Watch retailers and journalists will have had their trip to Geneva for Watches and Wonders booked for weeks, but the foundation that runs the show is also inviting the public to come to the city for time both within the hallowed halls of the exhibition and around the central district around the lake.
An update this morning is advertising a range of activities In the City from Monday March 27 to Saturday April 1 and In the Salon on April 1 and 2.
Down by the lake, there is a special launch event on March 30, which promises to “animate the streets of Geneva” from 5 to 9pm.
It starts at the Pont de la Machine and ends at the Place Longemalle, passing by the major watch brand boutiques and stores of Rue du Rhône.
Bucherer’s landmark showroom on Geneva’s Rue de Rhone.
The final entertainment of the evening will take place on Quai Général Guisan from 7pm.
Most of the activity in town is thinly disguised salesmanship by brands and retailers, but there are some incentives to spend time touring boutiques.
For example, people can follow a trail of boutiques and cultural sites scanning QR codes along the way that add up to a secret code that will allow them to enter a prize draw.
Ten winners will receive two tickets for the Salon during the weekend, including meals.
There are two public days at Watches and Wonders, up by the airport in the Palexpo center on April 1 and 2.
Day passes are priced at CHF 70.
On both days there are guided tours to discover the 48 exhibiting Maisons and a series of presentations in an auditorium.
The schedule of talks is:
- Saturday April 1
- 10:00 – My Watches and Wonders Week: What to experience? I have spent the full week at Palexpo: what are the experiences not to be missed ? Were there trends I could observe ? A guide for today’s visitors.
- 11:00 – Product novelties: What’s trending? Various Watch Specialists takes us through the trends they identified, products novelties they discovers throughout the event in terms of design, material, complications, colors…
- 12:00 – What’s your Watch Worth? Over the last few years, the perception and the actual value of a luxury watch has evolved tremendously. State of affairs.
- 16:00 – The Power of Collaboration : how luxury watch brands learned to thrive in a market driven by hype. By discussing all forms of collaboration (partnerships, ambassadors, associations), we will examine their added value for both brands and their customers.
- 17:00 – Web3, Blockchain, and The Metaverse in Watchmaking. Connecting A Traditional Industry / How new technologies and the Web3 are connecting a traditionally and inherently unconnected industry.
- Sunday April 2
- 10:00 – My Watches and Wonders Week: What to experience? I have spent the full week at Palexpo: what are the experiences not to be missed ? Were there trends I could observe ? A guide for today’s visitors.
- 11:00 – Product novelties: What’s trending? Various Watch Specialists takes us through the trends they identified, products novelties they discovers throughout the event in terms of design, material, complications, colors…
- 12:00 – Iconic Watches. How does a watch become iconic..? How to earn this title and recognition ? Let’s discover a few models that have imposed their enduring mark in our world.
- 15:00 – Circularity and watchmaking: the different virtuous circles of a watch. Circularity appears to be one of the solutions for a better sustainability of the watch industry. What does this mean for brands and customers?
- 16:00 – The ABC of vintage collecting – a different perspective. How to start a vintage collection ? Over the last few years, vintage has gained in traction. Certainly pushed by sustainability and circularity concerns, but it represents another category of collection altogether. Let’s discover why?
