With a digital Watches & Wonders show in April in Geneva that everyone hailed as an honorable solution in the absence of a physical event (read the interviews of Laurent Dordet here and Frédéric Grangié here), the much-heralded return of "real" face-to-face events is a sign of double optimism: the joy of meeting and doing business without a screen, and the sign that the public health crisis is in fact coming to an end.
Chronologically, let's salute the dynamism and impressive foresight of Carlos Alonso, publisher of the Tiempo de Relojes magazine and founder of the SIAR trade fair, whose professionalism and the relevance of the format offered have been unanimously acclaimed in the industry for years. Not only was he able to organize his 2020 edition last fall and enable the watchmakers present to make sales, but he is doubling down this year by setting up a summer SIAR, from mid-June. Independent watchmakers are flocking to it, while the usual edition in mid-October 2021 is also still to be held as planned. Caliente!
This watch scene will be buzzing this fall, since in mid-October the Shanghai Watch Festival is also due to be held, organized by collector and entrepreneur Kelvin Sa, founder of the Shanghai Watch Gang club. This new, more institutional concept of his show, which previously took place in December in a fairly relaxed mode, is aimed at a wider audience, and is also slated to host the Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève traveling exhibition. The latter is expected to stop off in India just before that. The highly popular and influential biennial Dubai Watch Week aims to bring the entire watchmaking community together again at the end of November, offering a clever mix of cultural panels, media presentations, booths open to the public and order taking by the powerful local retailer Seddiqi & Son, which initiated this major international event.
Switzerland in the front row Having made headlines last year by rising from the still smoldering ashes of the two major traditional Swiss exhibitions, the Geneva Watch Days are confirming they hit the spot by staging a strong comeback to the shores of Lake Geneva from August 30th to September 4th. Still directly organized by the founding brands behind the concept, joined by others won over by this entrepreneurial spirit and their independence, Geneva Watch Days will once again rely on a shared marquee open to the public and individual presentation areas spread throughout the boutiques and suites of the surrounding hotels.
During the same period in Neuchâtel, the Imagination exhibition intends to bring together watch industry exhibitors, as well as jewellers and manufacturers of writing instruments, from September 1st to 6th.
The Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève is celebrating its 20th anniversary, as is its media partner, the WorldTempus website, and will be exhibiting in Geneva at the end of October for the first time all the “Aiguille d’Or” Grand Prix awards since 2001, in addition to the 84 watches nominated for 2021. The prize-giving ceremony will take place on November 4th at the Théâtre du Léman – with a 1,200-strong audience this time?
Two days later, the Only Watch biennial will complete its world tour (after kicking off at the Monaco Yacht Show September 22nd) with an auction held by Christie's Geneva. Everyone still remembers the record result of the 2019 sale (CHF 38.5 million donated in full to research), and no one is surprised that this ninth edition is attracting over 55 brands. Its exceptional founder Luc Pettavino was indeed honored with the GPHG Special Jury Prize in 2019.
