The Monday interview in the Wall Street Journal with Bernard Fornas, CEO of Cartier, “the world’s biggest branded jewelery company by sales, and the jewel in the crown of Swiss-based luxury group Compagnie Financiere Richemont SA” was a doozy except for the headline “riding the tiger of luxury” when the company’s will animal of choice is a leopard.

Of course Cartier would be well advised to swap the leopard for a tiger, one of the 12 signs of Chinese astrology.  China is crucial when it comes to luxury goods with exports of Swiss watches to the Middle Kingdom increasing an incredible 49% last year.  The true love of luxury in the sinosphere is underlined by M. Fornas who notes “China is our third or fourth biggest market, but the Chinese nationality is number one because of the customers who buy products when they travel.”