In the midst of a worldwide health crisis, one of the brightest sparks in our day-to-day lives has been getting to see the extraordinary ways in which people can come together to serve and support a community. This coming Saturday may not mean anything to you apart from being yet another weekend indoors in this strangely altered time.
For members of the WorldTempus family and other watch lovers everywhere (although if you love watches, you’re automatically a member of the WorldTempus family, as far as I’m concerned), this Saturday is Different, with a capital D. This Saturday at noon (CEST), Watches&Wonders Geneva opens its doors.
Wait a minute… I hear you ask, pushing back masses of untrimmed hair in order to reread that last line, wasn’t Watches&Wonders Geneva cancelled in light of virus-related concerns? You’re entirely correct, gentle reader. It was. Emphasis on the past tense. The initial plan for a physical salon has been replaced with a fully developed, state-of-the-art digital salon platform that covers all the essential functions of the original fair, and goes even further in opening up to an unprecedented level of audience access.
As much as I always enjoyed my experience at the Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie (SIHH), the predecessor to Watches&Wonders Geneva, I continually wished that it could welcome more members of the public, people who share our passion, if not our industry credentials. Now, with this digital platform, Watches&Wonders and its organisers, the Fondation de la Haute Horlogerie, have fully committed to a global outreach strategy that has virtually no limits when it comes to audience size.
In addition, Watches&Wonders Geneva (Digital Edition) will have no closing date, unlike a physical salon. All its content will be available throughout the rest of the year, and the platform will continue to be updated in order to accommodate the different needs of Watches&Wonders brands. Some of these brands may have experienced setbacks in terms of productions, due to factory closures and supply-chain shortages, but the fully online environment of Watches&Wonders in 2020 will ensure that creativity and horological ingenuity will be supported despite adjustments in timeframe.
Apart from rich media content and information related directly to the new timepieces being presented, Watches&Wonders is also planning to make available a series of expert and educational videos and tools. Look out for these, as I can already tell you that you will see some familiar faces being featured.
WorldTempus looks forward to bringing you all the latest information about this innovative new salon format, as one of the privileged media partners of Watches&Wonders.
Read the full official statement from Watches&Wonders and other details.
