The luxury watch industry is gearing up for a grand return this spring as leading showcase event, Watches and Wonders, hosts its first in-person edition since 2019.
Between 30 March and 5 April, 38 brands will gather in Geneva, Switzerland, to reveal their newest timepieces and discusses the current trends set to dominate the sector in 2022. Among those exhibiting at the event’s largest ever edition will be Rolex, Patek Philippe, Vacheron Constantin, Cartier, Hublot, Chanel and TAG Heuer.
During the pandemic, Watches and Wonders pivoted online for a digital event and, while the return of the physical event is being celebrated, the show will be continuing to share product launches, panel discussions and keynotes through their website for the general public to access as well.
This will also be the first physical event under the name 'Watches and Wonders' after the organisers announced the name change from Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie at the end of 2019.
Alongside booths from the finest watchmaking maisons, an exhibition titled “Time Design” will explore the history of the wristwatch through 100 iconic designs of the 20th and 21st centuries and a celebration of leading watch designer and artist Gérald Genta, who died in 2011.
Genta’s work, spanning five decades from the 1950s onwards, included partnerships with Omega, Audemars Piguet, Cartier and numerous other high profile makers, as well as creating his own watch brand.
The exhibition has partnered with students from Geneva’s leading art school HEAD and École d’art de Lausanne to provide opportunities for the next generation of designers too. Time Design will also include interactive AR points to immerse visitors in the world of watch design.
Technology will be in focus in the LAB area of the event too, where 15 innovative projects will be on display. From new sustainable developments to the metaverse and NFTs, this section will be the place to discover the imminent future of watchmaking.
This year’s panel discussions will address some of the most pressing issues of our time and how the watch industry is responding to them including sustainable sourcing of materials, new innovations helping to lessen environmental footprint and whether digital is really better for the watch industry. Event organisers Fondation de la Haute Horlogerie have dubbed 2022 “the sustainability year” with a discussion each day of the salon dedicated to how the industry can reduce impact and build a better future.
With so much to take in across the seven days of the event, the event will be hosting two programmes a day taking in the highlights. The Morning Show and the Late Show will be broadcast on YouTube and the event website to enable attendees and watch connoisseurs around the world to take in the top news from exhibitors, interviews and key points from talks and discussions.
Always a highlight of the year for any horological enthusiast, the excitement for Watches and Wonders this year is at fever pitch as the industry comes together in person for the first time this decade in the heartland of luxury watchmaking.
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