German Camera Maker Leica Ventures Into Luxury Watches

German camera maker Leica launches two lines of luxury watches Leica Camera, a German brand used by famed photographers such as Henri Cartier-Bresson, Robert Frank and Alfred Eisenstaedt, has broken into the luxury watchmaking business The timepieces will hit Leica Camera retail stores worldwide around Christmas, Andreas Kaufmann, the company's chairman told Penta during a sit-down interview in New York Wednesday.

Designed by Achim Heine, who oversaw the design of many Leica Camera products over the years, both of the Leica watches have a stark and minimalist look, with a stainless steel case, sapphire crystal glass in the front and back, and black dials contrasted with white hands and indices In addition to their shared creativity and precision, the Leica watches drew from elements such as high-quality materials and the cambered shape of the glass from the cameras Although the pricing hasn't been finalized, the Leica L1 is expected to sell for US$10,900, and the Leica L2 for US$16,500.

As it's a small-scale camera maker, Leica will focus on the quality of its luxury watches rather than quantity, Kaufmann says. . Source