With Basel off the calendar, there are myriad watch brands wanting to tap into the global audience that Watches and Wonders brings to Geneva, but can’t find a berth at Palexpo. Enter Time to Watches, the other Geneva watch show.
Journalists and retailers are flying into Geneva from all over the world, most hosted by Watches and Wonders, making them duty-bound to spend most of their time at Palexpo up by the airport.
But the Watches and Wonders Foundation, which has a stated mission to spread the good word of Swiss watchmaking around the world, is also encouraging people to take a tour around the city of Geneva, where there are exhibitions taking place inside hotels, boutiques and multibrand showrooms.
In addition, there is Time to Watches, which takes place at the same time as Watches and Wonders from March 28 to April 1 (9:30am – 7:30pm daily).
The show is in the main auditorium of HEAD, a design education institution, located at Avenue de Châtelaine 5, CH-1203 Genève.
For a full list of exhibitors and other details, visit the Time to Watches website, but here are here are some of the highlights visitors to the show can see.
Perrelet
Best known for its sporty Turbine family, Perrelet has used the start of 2023 to highlight its more classical range of Weekend dress watches including this grass green GMT.
The collection comes in a range of more traditional colours as well — silver, blue or black — and there are simple 3-handers and an open heart version with an exposed balance wheel at 6 o’clock.
HERBELIN
The Newport Chronograph Automatic contains almost all of the signatures and stories behind the French watchmaker: its sport aesthetic aligned with a nautical theme and a radiant sunburst blue dial.
The 43.5mm watch has high end touches like a sapphire glass exhibition case back exposing the Sellita SW510 automatic chronograph movement with 62 hour power reserve, which has been customised with a Herbelin branded rotor.
Oligo
Fledgling Swiss brand Oligo is into its second year of operation after launching its first collection of minimalist watches late last year.
The business has been several more years in the making, according to founder Olivier Gaud, who despaired at how cluttered and illegible timepieces were becoming.
The brand has the simplest look, with just hour and minute hands seemingly floating their way around a central circle.
HEGID
It is hard to know what to expect from French watch business Hegid. Will it be an evolution of the octagonal cased Mirage, an extension of the traditional circular Laboratoire or something more radical like a new and bold Celeste (pictured).
WOLF
Always one of the most popular stands at any exhibition, watch winder specialist WOLF will be using Time to Watches to present its latest range of watch winders, travel cases, jewellery boxes and other accessories. Highlight of this year’s show will the The Rocket, a range of single watch winders for people on the go.
Reservoir
Another French watchmaker at the show is Reservoir, which recently revealed its first limited edition collaboration watch, a Popeye piece created with customiser LabelNoir.
The spinach-powered sailor tells the time in the signature Reservoir way with a jumping hour at six o’clock and a sweeping minute arc, pointed at by Popeye, from 8pm to 4pm.
Only 200 are being made, priced at £4,350.
BA1110D
Disruptive watchmaker BA1110D’s founder and CEO Thomas Baillod says he was not just creating a watch brand, but reinventing distribution and retail by turning customers into influencers and ambassadors.
The plan is working, with the company notching up seven figure sales within its first few years. As WatchPro went to press, a countdown on the brand’s website had 15 days to go before a launch promising to ‘Redefine Time’.
Head to Time to Watches to find out what Mr Baillod has in mind to follow up on the Chapter 4.2 Lily Tourbillon (pictured).
SINN
SINN is sticking to its passion for using unconventional materials for its watches with the T50 GoldBronze, a 300 piece limited edition 41mm watch using a patent pending alloy that gives bronze a golden hue, which will patinate over time.
The moss green 3-hander with date comes with a three year warranty.
Carl Suchy
The dial of Austrian watchmaker Carl Suchy’s signature Waltz N°1 has a guilloché pattern divided in half by vertical and horizontal striping.
A rotating small seconds indicator has the same stripes, which align with the dial around it once per minute as it turns. This, the brand says, is the watch’s waltz.
