Apple pinches luxury watch exec ahead of iWatch launch

Apple's first wearable tech launch expected in time for Christmas

Apple has poached a top watch-maker exec to help launch its iWatch device in time for Christmas, according to reports.

The tech giant has been rumoured to be plotting its first foray into the wearable tech space for some time now and last year was said to be "aggressively" hiring staff to help create the product.

Over the weekend, luxury Swiss watch brand Tag Heuer confirmed to CNBC that its sales director Patrick Pruniax was poached by Apple in order to spearhead the launch of the new device.

Jean-Claude Biver, head of the watch-making firm's parent LVMH, told CBNC that Pruniax had left for Apple last week.

When asked if Apple directly poached his firm's staff, Biver said: "They did, and they took now the sales director of Tag Heuer – it belongs to LVMH and I am the president of the LVMH watch division, so I oversee Tag Heuer – our sales director left because he took a contract from Apple to launch the iWatch."

Apple has remained tight-lipped about the device but it is widely expected to be on the shelves in time for a Christmas consumer rush.

Businesses are expected to cash in on the wearable tech trend too, with analyst Canalys urging vendors not to miss the wearables boat.

IDC said by the end of 2014, some 19 million wearable units will ship globally, a figure which will rocket to 111.9 million in four years' time.