The Ralph Lauren Watch and Jewelry Company will launch of its first collection of timepieces at the 2009 Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie watch fair (Jan. 19-23) in Geneva, Switzerland, it has announced.

The company, formed in 2007, is a joint venture of fashion design house Polo Ralph Lauren and global luxury goods conglomerate Richemont. Its fine watches and jewelry will be sold worldwide through Ralph Lauren boutiques and independent fine jewelers and watch retailers.

This is Richemont’s first joint venture with a luxury fashion designer and Polo Ralph Lauren’s first foray into fine jewelry and watches, which Ralph Lauren, its chairman and chief executive officer, calls “an important part of our global luxury accessories strategy.”

The SIHH is an invitation-only fine watch trade fair. Its 2009 edition will feature 17 of the world’s most prestigious luxury watch brands, most of them belonging to Richemont.

JCK