Complications amass

The message from Baselworld 2012, the watch and jewelry industry’s annual conference in the Swiss town of Basel, was that business is back on track after a few wobbly years. In 2011, Switzerland exported a record $21 billion in watch sales (nearly 30 million units), a 19 percent increase over 2010  due to growth in the Asian and  Middle Eastern markets. China led the charge, overtaking the United States as the nation with the biggest demand for luxury watches. Overall growth projections for 2012 are 7 percent, up from 2011’s 5 percent. Lebanese importers attended Basel and were not disappointed. “Brands seem to keep surprising us each year by developing more and more complications,” declared Mher Atamian, managing director of Ets. Hagop Atamian, using the industry term for features beyond the normal display of time. “There is just no end to the imagination and development of high-end complicated pieces that