Swatch Group’s chief executive, Nick Hayek Jr., may have rebuffed a direct invitation from Rolex’s CEO Jean-Frédéric Dufour to participate in Watches and Wonders, but an assertion that his brands do not see the need for global exhibitions is being questioned after Blancpain, Glashütte Original and Breguet signed up for Geneva Watch Days.
Unlike the formality of Watches and Wonders at the city’s Palexpo, Geneva Watch Days takes place around Lake Geneva’s hotels, smaller event spaces and brand boutiques.
It is considerably more relaxed as visitors move between the various event spaces under the late summer sunshine expected from the show’s dates from August 29 to September 2.
Official participation by three Swatch Group brands does not say anything about Mr Hayek’s intentions to join Watches and Wonders, but it is a development to watch.
Ahead of this year’s Watches and Wonders, Rolex’s chief said that he had visited Mr Hayek and other members of his family with a view to Swatch Group brands taking their place alongside more than 50 watchmakers at this year’s event.
His advance was rejected, and when asked why, Mr Dufour replied: “I don’t know, I can’t see into Mr. Hayek’s head. He says the Swatch Group is very industrial and doesn’t want to waste time on exhibitions. It’s a shame, but it’s not my place to judge this strategy.”
Geneva Watch Days may not even qualify as an exhibition given its decentralised approach.
The greatest concentration of brands is in the Beau Rivage hotel, which is opposite a temporary pavilion (pictured top) next to the lake that is used mostly for seminars during the day and casual evening receptions.
There are currently 51 brands signed up to present at the event, including its co-founders Breitling and Bulgari whose chief executives conceived the idea in 2020 as a way to show new collections during the first year of the pandemic.
