Rossini retains 'most influential' title for 10th time

For the tenth time out of 12, leading Chinese watchmaker Rossini was named one of Asia's 500 Most Influential Brands 2017 by the World Brand Lab (WBL) on Sept 28.

The authoritative recognition is due to Rossini's innovation-driven development strategy, demonstrating the brand's increasing international competitiveness, said a company executive.

Rossini Watch Industry Co Ltd was established 33 years ago with headquarters in the Zhuhai National Hi-Tech Industrial Development Zone in Tangjiawan.

The company has developed inventions and design patents at its high-end R&D and testing platform, which is equipped with advanced research, manufacture, experiment, and test equipment. Remarkable achievements have been made in branding, management, marketing, and culture innovation, and have led to continued, stable, and healthy development.

Awards ceremony in Hong Kong

Rossini's manager said the watchmaker will continue revitalizing national brands while carrying forward the craftsmanship spirit. Only with reinforced brand influence and overall competitiveness can Rossini become known as a "century-old shop, world-famous brand."

The value of Rossini stood at 10.2 billion yuan ($1.5 billion) in 2016, bettering all other Chinese watch brands. Rossini has kept renewing its sales volume records by opening outlets in Hong Kong, Macao, the UK, Thailand, Singapore, Bengal, Cambodia, and Saudi Arabia. Rossini released its first smart wristwatch in 2016.

The WBL has selected the most prominent brands presenting strong influence from 20 countries and regions in Asia. The evaluation studied capacity to exploit and dominate the market, and to gain profits with indicators including market share, brand loyalty, and leadership within Asia.

At the top of the list is Japanese automotive manufacturer Toyota. The second and third positions were taken by Japanese brand Sony, famous for electronics and entertainment products; and State Grid Corp of China (SGCC), the largest state-owned electric utility company in the world.

Certificate of Asia's 500 Most Influential Brands 2017 

Rounding out the top 10 were Samsung, Industrial & Commercial Bank of China (ICBC), Haier, Huawei, China Life, Tencent, and Honda.

China, Japan, and South Korea had the most brands included of all Asian countries.

WBL was established in New York in 2003. The advice it provides on branding has extensive commercial use such as serving as a major reference for the evaluation of intangible assets in mergers and acquisitions, as well as being important to NPOs and governments. Experts and consultants working for it are all from world-class institutions such as Harvard, Yale, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Stanford, Oxford, and Cambridge.

Aerial view of Rossini Watch Culture Industrial Park in Zhuhai [Photos provided by Rossini Watch Industry Co Ltd]