Rolex Temporarily Closes its Swiss Factories Amid Coronavirus Outbreak
Suspending operations for 10 days.
With the ongoing outspread of the coronavirus, Europe has become one of the most affected continents in the world. While Italy has been hit the hardest, the world’s watch hub Switzerland has also suffered, with its newspaper Neue Zuercher Zeitung reporting 2,330 confirmed cases and 18 deaths. To combat the pandemic, the country’s Federal Council has decided to close all shops, restaurants, and entertainment facilities until mid-April.
In light of these developments, Rolex‘s CEO Jean-Frederic Dufour has now decided to temporarily close down all of its Swiss factories for ten days, from March 17 to 27. “As I already said last week, we are facing a very serious situation,” says his statement, which has been translated from French. “In order to protect you, your families, and your loved ones, but also to limit the risks of spreading the Coronavirus as much as possible, we have decided to close our production sites in Geneva, Bienne, and Crissier from March 17 at 5:00 PM through Friday, March 27, 2020.”
“That date may of course be pushed back according to the evolution of the epidemic,” he added.
In other coronavirus-related closures, the Met Gala 2020 has now been postponed indefinitely.
