It feels like only yesterday when I was gawping at the massive entrance to Watches and Wonders in Geneva’s Palexpo last year, just like a kid confronted by the Tyrannosaurus Rex on his first school trip to the Natural History Museum.
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Except this time, I hadn’t eaten all my packed lunch before breakfast and not every been sick on the way. You’re definitely much more prepared the second time round for the sheer size and scale of the show, but the wonderment has never gone away - it’s easy to see how the show gets its name - and I can’t believe it’s this time of year already.
Put simply, Watches and Wonders (formerly known as the Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie or SIHH) is the biggest and best watch show in the industry: a chance for all the brands to make us dream and drool. The hype around the show is infectious, and it’s so easy to get caught up in the feeding frenzy.
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If there’s one thing that the Swiss are famous for, on top of watches, fondue, and yodelling, it’s discretion. As a result, predicting what we’re going to see at Watches and Wonders is always a tricky business, as most of the manufacturers are pretty good at keeping their cards close to their chests, prior to a dramatic drop first thing on Tuesday morning, when the show opens its doors. But we can make a few educated guesses.
Let’s start with Rolex - for no other reason than everyone else does. While there will be 54 participating brands, with eight ‘new entries’ this year, Watches and Wonders is very much Rolex’s party. There are times when you can’t actually see what Rolex has released when you wander past the stand, as the crowd is so deep.
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There have been a lot of rumours about what we’ll see, and many of them centre around the GMT Master II, with a few new colours and bezels mooted (and the ceramic Pepsi bezel discontinued, but other combinations such as Coke, Sprite, or possibly other soft drink inspirations re-introduced).
Curiously, some people better informed than me have also predicted the death knell for the Yacht Master II. That might sound far-fetched, but if course Rolex killed off the Milgauss last year, which makes us wonder whether or not it might be resurrected in some shape or form this year. People love the idea of an anti-magnetic watch, which makes me wonder why they got rid of it in the first place. My favourite Milgauss was actually the one that they made in a shade of light purple, and while some people may find the sound of that hideous, it definitely worked. Rolex clearly thought so too, as there’s another rumour flying around about a purple Submariner. I’ve no idea if it’s true or not, but I’d like it to be. A rose gold Yacht Master has also been mooted, according to some leaked images online. Leaked images tend to be about as reliable as Julian Assange, but you never know…
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Personally, I’ve always gravitated towards Tudor as being the more accessible side of the family: and they certainly came up with some astonishing watches last year, what with the opaline dial and the Royal.
This year, Tudor have already sprung the biggest surprise with something that I initially thought might be an April Fools’ prank: a 41-millimetre pink Black Bay Chrono. Then David Beckham was pictured wearing it and it all made sense. It’s the result of a Tudor partnership with Beckham’s football team, Inter Miami, whose colours are resolutely pink. Hence what we can only describe as a Pink Panda (which makes a refreshing change from a Pink Panther). Could Tudor follow this up with a smaller-sized pink watch aimed at ladies (the 36mm Black Bay was pioneered at Geneva last year, after all)? It might not be so surprising.
As well as showing off actual watches, the giants also get to play with the shiny new toys they have acquired in terms of brands. Breitling, for example, has bought one of the most iconic names from the past - Universal Geneve - and it’s going to be fascinating to see what they plan to do with it. Maybe there will be some clues next week - or maybe it’s still too soon: there’s no mention of Universal Geneve on the list of exhibitors after all. The joy of Watches and Wonders is that you really don’t know - there’s a genuine frisson of anticipation as you walk through the glittering portal of the entrance into another new world.
As well as the established royalty – Rolex, Tudor, Patek Philippe, Audemars Piguet and so on - there are also the Richemont Group brands like Cartier, IWC, Piaget, Panerai, JLC, and Vacheron Constantin.
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Patek Philippe, another star of the show, is rumoured to be releasing a sportier and less expensive watch that might be called the Cubitus – the younger brother of the Nautilus. That’s going to be real talking point if true.
Not quite everyone is there: the Swatch Group tends to skip it, no doubt for political reasons that are too complex for us to understand, so we won’t be seeing brands like Blancpain, Breguet, Longines, Omega, Rado and Tissot, which is shame. However, many of the absent brands will still be participating virtually if not in reality, as a lot of companies tend to drop their new releases online at Watches and Wonders time anyway - such is the prominence of the show.
Outside of the Palexpo show, there are all sorts of other brands that occupy hotel suites in the city to showcase their products, including luminaries such as Jean-Claude Biver, who is releasing another highly-exclusive watch during Watches and Wonders week.
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In fact, if you’re there to report on what’s happening, the biggest challenge is to know how to keep calm and cut through the noise. The sheer quantity of news, gossip, new releases, and appointments with brand representatives can feel completely overwhelming. So you have to prioritise what you want to see and learn during the show very carefully. There’s just no way you’ll do everything, and if you attempt it, you’ll simply turn into a punch-drunk wreck gibbering about escapements into your 20th glass of free Champagne. That’s definitely one to avoid, although Lange & Sohne do bring their own German beer and barman, which is greatly appreciated.
So what will be the themes of this year’s epic? In the words of the organisers themselves, the emphasis will be on innovation, with a special focus on young people, to offer a genuine educational and cultural insight into the world of watchmaking. “We have noticed a growing interest in our industry from the younger generation, with an average age of 35 on the public days, which is extremely encouraging,” commented Matthieu Humair, CEO of the Watches and Wonders Geneva Foundation.
It’s going to be exciting. And by the time you read this, we’ll be there already: so look out for all our coverage.
