The phenomenon of counterfeiting has now reached an unprecedented scale. The value of the global counterfeit goods market could grow from $5.5 billion in 1982 to nearly $600 billion in 2010, which is 10% of world trade, according to Eric Woerth, former French budget minister.

Over the past decade, Bulgari has one by one ticked the boxes of vertical integration, leading to the presentation, earlier this year, of its in-house mechanical movement, Calibre BVL 168. This base calibre will be the springboard for future complication movements.

An anniversary model, the Bovet - Pininfarina Tourbillon Ottanta, seals the partnership and celebrates the Italian industrial design firm's 80 years in business. This exceptional timepiece is already being described as the first in a long series.

That Cartier only experienced a "marginal decline" in 2009 is largely thanks to China. The Asia-Pacific zone (except Japan) was Richemont's only growth region for the financial year to end March 2010. Needless to say, Cartier has already planned its expansion in the Middle Kingdom.

Obliged by the Swiss competition commission to continue delivering its movement blanks until end 2010, Swatch Group, again in the commission's sights since last September, isn't backing down. It plans to purely and simply cease deliveries of its parts and movements to "bad" competition.