Some of the most ambitious ideas never make it beyond the drawing board. Geneva Watch Days came remarkably close to becoming one of them. Conceived for a debut in 2020, the project had been meticulously planned by its founding brands. The one thing no one anticipated was a global pandemic.
The Magnificent Eight
Rather than postponing or abandoning the initiative, the eight founding brands chose to move forward. Breitling, Bvlgari, De Bethune, Girard-Perregaux, H. Moser & Cie., MB&F, Ulysse Nardin, and Urwerk rallied behind Bvlgari CEO Jean-Christophe Babin's vision of a decentralized, open-air event. By spreading presentations across Geneva instead of gathering everyone under one roof, the organizers found a way around the public health restrictions that had effectively sidelined traditional trade fairs—including Watches and Wonders.
Yet the objective extended well beyond replacing the Geneva show that had been canceled five months earlier. The real inspiration came from much farther away: Dubai.
Since 2015, the Seddiqi family has hosted Dubai Watch Week, an event that has never sought to rival Geneva in terms of attendance. In 2019, Watches and Wonders welcomed around 23,000 visitors, compared with roughly 9,000 in Dubai. But visitor numbers were never the point. Dubai Watch Week introduced an entirely different philosophy: a human-scale event where CEOs, watchmakers, collectors, retailers, and journalists could meet without schedules dictating every conversation. Informal exchanges, rather than crowded exhibition halls, became the event's defining feature.
A Complement Rather Than a Competitor
Geneva Watch Days wisely adopted that same philosophy and transplanted it to the banks of Lake Geneva. Its decentralized format naturally appealed to the many independent brands that make up the majority of exhibitors. The founding eight did more than launch a new event—they established its DNA.
"The admission process is actually very transparent," explains one exhibitor." The committee, largely led by Bvlgari, is open to newcomers but also careful about managing growth. They receive plenty of applications but don't let everyone in at once. Some brands may wait a year or two before becoming official exhibitors, and that's probably a good thing. I've seen brands apply, only to disappear altogether two years later."
Independence First
The 2026 exhibitor list perfectly illustrates that philosophy. Although the number of participating brands has climbed to 69, the overwhelming majority remain independent.
The exceptions are relatively few: Frédérique Constant and Alpina (Citizen Group); Breitling, now alongside Universal Genève and Gallet; Bvlgari, L'Épée, Gérald Genta, and Zenith (LVMH); De Bethune (The 1916 Company); Ferdinand Berthoud (Chopard Group); L. Leroy and Perrelet (Festina Group); and Maurice Lacroix (DKSH). Virtually every other exhibitor, like all of the founding brands except Bvlgari, operates independently.
In other words, Geneva Watch Days has grown primarily in size rather than in spirit. Its core principles remain unchanged. The event is still held in Geneva at the end of August, still free and open to the public—a policy introduced in 2021—and still spread across numerous hotels throughout the city.
"From day one, we've prioritized a simple, open format—accessible, efficient, welcoming, and offering genuine freedom of expression," says Jean-Christophe Babin. "It's a framework designed to encourage direct interaction between brands, industry professionals, the media, collectors, and the public."
Walking a Fine Line
Ironically, the greatest challenge facing Geneva Watch Days may lie in the widening gap between its original philosophy and its growing scale. The event continues to embrace intimacy while attracting increasingly large crowds—a balancing act that becomes more difficult every year.
If current growth continues, attendance in 2026 is expected to exceed 15,000 visitors, including roughly 2,000 industry professionals such as retailers, suppliers, and journalists. The intimate atmosphere envisioned by the founding eight is inevitably becoming harder to preserve. Geneva Watch Days has evolved into a full-fledged professional trade show, even if it refuses to present itself as one.
Hotels are increasingly stretched to their limits, trying to accommodate back-to-back meetings scheduled every 30 minutes in spaces that were never designed to function as exhibition venues.
Even so, the gamble has clearly paid off. Geneva Watch Days has now grown into an event comparable to Dubai Watch Week while positioning itself just behind the industry's flagship gathering, Watches and Wonders.
"The two events complement each other," says one exhibitor. "You really need to attend both because you don't meet the same people."
As the 2026 edition approaches, two conclusions stand out. First, the global watch industry is large enough to support multiple major events—at least until Basel succeeds in relaunching a significant international fair. Second, despite the growing number of watch events held around the world—from Las Vegas and Mexico City to New York, Paris, and Hong Kong—Geneva remains the industry's undisputed center of gravity.
