Latest news with #Vigneron
South China Morning Post
03-04-2025
- Business
- South China Morning Post
Watches and Wonders 2025: Rolex, Cartier, Patek Philippe shine, but Bulgari and Vacheron Constantin steal the spotlight … with world's thinnest tourbillon timepiece and most complicated wristwatch
Watches and Wonders, the yearly fair currently under way in Geneva, Switzerland, always provides a snapshot of the current state of the luxury watch industry . With market leaders such as Rolex, Patek Philippe and Cartier making headlines with their latest launches, and independent brands unveiling their new creations, the event attracts journalists, retailers, collectors and fans, all checking out the booths – some of them quite extravagant – located within Palexpo, a convention centre near the city's airport. Switzerland is still the undisputed leader when it comes to luxury watchmaking, but after years of growth during and after the coronavirus pandemic – when high-end customers unable to travel splurged on timepieces and other costly items – the market contracted in 2024. According to the Federation of the Swiss Watch Industry, Swiss watch exports dropped by 2.8 per cent last year to 25.9 billion Swiss francs (US$29.59 billion), mainly because of a slump of more than 25 per cent in China. A visitor takes a photo at the A. Lange & Söhne stand on the opening day of Watches and Wonders 2025 in Geneva. Photo: EPA-EFE Advertisement While the US and Europe have fared slightly better, China, which includes key markets such as Hong Kong and Macau, has been affected by an economic slowdown caused by a housing crisis and youth unemployment on the mainland. The large number of 'novelties' at Watches and Wonders often causes waiting lists among diehard fans, but expectations for 2025 are not that rosy if the first two months of this year are any indication. While Swiss watch exports grew by 4.1 per cent year on year in January 2025, they declined 8.2 per cent year on year in February, with China and Hong Kong remaining weak. Cyrille Vigneron, president of the Watches and Wonders Geneva Foundation, says that it is hard to predict what 2025 will bring and that the uncertainty of the last few years has shifted global consumption patterns. After the Russian invasion of Ukraine, for instance, Russian citizens who moved to Dubai and Istanbul were responsible for a significant rise in luxury spending in those cities, similar to what happened in China during the coronavirus pandemic, when domestic consumption rose because of travel bans that kept the Chinese from shopping abroad. 'The stimulus package that the government has put in place in China will be very important,' says Vigneron in an interview in Geneva. 'I'm quite confident that China will still be a driving force but the question is when and how? It's very difficult to cast a prediction but if the government tries to stimulate domestic consumption and fix the real estate bubble, China will again have a period of growth.' A Rolex display at Watches and Wonders 2025 in Geneva. Photo: AFP Speaking of uncertainty, Vigneron agrees that while the US has been doing very well in recent years – overtaking China as the largest market for watches – the protectionist policies of the Trump administration are now sowing doubts about the resilience of its luxury consumers. One thing that most can agree on is that the watch industry has become very polarised, with a small number of independent manufacturers – and big groups such as Cartier owner Richemont and Omega owner Swatch Group – dominating the market. According to a report from Morgan Stanley and consultancy LuxeConsult, the so-called 'Big Four' (Rolex, Patek Philippe, Audemars Piguet and Richard Mille) are 'capturing an impressive aggregated 47 per cent market share'. While it's too early to find out what the response to this year's fair will be – the event will open to the public over the weekend – the mood was buoyant. Both Vigneron and Matthieu Humair, CEO of the Watches and Wonders Geneva Foundation, confirmed that registration numbers have been higher than in previous years.
Yahoo
18-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
New Detroit archbishop to be installed in special Mass: What you need to know
The new leader of the largest religious group in metro Detroit will be installed today in a special ceremony in the local seat of the Catholic Church. Bishop Edward Weisenburger, currently the leader of the Catholic diocese in Tucson, Arizona, is to formally assume power this afternoon in a Mass at the Cathedral of the Most Blessed Sacrament in Detroit. Here are some details about the event: A Catholic ceremony known as the 'Mass of Installation' will take place starting at 2 p.m. that will transfer power over the Archdiocese of Detroit from Archbishop of Detroit Allen Vigneron to Weisenburger. The installation ceremony for Vigneron took place in January 2009 and lasted two and a half hours, drawing a packed crowd that included then state Attorney General Michael Cox. Cardinal Adam Maida handed Vigneron a shepherd's staff, symbolizing the transfer of power. Pope Francis appointed Weisenburger last month. He's led Catholics in southern Arizona since 2017 and has been outspoken in support of immigrants. Weisenburger will be the sixth archbishop of Detroit. He was born in Illinois in 1960, grew up in Lawton, Oklahoma, and also lived in Kansas and Texas because of his father's military transfers. He was ordained in Oklahoma City as a priest in 1987 and became vicar general of the Oklahoma City Archdiocese in 1996. He served as the pastor of two parishes in Oklahoma before becoming the bishop of Salina, Kansas in 2012, and then bishop in Tucson, Arizona in 2017. Vigneron, 76, has led the archdiocese since 2009. As required by church law, Vigneron submitted his resignation to the pope in October 2023 when he turned 75. He said he will soon live in an apartment at Sacred Heart Major Seminary. Vigneron was born in Mt. Clemens in 1948 and became ordained as a priest in 1975. He was an auxiliary bishop in Detroit from 1996 to 2003, when Pope John Paul II named him the Bishop of Oakland, California, a diocese he led from 2003 to 2009. Pope Benedict named him the Archbishop of Detroit in January 2009. In 2016, he led 400 participants in a Synod to plan for the future of the Catholic Church in Detroit, resulting in his pastoral letter, Unleash the Gospel. There are currently 907,000 Catholics and 213 parishes in the Detroit archdiocese, down from 1.4 million Catholics and 281 parishes when Vigneron became archbishop in 2009. The area includes six counties: Wayne, Oakland, Macomb, Lapeer, Monroe and St. Clair. The Detroit archdiocese was formed in 1833 by Pope Gregory XVI. As the region's Catholic population grew, the diocese became in 1937 an archdiocese, which is a designation often used for areas with larger numbers of Catholics. There are 33 archdioceses in the U.S., according to the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. The late Cardinal Edward Mooney became the first archbishop of Detroit, according to the Detroit archdiocese. In 1958, the late Cardinal John Dearden replaced him, serving until 1980. In 1981, Pope John Paul II named Edmund Casimir Szoka as Detroit's third archbishop. He became a cardinal in 1988 and served until 1990, when he was later replaced by Adam Maida, formerly the bishop of Green Bay, Wisconsin. Maida later became a cardinal and was replaced in 2009 by Vigneron, the first archbishop in Detroit not to become a cardinal. The ceremony will start at 2 p.m. and is expected to draw clergy from across Michigan and the U.S. It is closed to the general public with attendance by invitation only, but can a livestream will be available on the Archdiocese of Detroit's YouTube and Facebook pages. Contact Niraj Warikoo: nwarikoo@ This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Bishop Edward Weisenburger to be installed as Archbishop of Detroit
New York Times
12-03-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Times
Cartier to Stage Second Women's Pavilion at Osaka Expo 2025
Building on its debut at Expo 2020 Dubai, Cartier plans to introduce its second Women's Pavilion next month at Expo 2025 in Osaka, Japan, an event bringing together countries, organizations and businesses from around the world. This year, 165 national pavilions, along with various corporate ones, are to participate in the six-month exhibition, scheduled to open April 13. But Cartier's pavilion, developed in collaboration with the Japanese government, will be the only one dedicated to women. 'The Women's Pavilion celebrates all women, without a political or religious angle,' Cyrille Vigneron, the chair of Cartier Culture and Philanthropy initiative, said in a phone interview from Geneva. 'Women's issues are universal.' The exhibition is to be held on Yumeshima, an artificial island in Osaka Bay, through Oct. 13. The expo's theme is 'Designing Future Society for Our Lives,' so sustainable design and craftsmanship are being highlighted. Mr. Vigneron cited gender inequality as a key reason for doing a second edition of the pavilion, emphasizing that progress on women's issues remains uneven globally. 'Since Dubai, we have seen some advances in women's rights and empowerment, while many countries have regressed,' he said, referring to the exhibition in 2020. 'On reproductive rights, the U.S. has taken a step back. In Iran and Afghanistan, women's access to basic education is denied. Japan has a low ranking of 120th out of 140 countries in gender equality.' The metallic facade of this year's Women's Pavilion first appeared on the Japan Pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai. Originally designed and now reworked by the Japanese architect Yuko Nagayama, its intricate latticework was inspired by kumiko, a traditional Japanese woodworking technique that does not use nails. 'My focus was not simply reusing the materials but striving for a different expression and beauty from the previous building,' Ms. Nagayama wrote in an email. 'The kumiko-inspired facade acts as an environmental device, like a great tree in a vast forest, protecting not only human beings but also the trees from the harsh environment of climate change.' Several designers and artists have been involved in the pavilion project, including Chitose Abe, the founder of the fashion brand Sacai, who designed the khaki gender-neutral uniforms for the pavilion attendants, and Toshiya Ogino, a landscape designer, who created a garden of local vegetation. The pavilion's interior was conceived 'as a kind of musical instrument or radio station, broadcasting its messages through time and place,' Es Devlin, the English designer who is the pavilion's art director, wrote in an email. As visitors enter, they will be invited to say their names, making their identity part of the pavilion's narrative. They will see a three-minute introductory film on the lives of three women, created by Ms. Devlin and Naomi Kawase, a Japanese filmmaker. 'What we are trying to offer is a way of seeing, even just for a few minutes, through the eyes of others,' Ms. Devlin wrote. Then visitors will be asked to choose among three paths, each illustrated with more information on one of the women, eventually arriving at a mirrored space beneath an open skylight, which Ms. Devlin said symbolized connection and the collective power of storytelling. During the run of the exhibition, a series of talks on topics such as activism, equality, sustainability and biodiversity, also are scheduled for the pavilion's 'WA space,' named for the Japanese concept of harmony, peace and balance. 'We invite visitors to reflect on these issues and consider steps forward,' Mr. Vigneron said. So will the Women's Pavilion become be a permanent fixture at future expos? 'We don't just set up our tent, we engage in dialogue and cooperation with the host country,' Mr. Vigneron said. 'But we believe that every World Expo should include a Women's Pavilion, whatever form it takes.'
Yahoo
06-03-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Detroit Christians take part in Ash Wednesday, with Lent 'a time of reflection, possibility'
The Brief Ash Wednesday services were held in Metro Detroit as the period of Lent officially began. Archbishop Allen Vigneron oversaw his last Ash Wednesday mass today with his retirement soon taking place. Rev. Chris Yaw of St. David's Episcopal Church said Lent is a time of hope, to start over and do better. DETROIT (FOX 2) - Today is Ash Wednesday, marking the beginning of Lent, and is a day of reflection for many Christians around the world. In Metro Detroit, many Christians celebrated at St. Aloysius Parish where the retiring Archbishop Allen Vigneron gave his final Ash Wednesday mass. "Ash Wednesday is something special to me so I can start all over," said Dee Dee Davis, parishioner at St. David's Episcopal Church. Parishioners took part in Ash Wednesday with getting drive-thru ashes at St. David's Episcopal Church. "Lent as you know is our annual time of renewal, reflection and possibility - that we can start over and do better," said Rev. Chris Yaw of St. David's. On Wednesday in the Detroit Catholic Archdiocese, Archbishop Allen Vigneron said goodbye as he prepares to retire. The archbishop delivered his final Ash Wednesday mass at St. Aloysius Parish in Detroit. "It's a great blessing. I thought about all the other Ash Wednesdays from the beginning of my time here," he said. Vigneron has been archbishop for nearly two decades and at the age of 76, he has decided to serve the faithful in another capacity. "I'm looking forward to the opportunity to study more and be more engaged in teaching the faith," Vigneron said. And when it comes to faith, the archbishop wanted to share a message. "We need to be on this journey of hope together," he said. "There seems to be a sense of hopelessness abroad. The Pope has picked up on that, and he invites all of us to be apostles of hope." As Pope Francis remains hospitalized dealing with health complications the archbishop remains hopeful. "We have to sustain him with our prayers," he said. "People of good will are very much praying for him." Archbishop Vigneron's final mass on March 9th will bring out the faithful as he prays for his successor Bishop Edward Weisenburger to lead Catholics forward in faith. "I think he's going to find the people of God that are alive with the faith and ready to follow his lead in this new chapter in our life," Vigneron said. The Source Information for this story came from interviews with Rev. Chris Yaw, St. David's Episcopal Church, a parishioner at St. David's and Archbishop Allen Vigneron of the Archdiocese of Detroit.
CBS News
06-03-2025
- Health
- CBS News
Catholics mark Ash Wednesday in Metro Detroit amid Pope Francis' health crisis
As millions of Catholics around the world and in Detroit begin the Lenten season, concerns over Pope Francis' health linger. "It's a time to reflect on how we're living our lives as human beings and our relationship with God," said parishioner Marco DeCapite. The pontiff has been in the hospital since Valentine's Day, dealing with double pneumonia and other respiratory issues. While he skipped Ash Wednesday services in Rome, parishioners and clergy alike are honoring the 88-year-old head of the Catholic Church as they begin the next 40 days of service. "To be in the hospital for three weeks is a very terrible ordeal, one that takes a long time to get back from so we have to sustain him with our prayers," said Archbishop Allen Vigneron. This mass also marked Vigneron's last Ash Wednesday service as the leader of the archdiocese in Detroit. His successor, Edward J. Weisenburger, will take over Michigan's largest Catholic diocese later this month. "I think he's going to find a people of God that are alive with the faith and ready to follow his lead in this new chapter in our life," said Vigneron. As the Catholic community in Detroit prepares for this transition, parishioners say they hope the pontiff's health continues to improve and send him praise and strength through this Lenten season.
