Watches & Wonders 2022: The Final Countdown

It’s finally here, the moment we have all been waiting for after an extensive break - The physical edition of Watches and Wonders Geneva 2022. Opening it’s doors on March 30th 2022, it will most certainly be a week filled with exciting discoveries. However if you can’t make it to Geneva this year, a vast digital system has been set up to allow you to follow the show online either live or via replay all the action of the Salon, which is already shaping up to be THE watch industry event of the year.

As we plan our agenda’s (personalized programmes) on the watchesandwonders.com platform, the excitement in Geneva seems to be reaching a fever pitch. The set-up of the different exhibition areas is already underway to ensure that visitors can be welcomed while respecting health measures. In the surrounding manufacturers and ateliers, the watchmakers are putting the final details to the new watches and jewelry collections that will be unveiled by the Maisons on March 30.

For its first physical event under the name Watches and Wonders Geneva - since last year’s event was entirely digital - the Salon will focus on major launches, previews, exceptional pieces and numerous new wonders. Aside from being featured in the Touch & Feel sessions, products will also be at the heart of discussions over many organized events, such as the Morning Show, the panel discussions and the innovative projects unveiled in the LAB.

Broadcast live from the Salon every morning at 12 Noon IST on watchesandwonders.com platform and on its YouTube channel, The Morning Show will be presented this year by Olivia Chang, a renowned business journalist. She will host this first-morning program with cross conversations between brand leaders and industry experts to follow the news of the Salon and decipher new trends. She will be back again at 11.30 pm IST on the Late Show, a new rendez-vous that will review the day’s highlights.

A daily 45-minute panel discussion, hosted by watchmaking experts and other influential personalities, will explore the issue of sustainable development in greater depth. This theme, a particularly hot topic at the moment, will be addressed from different angles, such as transparency, responsible sourcing, innovation, and the circular economy. Broadcast live from the Salon at 5.30 pm IST on the watchesandwonders.com platform and on its YouTube channel, the program will also be available in replay.

Located in the center of the Salon, facing the Carré des Horlogers, the LAB has been designed as an ideas laboratory. This space, showcasing nearly 15 projects, will present the technological and digital innovations of the exhibiting Maisons. Highlighting eco responsible sourcing practices, upcycling, the use of new materials, new energy sources, and strategic partnerships with sustainable associations and organizations, the various initiatives will enable visitors to discover all these innovations and gain a better understanding of NFTs (Non-Fungible Token) and the world of the metaverse.

Watches and Culture will also curate the ‘Time Design’ exhibition dedicated to the evolution of wristwatch design through the ages. Imagined as a journey through watchmaking creativity and illustrated by more than 100 timepieces presented in showcases designed by students of ECAL (École d’art de Lausanne), the event will also pay tribute to the work of Mr. Gérald Genta. Five pieces produced by students of the HEAD art & design school in Geneva will invite visitors to question the display of time, while an augmented reality experience will immerse the viewer in the history of a few watchmaking icons.

A broadcasting area consisting of two fully-equipped studios will be available for the Maisons who wish to stay in touch with those journalists who are unable to travel to Geneva. In addition, booths equipped with a VISIODOME, a system that proved its worth last year as an optimized way of presenting products remotely, will allow the Maisons to share their latest creations with a larger audience.

Everyone is working hard to make this long-awaited edition the greatest watchmaking summit ever held in Geneva! Just 30 days to go before discovering new watches and jewelry releases, previews, major announcements, exceptional pieces, and other innovations.

The Hour Markers will be there giving you live updates as they unfold. So stay tuned and see you on March 30!