Watches and Wonders Geneva 2022 marks the beginning of a new horology era

Watches and Wonders Geneva 2022 has exceeded expectations and ended on the highest of notes. At the largest watchmaking summit ever held in Geneva international launches of new watchmaking products demonstrated extraordinary creativity, while a vast digital offering, including panels and keynotes, generated fruitful discussions and hundreds of millions of views on social media. The energy and enthusiasm created by such an event can also be measured by the exceptional response it produced throughout the world and confirm the importance of this annual get-together.

A strong, united watchmaking industry

By bringing the main players in the watchmaking industry together in one place, Watches and Wonders Geneva enables the industry to speak with one voice. For its first physical event under its new name, Watches and Wonders Geneva is set within a favorable context for the Swiss watchmaking industry. The 2022 salon produced strong results for the exhibiting Maisons, and occasionally exceeded all expectations, with some brands selling out of their new pieces before the event concluded.

With nearly 22,000 unique visitors, including nearly 1,000 journalists who traveled to Geneva for the event, generating more than 30,000 overnight stays, this year's salon has ended on an extremely positive note. Thanks to the 38 exhibiting Maisons, including 19 newcomers, the salon was buzzing during a week of extraordinary dynamism. On more than one occasion, the sheer joy of putting watches on their wrists and the pleasure of meeting again and chatting, almost made some guests late for their appointments. In total, there were 1,700 Touch & Feel sessions for the press, 20 Keynotes from exhibiting Maisons, 7,000 meetings with retailers, not to mention the many discussion panels addressing future challenges such as sustainability, innovation and customer experience. The LAB, a space hosting 15 digital and technological initiatives from the exhibiting Maisons, focusing on major themes such as the use of new materials or the development of partnerships with sustainable organizations, also attracted many visitors. The Time Design exhibition, dedicated to the history of watch design through the ages, was moreover a great success with nearly 4,500 visitors. This collection of over 100 timepieces will now be on display to the general public from April 14 to May 8, 2022 at the Pont de la Machine in Geneva.

Worldwide impact

With an estimated reach of 350 million people and 800,000 posts mentioning #watchesandwonders on various social media platforms and other digital channels, Watches and Wonders Geneva is ensuring that watchmaking achieves international impact. The watchesandwonders.com platform attracted nearly 155,000 unique users, enabling the 2,600 accredited digital journalists to follow all the news from the salon live. Nearly 80 product presentations were broadcast digitally to meet the needs of those press members who could not make the trip. The 35,000 views of the first Morning Show, presented by renowned business journalist Olivia Chang, testify to the expectations of a discerning audience. These same viewers also enthusiastically welcomed the Late Show, the new program, which was also broadcast live from the salon every day on the watchesandwonders.com platform and on its Youtube channel.

Thanks to its hybrid physical and digital format, Watches and Wonders Geneva offers a unique international showcase for an industry capable of reinventing itself to adapt to the challenges of its time with skill, agility and creativity.

On trend

The salon's success can also be measured by the profusion of design that was on display. Often closely influenced by existing collections, the new timepieces confirm the widespread trend for interchangeable bracelets and models with increasingly long power reserves. The many different GMT watches were competing with chronographs, often part of a sporty chic look. One notable trend is for models fitted with a minute repeater, a skeleton movement or a tourbillon which should delight collectors, just like the dials demonstrating the skills of artistic trades such as marquetry or enamel, to name but a few. Platinum is being used alongside yellow gold, which is still very popular, while titanium is becoming more widespread. The colors of choice remain blue and green, even if black, in either a glossy or matt finish, is making a marked comeback. Orange, coral and red are limited to a few designs, as are mineral, beige and forest green shades.

Focused on creativity, innovation and sharing, the 2022 Watches and Wonders Geneva event ended on a very positive note. With its hybrid, physical and digital, format, the salon has made it possible to reconcile the demands of an ultra-connected age with in-person meetings, proving that both are possible. Watches and Wonders Geneva has just demonstrated that watchmaking know-how, artistic craftmanship and NFT (Non-Fungible Tokens) can coexist harmoniously.

While we wait for the 2023 event, we turn our attention to China where the third edition of Watches and Wonders Shanghai will be held from September 7 to 11, 2022. Another unmissable event!