on the addictive chemical. A Lost Mary spokesperson said it had no connection or contact with Kim's firm, and flavors play a key role in helping adult users quit smoking. The maker of Geek Bar did not respond to a request for comment. The Chinese city of Shenzhen is the biggest source of vapes, both legal and illegal, coming into the United States. In 2024, China exported more than 26 billion yuan ($3.6 billion) in vapes to the U.S., according to Chinese customs data. But U.S. customs figures show only $333 million in Chinese vapes were officially received in the U.S. that same year. Mismatches in custom data between the U.S. and its trading partners are not uncommon, but a 90% gap was unusual, two customs data specialists told Reuters. Unauthorized vapes often arrive in the U.S. disguised as other items like shoes and toys, according to the FDA, which leads efforts to control the vape market. Reuters used FDA and U.S. customs data, interviews with vape and tobacco industry insiders, and information from U.S. regulators and law enforcement to build a picture of how unauthorized vapes make their way onto U.S. shelves. It found a group of middlemen based on U.S. soil - including some customs brokers and distributors - who played key roles in the vape supply chain, and sometimes take steps to avoid detection. Trump Administration officials have promised a crackdown; FDA Commissioner Marty Makary has said the agency will stop illegal imports and distribution. "Our borders have been far too porous when it comes to challenges like illegal e-cigarette products coming from other countries," an FDA spokesperson said, adding that the agency is planning to use artificial intelligence to "stem the flow of products that are appealing to our nation's children." In May, the FDA and Customs and Border Protection announced a $34 million seizure of unauthorized vapes in Chicago. Officials found many of the shipments in the seizure, which took place in February, contained vague product descriptions and incorrect values. As part of the operation, for the first time, the agency sent letters to 24 middlemen involved in the vape supply chain, including U.S. importers and customs brokers. The letters warned the middlemen it was a crime to make false statements to the government, and asked them to explain how they ensured they followed tobacco laws, according to the FDA. Reuters was not able to establish whether Kim was among the customs brokers who received a letter from the FDA. He did not respond to detailed questions about Reuters' findings. VAPE MIDDLEMEN Customs brokers do not buy or sell goods themselves. Rather, they are paid by others, usually the importer, to help navigate the customs process by submitting documents and fielding enquiries from border officials, according to Lenny Feldman, a managing partner at the law firm Sandler, Travis & Rosenberg. Customs brokers may be breaking the law if they are found to have not conducted proper due diligence, said Feldman. Speaking briefly to Reuters at his office in April, Kim said his firm did not deal with vape shipments anymore after exiting the business last year. He said that a former employee of his firm had gotten him into working with vape clients and took those customers with her when she left. However, the FDA data reviewed by Reuters showed that vape-related shipments handled by Kim have continued throughout 2025, including in June. The FDA, which was directed to fire 3,500 employees in March, works with CBP to catch unauthorized vape shipments at the border. A spokesperson for CBP told Reuters the agency seized over 3 million units of illegal vapes valued at $76 million in 2024. 'CBP has encountered bad actors exploiting shipments to transit illicit goods, including illegal vapes, synthetic opioids, precursor chemicals and related paraphernalia,' the spokesperson said. The FDA said that over the past two years, efforts by FDA and CBP had led to the seizure of around 7.1 million e-cigarettes with an estimated retail value of over $136 million. Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said the administration would "wipe out" fruity and sweet flavored vapes from China that appeal to kids. "We are going to get rid of all of them," he told the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions in May. Illinois Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi said middlemen like Kim bear some responsibility for the flood of vapes, but lays most of the blame with the FDA, which he accuses of sitting idle while illegal vapes flood into the country. "The FDA is a disaster. It's asleep at the switch," he said. "You have illicit vapes all over the place." IN PLAIN SIGHT The Trump Administration's tariffs on China, as well as vape seizures, have already dented supply, Reuters reported this month. Vape shipments recorded by the FDA collapsed in May, with a shortage of popular brand Geek Bar in particular. The FDA has authorized 34 different vape products made by companies like British American Tobacco and Altria, but no fruity or sweet flavored vapes that the FDA says could appeal to children. And yet executives at BAT estimate unauthorized devices make up 70% of vape sales in the U.S., valuing their sales at $8.14 billion last year. The supply chain ferrying illegal Chinese-made vapes into the U.S. mostly operates in plain sight. It starts with a network of exporters based in China. After a vape shipment clears customs in the U.S., it is passed along to its U.S. buyer - usually a distributor, which then sells them to smaller wholesalers and retailers nationwide. The FDA collects data on U.S.-based recipients of vape shipments. The largest in 2024 was Reynolds American, the U.S. subsidiary of BAT. But the top ten largest U.S. vape recipients also included six obscure firms, opened in 2023 or 2024 and sometimes operating out of residential homes. The second-largest recipient of vape shipments in 2024 was a Chicago-based company called Somo Trade LLC, established in 2023, Reuters analysis of FDA data and state business filings show. A woman at the business' address, a residential home on Chicago's north side, told a Reuters reporter that the property was not involved in the vape business. Another recipient of vapes, Rongda Trade, is registered to a house on the same street as Somo Trade, opened the same month, and has already been shut down, its filings show. No one answered the door when Reuters visited the address. No one answered at a residential address linked to Lila Trade on Chicago's southwest side, either. The name of the registered agent, Xiaohong Dai, was not among those listed on four mailboxes out front. Reuters could not find websites for any of the firms, and their state business filings did not contain any contact information. Meanwhile, in February, New York Attorney General Letitia James sued 13 different companies which she said were major U.S. vape distributors, accusing them of working closely with Chinese manufacturers to fuel the unauthorized vape industry. "Together, Defendants have established an industry for flavored e-cigarettes, particularly disposable vapes, and staked out their own lucrative shares in the soaring market," the complaint states. "All have engaged in reprehensible, illegal conduct and aim to addict youth to their products." Mitch Zeller, former head of the FDA's Center for Tobacco Products during the Obama, Trump and Biden administrations, placed the blame on U.S.-based distributors, such as those named in James' lawsuit, for feeding demand. "There's only a handful of middlemen, middle companies, that are responsible for taking the illegal, imported stuff being misclassified and mislabeled and getting it into interstate commerce," he said. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.

Straits Times

13 hours ago

• Straits Times

Central banks in Asia becoming wary of currency intervention

SINGAPORE – Some of emerging Asia's biggest central banks look to be dialing back their interventions in the currency market. The central banks of India and Malaysia have reduced the size of some derivatives positions they use to weaken their currencies. Taiwan has allowed its currency to surge against the US dollar in recent weeks and dropped hints it would be comfortable with more if the moves were 'orderly.' South Korea's giant national pension fund has ended its five-month support of the won. A major reason for these moves is a simple change in the market landscape: The US dollar has tumbled more than 7 per cent this year, easing pressure on emerging market currencies. But strategists and investors also point to the risk of a backlash from US President Donald Trump, amid rising speculation that currency policies will be on the table during a series of ongoing – and high stakes – tariff negotiations. 'The threat of being labelled a currency manipulator by the US, especially during this period of tariff negotiations, will act as a deterrent to further heavy FX intervention in local markets,' said Rajeev De Mello, a Geneva-based portfolio manager at GAMA Asset Management. The US Treasury refrained from labeling any country a currency manipulator in its latest foreign-exchange report, released in June. However, it said China, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Singapore and Vietnam all met two out of three of its criteria. The shifting approach of Asia's central banks to defending their currencies underscores the sweeping changes in global markets since the election of Mr Trump, whose on again-off again tariff threats have roiled asset prices and raised once unthinkable questions about the dollar's place in the global trading system. South Korea confirmed in May that it had held currency talks with the United States, sending the won higher amid talk that Mr Trump wants a weaker US dollar. But White House chief economist Stephen Miran has denied the idea Washington is working on secret deals to depreciate the greenback, saying the US continues to have a strong dollar policy. The greenback has plummeted against major currencies this year, suffering drops of around 10 per cent against the euro and the Swiss franc. Best bets Traders are now trying to game out which currencies have the most to gain from a period of reduced intervention. The Korean won and the Malaysian ringgit are two obvious candidates, since both countries have large trade surpluses, said Gautam Kalani, portfolio manager for BlueBay fixed income, emerging markets, at RBC Global Asset Management. Reduced intervention will speed up the appreciation of these currencies, he said. The Taiwan dollar is also being hotly tipped by strategists. Although Taiwan's central bank is still likely to use intervention to keep volatility in check, most market participants think it will allow the local currency to appreciate further even after hitting multi-year highs. That suggests room to build on what has already been a widespread rally against the US dollar: Taiwan's currency has surged 11 per cent against the greenback this year, making it the region's best performer. The Korean won is up almost 8 per cent, while the Malaysian ringgit is around 5 per cent higher. The retreat from intervention isn't unanimous across Asia. Bank Indonesia pushed back against volatility on June 19 as Middle East tensions hit emerging market currencies. The Philippines' central bank has sent mixed messages, calling intervention futile but also saying it might have to do so 'more seriously' if a current slide in the peso continues. The People's Bank of China continues to keep its currency under a tight leash. But for some of emerging Asia's most interventionist central banks, the calculus appears to have shifted in favour of a less hands-on approach. BLOOMBERG Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.

Business Times

a day ago

• Business Times

Central banks in Asia are becoming wary of currency intervention

Some of emerging Asia's biggest central banks look to be dialling back their interventions in the currency market. The central banks of India and Malaysia have reduced the size of some derivatives positions they use to weaken their currencies. Taiwan has allowed its currency to surge against the US dollar in recent weeks and dropped hints that it would be comfortable with more if the moves were 'orderly'. South Korea's giant national pension fund has ended its five-month support of the won. A major reason for these moves is a simple change in the market landscape: The US dollar has tumbled more than 7 per cent this year, easing pressure on emerging market currencies. But strategists and investors also point to the risk of a backlash from US President Donald Trump, amid rising speculation that currency policies will be on the table during a series of ongoing – and high stakes – trade negotiations. 'The threat of being labelled a currency manipulator by the US, especially during this period of tariff negotiations, will act as a deterrent to further heavy FX intervention in local markets,' said Rajeev De Mello, a Geneva-based portfolio manager at GAMA Asset Management. The shifting approach of Asia's central banks to defending their currencies underscores the sweeping changes in global markets since the election of Trump, whose on again-off again tariff threats have roiled asset prices and raised once unthinkable questions about the US dollar's place in the global trading system. South Korea confirmed last month that it had held currency talks with the US, sending the won higher amid talk that Trump wants a weaker US dollar. But White House chief economist Stephen Miran has denied the idea that Washington is working on secret deals to depreciate the greenback, saying the US continues to have a strong US dollar policy. BT in your inbox Start and end each day with the latest news stories and analyses delivered straight to your inbox. Sign Up Sign Up The greenback has plummeted against major currencies this year, suffering drops of around 10 per cent against the euro and the Swiss franc. Traders are now trying to game out which currencies have the most to gain from a period of reduced intervention. The South Korean won and the Malaysian ringgit are two obvious candidates, since both countries have large trade surpluses, said Gautam Kalani, portfolio manager for BlueBay fixed income, emerging markets, at RBC Global Asset Management. Reduced intervention will speed up the appreciation of these currencies, he said. The Taiwan dollar is also being hotly tipped by strategists. Although Taiwan's central bank is still likely to use intervention to keep volatility in check, most market participants think it will allow the local currency to appreciate further even after hitting multi-year highs. That suggests room to build on what has already been a widespread rally against the US dollar: Taiwan's currency has surged 11 per cent against the greenback this year, making it the region's best performer. The South Korean won is up almost 8 per cent, while the Malaysian ringgit is around 5 per cent higher. The retreat from intervention isn't unanimous across Asia. Bank Indonesia pushed back against volatility on Thursday (Jun 19) as Middle East tensions hit emerging market currencies. The Philippines' central bank has sent mixed messages, calling intervention futile but also saying it might have to do so 'more seriously' if a current slide in the peso continues. The People's Bank of China continues to keep its currency under a tight leash. But for some of emerging Asia's most interventionist central banks, the calculus appears to have shifted in favour of a less hands-on approach. The US Treasury refrained from labelling any country a currency manipulator in its latest foreign-exchange report, released in June. However, it said China, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Singapore and Vietnam all met two out of three of its criteria. BLOOMBERG