Fairfax Media + McSpedden Carey co-founder Bani McSpedden’s Watch-Next.com launches
Watch-Next.com, Australia’s first premium website dedicated to watches, launches today in a unique collaboration between Fairfax Media and Bani McSpedden, former CD of advertising agency McSpedden Carey co-founded with author Peter Carey.
Most recently McSpedden has been the The Australian Financial Review’s Watch editor.
Launch advertising partners on Watch-Next.com include global luxury brands Breguet, Cartier, Hublot, Piaget, Tag Heuer, Louis Vuitton and Seiko.
Watch-Next.com will feature watch video reviews, news, events and commentary, along with dedicated brand sections and the latest in wrist couture. As he does for the AFR Magazine, McSpedden will take a global approach to the sector, covering the annual watch fairs in Basel and Geneva and events across the region as well as at home.
This includes coverage of this month’s Watches & Wonders fair in Hong Kong.
Watch-Next.com builds on the AFR Magazine’s unparalleled reputation for covering the watch sector with integrity, style and substance.
Over the past nine years AFR Magazine’s watch coverage has expanded to include two watch issues a year and a monthly column written by McSpedden. The most recent Watch issue, in the August issue of the AFR Magazine, was the biggest yet at 52 pages.
Says McSpedden: “Importantly, Watch-Next.com is not just for watch lovers – it’s to show everyone what there is to love about the colourful world of timepieces.
“We’ve seen a massive growth in interest in watches, backed up by the figures. Australians are buying more watches than ever before, and we’ve long needed a dedicated watch website that offers not just product information, but insight – and also brings a touch of humour to a serious business.”
The Australian luxury watch market is experiencing strong growth, increasing at 13 per cent* a year, with online becoming a popular way for consumers to research watches before they buy. It is expected that $226 million worth of watches will be imported into Australia from Switzerland this year.
Says Katrina Strickland, The Australian Financial Review Magazine editor: “For the past decade the AFR Magazine has defined mass coverage of the luxury watch market in Australia. Bani is considered the pre-eminent commentator on watches and has pioneered coverage of this sector through our magazine. Expanding our presence online was a natural extension as our audience looks for premium content in print and online.”
* Source: IBIS World Luxury Retailing in Australia Report, December 2013
2 Comments
This will be news to lads at Australian Luxury watch blog/magazine Time and Tide Watches.
http://timeandtidewatches.com/
But I do notice on the web, there’s always someone getting there FIRST; even when its from way behind… even after crossing the line ‘first’ from behind..
Sheesh even my blog Street Fashion Sydney has been covering luxury watches; not very street really but there you go.
The guys at http://www.twentyonejewel.com have also been covering luxury watches for a while (longer than Time and Tide or Watch Next if I’m not mistaken).
It is a great site but not updated enough. Looking forward to more growth in the Aussie watch market for sure!