Geneva Watch Days. Yes, more than 400 releases, a cultural celebration and all that. But above all, it was a breath of fresh air. Like really fresh air. It was the first event in a very long time where I had the impression that everybody was positive. Sales were up, suppliers were happy, creative collabs were manifesting themselves in amazing watches, and nobody was whinging. As we all know a whinger is somebody who tends to be ever-present in the watch industry. To be a whinger is also a way to show that you know a bit more than your surroundings. You don’t follow? Well, maybe it is just me, but over the years I have met a lot of besserwissers who can’t see light at the end of the tunnel, who can’t see new trends emerging, but they will tell you everything about doom and gloom in the watch industry. Which makes them very important.
It seems like my observation about better days can also be backed up by numbers. In the last issue of the Revue FH – The publication from FHS, the Swiss Watch Federation – the first seven months of the year have been generally positive. US remains strong and promises growth, and the export trend is expected to improve significantly.
Another great sign of the current optimism is the abundance of niche stuff happening. Just take the plethora of events that we see all around the world, several of them specializing in indies, each of them with a special touch.
For instance, the Stockholm Time, which specializes in Nordic brands. To enrich this successful niche, Nordic Watch Awards is organized in October for the second time. As WorldTempus will be a media partner, you will for sure read more about this event which will also give the jury’s special prize to none less than Svend Andersen.
Speaking of indies, there is also phenomena like the new auction house Marteau specializing in independents. Founded just over a year ago, Marteau is not just surviving, it is killing it, with several world records broken for brands like Kari Voutilainen with the Decimal Repeater, which achieved CHF 1,560,000. We are also closely watching co-founders Arthur Touchot’s and Leonard Pictet’s next radical thematic auctions with blue watches and “No Plain Pateks.”
In a few days, we’ll get some more statistics from FHS. I have never been more convinced that my positive observations will be further backed up by some good numbers.
