The eighth edition of the Salon Internacional Alta Relojeria was officially opened today at the St. Regis Hotel in Mexico City by Switzerland's ambassador to Mexico, Louis-José Touron, who underscored the importance of the watchmaking industry to Switzerland's economy, to which it is the third biggest contributor after the pharmaceutical and machine tools sectors.
For his part, exhibition organiser Carlos Alonso, pointed out the significance of this eighth edition, alluding to the number's importance as a lucky number in watchmaking, favoured particularly by the Asian customers who account for the majority of the industry's exports.
A total of 32 brands are exhibiting at the show, which is being followed by around 40 media outlets from across the region, as well as for the first time by global watchmaking websites such as WorldTempus.
At its new location of the St. Regis Hotel, the exhibition offers some 15 per cent additional floorspace organised in a more compact way to make the exhibition more accessible. The presence of Cuervo y Sobrinos, the brand with Latin American roots, for the first time at the exhibition was also welcomed, as was the availability of private spaces for brands to welcome customers in a more discreet environment if required.
The SIAR is increasingly gaining international significance, as exemplified by the presence of numerous chief executive officers from the watch brands. Jérôme de Witt from the eponymous brand, is on his fourth visit to the show, where the brand itself has been exhibitng for six years. "Coming here helps me to maintain my vision and talk from the heart," he explains. "I have to be able to feel the market. It is also my way of thanking our customers."
Other brands are using the SIAR as a platform for launching new products. Such is the case of Armin Strom, which presents its Skeleton Pure model to the public for the first time at the SIAR.
This new collection, which like all Armin Strom lines will come in four versions reflecting the four elements, adds a new dimension to the brand's manufacture skeleton calibre presented at BaselWorld earlier this year with the use of new treatments and technologies to add greater depth to the movement.
The Skeleton Pure Fire and Water editions debut at the SIAR, while the Skeleton Pure Air and Earth models will be presented at the Salon QP in London. Each version is a limited edition of 100 models.
