Back in 2019, Baselworld was already teetering on the brink of implosion.
Swatch Group, home to Omega, Longines, Tissot and Breguet, had already withdrawn, and Breitling was next out of the door, confirming it would not participate in the 2020 event.
Baselworld never took place again, and it was not until 2022 that Watches and Wonders in Geneva opened as the first global trade fair after the pandemic with the usual Richemont brands joined by the likes of Rolex, Patek Philippe, Chopard, Tudor, Chanel, Oris, Grand Seiko and LVMH’s TAG Heuer, Hublot and Zenith.
Exhibitors and visitors to that show were delighted to be back under one roof for a spectacular reaffirmation of the historic luxury watch industry’s enduring strength.
Watches and Wonders did have some key absentees in 2022 and 2023, most notably Breitling, Bulgari and all the Swatch Group brands.
Today, WatchPro can reveal that at least one of those hold-outs is back, with Breitling making a return in 2024, according to sources familiar with the show’s plans.
There are strong rumours Bulgari will also participate next year as Watches and Wonders expands from around 50 brands to 65. There may even be Swatch Group brands among the new line-up.
Breitling has been asked to confirm the news, but has so far declined.
It is not clear whether appearing at Watches and Wonders will mean that Breitling Summits, which the brand created as an alternative platform to launch new collections, will be retired.
Most likely we will see a mixture of activity: Watches and Wonders in the Spring along with online and physical summits at other times of the year.
In addition, expect to see consumer-facing activations continue, like the current promotion of Breitling’s Top Time chronographs at the Battersea Power Station shopping centre.
There is a question mark over how Breitling (and possibly Bulgari) will be accommodated within Watches and Wonders.
The show expanded this year with a new area housing modest stands for the likes of Alpina, Frederique Constant, Chronoswiss and Pequignet.
Breitling will need to be present on a scale that matches its status as a billionaire watch brand, which may mean one of the current line-up is planning to leave the show.
In addition to Breitling, WatchPro’s source says that Bremont will be joining Watches and Wonders 2024, but has not confirmed.
Bremont was also previously committed to holding its own “Townhouse” events or gatherings at its manufacturing and technology hub, The Wing, near Henley-on-Thames.
