Watches & Wonders 2022 Confirms Its (Partly) Physical Show From March 30th To April 5th
Good news! This morning, Watches & Wonders officially confirmed that there will be a (partly) physical event in Geneva from March 30th to April 5th.
I can’t tell you how much I’ve missed these watch shows! It has been far too long since the last one, ever since everything ground to a halt in early 2020. Well, except for the Geneva Watch Days initiative at the end of the summer. So far, the European Watches & Wonders event (successor of SIHH) only took place digitally during the pandemic. Just like the former SIHH shows, Watches & Wonders will take place in the Palexpo venue in Geneva. This time, no less than 38 brands will be exhibiting both physically and digitally during what will be a welcome return to physical events in the form of Watches & Wonders 2022.
Not a virtual but a physical Watches & Wonders Shanghai 2021
Watches & Wonders 2022
The digital events that started in 2020 are much appreciated, and sometimes, they’re the only way to go. But there’s also the human interaction that is sometimes so necessary in this industry. It involves talking about the industry, the new watches, the thought process behind some of the watches, and of course the ability to touch and try the watches. The last one is especially important for us to do our job for you, our readers. Many of the brands shipped out the watches to our headquarters so we could have our way with them. But during these shows, we can try all variations, put them side-by-side, and give you a fast overview of what’s new. The hands-on reviews will follow later anyway.
Morning & Late Shows
Watches & Wonders 2022 will have a hybrid set-up. The product presentations and the Morning & Late Shows will be available digitally. But the all-important touch-and-feel sessions with the brands will take place physically, as we hoped they would. A small but important change is that there will be no more group presentations (thank you!). There will also be panel discussions during Watches & Wonders, with six in total, 45 minutes each. Then, there’s a “Time Design” exhibition dedicated to the evolution of watch design through the ages. This includes a tribute to the great Gérald Genta.
Exhibiting brands at W&W 2022
The exhibiting brands will be: A. Lange & Söhne, Baume & Mercier, Cartier, Chanel, Chopard, Grand Seiko, Hermès, Hublot, IWC Schaffhausen, Jaeger-LeCoultre, Montblanc, Oris, Panerai, Parmigiani Fleurier, Patek Philippe, Piaget, Roger Dubuis, Rolex, TAG Heuer, Tudor, Ulysse Nardin, Vacheron Constantin, Van Cleef & Arpels, and Zenith.
Then, just like the SIHH, there’s a carré (square) with independent watchmakers from Angelus, Armin Strom, Arnold & Son, Cyrus, Czapek & Cie, Ferdinand Berthoud, H. Moser & Cie, Laurent Ferrier, Louis Moinet, Rebellion Timepieces, Ressence, Rudis Sylva, Speake-Marin, and Trilobe.
The Fratello team will be on site to bring you the latest and greatest from the brands mentioned above.
Again, we are delighted that Watches & Wonders 2022 received the green light to take place in a partially physical capacity. We’ve been notified that appropriate measures have been taken to protect the visitors and exhibitors. These include an anti-COVID-19 vaccination requirement and wearing mouth masks.
We will keep you posted when anything changes with regards to the event. Otherwise, we’ll report back to you at Watches & Wonders on March 30th. Meanwhile, you can visit the official W&W website for more details.
