Watches and Wonders Geneva 2021 confirmed it is moving forward with what it has dubbed as a “phygital experience” for 2021.
Now while the term phygital may seem a strange one to all of us, Watches and Wonders’ aim is to bring back some normality to what has been another somewhat difference start to a calendar year.
An industry gathering taking place in two phases in April 2021 is the organisers’ plan this year, described as a month during which watchmaking worldwide will be held in the spotlight online and offline.
Some forty leading brands will be present, April 7-13, on the newly enhanced watchesandwonders.com digital platform.
On the agenda: networking, discussions and enhanced interactivity as brands reveal their 2021 new releases.
This digital gathering will be followed a few days later, by the Watches and Wonders Shanghai physical Salon, where some 15 exhibiting brands will present their latest timepieces.
In other words, a single event that unites the watch industry’s leading names in digital and physical format.
While uncertainty surrounding the evolution of the COVID-19 pandemic has prompted the Watches and Wonders Geneva Exhibitor Committee to rethink the format of the Salon, scheduled April 7-13, 2021, the need remains for a large-scale event that brings watchmaking’s professionals and principal stakeholders together in a single location, both to ensure business continuity and to connect brands, retailers and international media.
As part of a release to the media, event organisers said: “In the face of an uncertain health situation, Watches and Wonders shows its agility and is initiating a powerful momentum that will take place both online and offline. This gets under way April 7-13 when Watches and Wonders Geneva hosts some 40 brands on the new watchesandwonders.com platform.
“Next, in China, where a few days later, some 15 brands are exhibiting at the second edition of Watches and Wonders Shanghai inside the West Bund Art Center.”
All the brands that confirmed their presence at the physical Salon, including Cartier, Chanel, Chopard, IWC Schaffhausen, Jaeger-LeCoultre, Hermès, Patek Philippe, Rolex, Tudor and Ulysse Nardin, will be joined by new arrivals, among which are Bulgari, Carl F Bucherer, Hublot, Louis Vuitton, TAG Heuer and Zenith.
To facilitate interaction and enable visitors from around the world to enjoy the full Watches and Wonders experience, the watchesandwonders.com platform – successfully introduced in April 2020 – launches with additional features.
Product launches and major partnership announcements by the brands will form part of the agenda, as well as online press calls, a live Morning Show bringing daily analysis of what’s new at the Salon, plus panels and talks led by key industry figures and influential personalities.
Carrying on the momentum from the Watches and Wonders Geneva digital Salon will be the exclusive event, held in Shanghai.
Coming after the successful inaugural edition of Watches and Wonders Shanghai in September 2020, and observing full health and safety measures, the West Bund Art Center will welcome some 15 brands for its second edition, including new arrivals such as Chopard, Rolex, Tudor and Ulysse Nardin.
The event will be open by invitation only to media, retailers and watch enthusiasts who will be first to see, in the metal, the new releases unveiled just days before on the watchesandwonders.com platform.
Organisers went on to explained: “Depending on how the COVID-19 situation evolves, more Watches and Wonders physical events may be added, to provide professionals and enthusiasts with an opportunity to discover the new releases for 2021 along with a hands-on experience.
For 2022, the leading names in the watch industry are looking forward to gathering, in person, at the next Watches and Wonders Geneva, which will be the biggest watch Salon ever held in Geneva. This already highly anticipated event will take place in spring 2022 at Palexpo.”
Switzerland is unfriendly, I won’t go.