Is Watches And Wonders Turning Into Baselworld 2.0? Also, Audemars Piguet Is Back

The SIHH, or Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie, was a watch trade show founded in 1991 by Cartier, Baume & Mercier, Piaget, Gerald Genta, and Daniel Roth. Organized by the Fondation de la Haute Horlogerie (FHH), the show, compared to Baselworld, aimed to create a more exclusive, high-luxury atmosphere dedicated to fine watchmaking and promote the art and culture of Haute Horlogerie — a bit like an art salon of yesteryear. Things change, and in the SIHH’s case, things grow. The event attracted more brands, changed its name, and saw brands leave. In 2020, for instance, Audemars Piguet left, but it will be there again next year. So will 65 other watch brands. Is Watches and Wonders turning into Baselworld 2.0?

Baselworld was once the world’s leading watch and jewelry trade show, and its position seemed untouchable. It didn’t start with that international-sounding name, though. It began as the Schweizer Mustermesse Basel (MUBA) in 1917, which added a section for Swiss watches in 1925. By 1931, a dedicated watch fair, the Schweizer Uhrenmesse, was established in a separate pavilion. The first actual European watch fair took place in 1973, and after decades of expansion and internationalization, the show officially adopted the name Baselworld in 2003.

The future looked bright, although in 1991, a couple of major exhibitors left (more on that later). However, the 2019 edition proved to be the last. In 2018, the Swatch Group — Omega, Breguet, Blancpain, Longines, Tissot, etc. — pulled out, citing the absurd expense and lack of modernization (I can’t recall the Wi-Fi ever working, but I certainly remember the 20-franc bratwurst). Major brands like Rolex and Patek Philippe followed the year after. The pandemic and growing online watch interactions proved the nail in the coffin, and Baselworld was officially terminated in July 2020.

Baselworld 2017

Is Watches and Wonders turning into Baselworld 2.0?

Until 2019, Baselworld coexisted next to the SIHH. The first Watches and Wonders event took place in Miami in February 2018, and two years later, Watches and Wonders Geneva debuted in April 2020 as a virtual show. Rolex and Patek Philippe turned their backs on Baselworld in 2020. That September, Rolex, Patek Philippe, and Richemont were the Watches and Wonders Geneva Foundation (WWGF) founding members. Together with the FHH, they reformatted and relaunched the SIHH into a broader, more inclusive event, Watches and Wonders Geneva. Two years later, three newcomers, Chanel, Hermès, and LVMH, joined the founding members of the WWGF Foundation Board.

The Geneva watch event has grown rapidly since Baselworld imploded. Until 2017, the SIHH was strictly for dealers and the press, but that changed when the salon opened to the public on certain days. The rebranding to Watches and Wonders in 2020 marked an upscaling of the event, both digitally and physically. In 2021, because of COVID, the digital edition from Geneva featured 38 brands. The physical 2022 edition again featured 38 brands, but in 2023, that number grew to 49. The following year saw 54 brands showing their novelties and 49,000 visitors present over the multiday event. In 2025, 60 brands set up shop in Geneva’s Palexpo exhibition center, and 66 brands have been announced for next year.

650 versus 66 exhibitors

To put things into perspective, Baselworld 2018 hosted around 650 exhibitors — about half the number from the previous year’s 1,300. The organizers framed the reduction as a strategic shift, emphasizing quality over quantity. However, it also highlighted the challenges facing the watch and jewelry industry. Still, with 66 exhibitors versus 650, how can we see Watches and Wonders as Baselworld 2.0? That’s because, of the 650 exhibitors, around 40 were relevant and helped set the tone in high-end luxury watches In 2018, with Richemont brands like Cartier, IWC, and Vacheron Constantin, independent participants like Audemars Piguet and Richard Mille, and cutting-edge Nouvelle Horlogerie brands like MB&F, Urwerk, and H. Moser & Cie. showing their creations in the dedicated Carré des Horlogers, it seemed like the SIHH had already surpassed Baselworld.

Jaeger-LeCoultre at Watches and Wonders 2023

Just like Baselworld lost participants, so did the SIHH. Richard Mille and Audemars Piguet left after the 2019 edition, citing cost, lack of public access, and a shift to a direct-to-consumer retail model. The absence of these two high-end brands was hardly felt, though, because by 2020, Rolex, Patek Philippe, and Chopard announced they were committing themselves to Watches and Wonders. And whereas the SIHH had once been a closed-door, invite-only event, Watches and Wonders became a more open platform for historical and contemporary watchmakers. Watches and Wonders took Baselworld’s place in a new city with a different setup. It was less about selling and more about storytelling while connecting with collectors, press, and peers in a calmer, more luxurious setting.

Audemars Piguet Royal Oak “Jumbo” Extra-Thin Openworked

AP returns!

Watches and Wonders Geneva 2026 will feature 66 exhibiting brands. This number is up from the 60 brands in 2025, with 10 new names, including Behrens, Sinn, and Corum, plus the return of Audemars Piguet. Why did AP return? In a recent interview with The Business of Fashion, CEO Ilaria Resta said her focus has switched to “elevating horological excellence, innovation, and client-centricity.” AP controls most of its distribution, selling directly to consumers through its 25 AP Houses. However, private lounge-style spaces in cities such as London, New York, and Amsterdam, often perceived as impregnable bastions of exclusivity, may not be the only way forward.

Audemars Piguet CEO Ilaria Resta

Connecting with a critical audience

The AP “Ivory Towers” won’t reach a young and new audience, and that audience needs to secure the brand’s future. According to Ilaria Resta in her interview with BoF, “For Gen Z, what surrounds the shopping experience is much more important than the purchase act itself. A lot of learning and engagement happens before a Gen Z-er opens the door of a store. So we are omni-channel, ensuring we serve this generation at every touchpoint, well before the consideration phases. We compete with travel, a bag, a car, and any other shopping opportunity Gen Z has.

“A watch is in the same bubble of consideration as all these experiences. Because of that, a ceremony around the selling and buying experience becomes relevant to them. They bring their friends, they want engraving, and they want a relationship with the sales assistant who becomes a friend. So we’re obsessed about masterclasses, the behind-the-scenes of a watch, and explaining a watch much more thoroughly than we used to in the past.”

Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Selfwinding Chronograph ref. 26240BA.OO.1320BA.02 and the Frosted Gold Selfwinding ref. 15550BA.GG.1356BA.01

Watches and Wonders Geneva 2026 will start on April 14th and close its doors on April 20th, 2026. The public days are scheduled for April 18th to 20th, and in addition to the leading exhibition, a week of animations and events will take place in the city center. The lack of public access was one of AP’s reasons for leaving the SIHH, but now, the fact that regular folks can attend is a huge reason to return. By being in touch with audiences outside its AP Houses, the brand tries to work its way into their hearts.

The Breguet Classique 5177 and Classique 7787 wouldn’t look out of place at Watches and Wonders

Who’s (still) missing?

With AP back at “W&W,” it seems every major Swiss watch brand in the luxury realm is present. All the Richemont and LVMH watch brands are there, plus the big independent names like Rolex, Patek Philippe, Chopard, as well as Japanese Grand Seiko, and a string of well-respected Nouvelle Horlogerie watchmakers. Who are we missing? Apparently, Richard Mille still doesn’t need to return. The brand’s low volume (around 5,600 watches annually) and high-cost production strategy work well enough not to require spending money on a watch fair. But what about Breitling and the Swatch Group brands? Who wouldn’t want to see Omega and Rolex at the same watch fair again? And the same goes for Longines next to Tudor and TAG Heuer, and Blancpain and Breguet next to Patek Philippe and Vacheron Constantin.

The Breitling Chronomat B01 would be a welcome addition

Although Breitling and some Swatch Group brands participated in the last edition of the Geneva Watch Days, it isn’t the same as showing your novelties under the same roof as your competitors at the same time. The competition for public attention may be brutal, but the rewards when coming out on top are worth it. Swatch Group brands have yet to find a way to consistently bang the right drum at the right moment. Participating in a multibrand fair is a way to outshine the competition and get to the top spot of people’s wishlists. Swatch Group brands were once side by side with the others, and it feels like they should be again. It would also mean the full return of Baselworld, except in Geneva. “Genevaworld” sounds horrible, though.

Who wouldn’t like to see the Blancpain Fifty Fathoms at Watches and Wonders?

From the SIHH to Watches and Wonders and Baselworld 2.0: What could go wrong?

So, Baselworld was the undisputed king of watch fairs until it slipped, and now it’s Watches and Wonders. With the latter steadily growing, it’s starting to look a lot like Baselworld 2.0, which could be a sign. “The more the merrier” is a saying that goes for almost anything, including watch fairs. Too much of a good thing can turn into something bad, though, and high costs, inflexible organizers, and a general resistance to change could start wearing on brands, especially the big ones. If that happens, it will be the end of Baselworld all over again.

The SIHH once coexisted next to Baselworld before it transformed into Watches and Wonders and became the replacement show for Baselworld. The Watches and Wonders organization should closely monitor alternative watch fairs like Geneva Watch Days to keep itself sharp. However, I heard some exhibitors whisper that the event is on an upward trajectory in terms of prestige and participants. According to some, it’s growing too big, too quickly, and becoming too expensive. The SIHH started as a slow-paced salon, an oasis of peace and luxury compared to the frantic pace in Basel. With 66 exhibiting brands, visiting them all and taking in all their novelties in seven days is nearly impossible. Sifting out the most relevant ones is necessary, just like people did in the Baselworld days. Good thing the Wi-Fi always works at Watches and Wonders.