iWatch Talk Heats Up After Apple Hires Away Another Luxury Watch Exec
As America waits to have its collective wrist chaffed by the awesomeness of the iWatch, Apple poached the sales director of Swiss luxury watchmaker Tag Heuer, heightening the excitement.
Already the topic of endless conjecture, the iWatch is expected to drop in October, offering it up as a readymade holiday must-have. The snagging of Patrick Pruniaux, a high-profile executive, will no doubt get the Apple-hyping industrial complex frothing at the mouth, even as the company continues to decline comment.
Adario Strange recapped the latest maneuver, which happened on Friday while the rest of us were getting drunk on America:
Our sales director left yesterday because he took a contract from Apple to launch the iWatch," Jean-Claude Biver, head of LVMH's luxury-watch division, which includes Swiss brands TAG Heuer and Hublot, told CNBC on Friday.
This is hardly the first such move for Apple. As Reuters reports:
Apple has plucked several executives from the luxury sector in recent months. Burberry ex-Chief Executive Angela Ahrendts started as its new head of retail and online sales in May, and former head of French fashion brand Yves Saint Laurent Paul Deneve was hired last year to work on special projects.
Apple has already applied for an iWatch trademark in Japan.
Correction: An earlier version of this post said the Apple applied for the Japanese trademark this week. They actually submitted the application last year.
This article was originally published at http://www.thewire.com/technology/2014/07/iwatch-talk-heats-up-after-apple-hires-away-another-luxury-watch-exec/373976/
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