The dust has settled… So with the beauty of hindsight, how was the Watches and Wonders 2023 experience for the brands exhibiting? GMT GCC catches up with some of the top horological players to find out what made the heart of this year’s fair tick.
Guido Terreni – CEO, Parmigiani Fleurier
How would you sum up the Watches and Wonders 2023 experience?
It was a great fair for us. I know that every CEO says that when it’s over, but what we are experiencing is really exceptional. It’s difficult to find the words to describe the scale of the excitement that we have. There is a real reactivation – last year was the first year that PF took part in Watches and Wonders after the pandemic, and it was the unveiling of the Tonda PF to the whole world. We had launched at Geneva Watch Days in 2021, it was a smaller environment with fewer people travelling due to Covid still being around. But in 2022 the brand exploded and this year was the confirmation, because in 2023 we continued to be able to excite through innovation and consistency. There’s really a big following for Parmigiani Fleurier from watch afficionados and people who are educated in watchmaking, so it really was a great week. I always love the fair, for me it’s the most important moment of the year, it’s exciting and there’s adrenaline pumping. You don’t sleep for the whole week, you sleep the three days after, but it doesn’t matter because it’s fun and it’s great to feel the response – which, this time, has been overwhelming.
What, for you, was the best launch?
I’m very proud of what we are doing, and I would say that the most important innovation that we did is the Tonda PF Minute Ratrappante, after the GMT Rattrapante last year which was a bit of a surprise for everyone, but in our minds it was a philosophy of designing complications that are intuitive, easy and new. So the world premiere is a theme we are looking forward to dig into. I don’t imagine we can come up with a world premiere every year, but it’s really about moving the boundaries of watchmaking and having the courage to do things that have never been done, and refusing the idea that in watchmaking you can’t reinvent things because it’s all been done. I don’t believe that – I think that if you have the ideas and the courage to go for them, you can do many things and that’s what independent brands are doing, because you have the freedom to really explore. That’s what I really love about being independent and having the creativity and mastering the craft, because that way you can master your destiny. So the Minute Ratrappante for sure is the most relevant in my opinion.
As for the competition, it was an interesting week! I always look at what’s relevant, I’m not really keen on exceptional things that are unique pieces. What’s interesting to observe in this industry is that you have many, many new launches every year. But then what you remember, two or three years after that, is probably a handful of watches or even less. So I would say I was impressed by the IWC Ingineur restyling because it’s very difficult to restyle design, and to improve it, especially when it comes from Gerald Genta. So I think they did very good work, especially with the case and the bracelet integration. I think that Christoph [Grainger-Herr, CEO of IWC Schaffhausen] did a good job there. Congratulations.
What was the most significant trend you spotted amongst the releases?
The trend that’s been in for a while, and is really an everlasting trend, remains the versatility of the sport chic segment. It remains very hot and this is something that has been present since the Royal Oak, I would say in 1972. So it’s something that continues. The hype is probably starting to go down on certain models but it’s still very attractive and is still very suited for the way of living of today, which is less formal than before. However, there is a quest for more classic executions, I saw it at Rolex with the 1908, or the way of rejuvenating the Calatrava from Patek Philippe, and you have many examples of trying to add to the metal bracelet version. Something that is more dressy or more classic. To me, the way to do it in an innovative way is not yet nailed, so we will see evolutions in that trend.
This was the first Watches and Wonders open to the public – how did that change things?
I think it’s a great thing that Watches and Wonders has opened up. I was surprised by the response because I think it was over 12,000 people visited in the weekend, so it was really something. It was really brilliant to see the excitement, and what I was really excited about as that the average age of the visitors was 35 years old. It confirmed that even young people in their 20s, of which we saw many, were excited about mechanical and luxury watches and they were very knowledgeable. I took an elevator with two young gentlemen in their 20s who were talking about watches, brands, and they were excited. It was a fresh look at a customer who’s probably not yet a customer, but who has an interest that is growing, and and for sure they will they will dig into a passion that’s just beginning now. You hear comments that are, I wouldn’t say naïve, but they are fresh. It was fun to stay quiet and listen to them, really fun. And then having them visit the booth was also great.
Unfortunately, from our side, I must say that we were not really prepared because I think we could have done better in welcoming people. And for sure next year we will work on how to give that experience, because it’s not easy from a security point of view. You need a lot of people and we’re not a big brand, so our staff was really worn out by the end of the weekend. But I was really surprised because I come from 20 years of Baselworld, and that was open to the public, but the public knew that they would be browsing the windows unless you had an appointment with somebody. Here the expectation was different, with the feel of more of a private fair, so the public was expecting to touch and feel the product which in Basel was not the case. Next year we will try to be better!
Did you go to any of the legendary Watches and Wonders parties or dinners?
Not this year, unfortunately – my agenda was fully booked and I couldn’t make it!
Any memorable moments from Watches and Wonders 2023?
Well, you know the fair is very busy and hectic, and people are in demand, like Wei Koh who was the moderator for our keynote panel on Cultural Calendars [the Tonda PF collection includes a limited group of three sets of calendar watches, displaying Islamic, Gregorian and Chinese variations]. He arrived literally at three o’clock, precisely at the moment the panel was due to begin – he didn’t even stop walking, he just went straight to the stage, took the mic and started talking! I had been texting him, and I have to say I was a little stressed in that moment… He made it, and just in time!
Carlos Rosillo – CEO, Bell & Ross
How would you sum up the Watches and Wonders 2023 experience?
Watches and Wonders 2023 was a great success for the House, by being one of the main brands exhibiting for the show, we were able to establish ourselves in the watchmaking landscape. We met journalists from all over the world and introduced our collections to many enthusiasts and professionals in the sector.
What, for you, was the best launch?
We were very proud of the success of the BR 03-92 GMT BLUE. For the launches of the other brands, I don’t think any one of them is better than the other, they are all impressive and unique in their own way. Some because of their originality, their colour, others because of the technicality of the movement. They are all very inspiring.
What was the most significant trend you spotted amongst the releases?
I think the trend this year is really to go for colours. Watches are not as necessary as they used to be, we have plenty of accessories to give us the time, so watches have become a real accessory and a jewel. As with every accessory, they reveal a part of our personality, a mood, and I think it is trendy to be bold about what we wear, to try colours. It is also noticeable that people are looking for meaningful pieces, and colours are never a coincidence. The blue and green we chose for our BR 03-93 GMT BLUE and BR GREEN GOLD are particularly meaningful to us. We saw a lot of copper dials, for an example.
This was the first Watches and Wonders open to the public – how did that change things?
It was our first time at Watches and Wonders, so we organised our stand according to this change. As such, the main ‘challenge’, while thinking of the stand’s construction and layout, was to keep in mind that it wouldn’t be only for watch experts but also for passionate people who were here to discover our universe and see beautiful timepieces. However, we were delighted to be able to show our stand and our House to the general public.
Did you go to any of the legendary Watches and Wonders parties or dinners?
I enjoyed going for dinner with my team and unexpectedly bumping into my friends from the industry: FP Journe, who I get along with and respect so much, and Michael Tay and his team from Singapore’s The Hour Glass.
Fatemeh Laleh – International Director of Communication & Images, Piaget
How would you sum up the Watches and Wonders 2023 experience?
As a momentum. A momentum for the brand because it was the first time that we were truly showing Piaget’s new strategy under Benjamin Comar’s helm, and a coherent vision between products, marketing, communication and the stand in itself. It was a true experience for us and for the watch enthusiasts who have always had a special bond with Piaget.
What, for you, was the best launch?
For us, our Piaget Polo Perpetual Calendar with an obsidian dial. A limited edition of 18 pieces already sold out that was bridging the Polo QP in steel that we had launched as our pre WW and the Piaget DNA of “jewelers of times” with this ornamental stone dial so specific.
What was the most significant trend you spotted amongst the releases?
The watch necklaces, that at Piaget we call Swinging Sautoirs. We were happily surprised to spot other necklaces from other brands. At Piaget, this trend has been here since the 1960s and is here to stay.
This was the first Watches and Wonders open to the public – how did that change things?
It was amazing to meet a wider audience, people who already knew the brand and wanted to know more, while others were discovering it for the first time.
Did you go to any of the legendary Watches and Wonders parties or dinners?
We had our cocktail party every night at our booth, with music and a party atmosphere, and it was very lively. Unfortunately I didn’t have the time to enjoy anything else!
Any memorable moments from Watches and Wonders 2023?
A funny moment was when George Bamford and his TV crew barged into the booth to film a segment. A memorable moment? Definitely when Mr Yves Piaget came to see our booth and stayed all day meeting his fans and our Taiwanese ambassador, Edward Chen.
Sandrine Donguy – Product Marketing and Innovation Director, Vacheron Constantin
How would you sum up the Watches and Wonders 2023 experience?
Overall, I would say it was pleasant, fun and surprising, as none of our clientele or the media were expecting the way that we connected a story throughout the different collections, which was something quite creative in the way we expressed things this time.
What, for you, was the best launch?
On a personal note I will comment on the Overseas Self-Winding, with new models in pink gold and steel with a 35mm diameter for the gem-set versions and 34.5mm for non-set versions. It comes below the 41mm of the current version, and reinterprets the Overseas codes while keeping the essence of a casual and sports-chic timepiece.
What was the most significant trend you spotted amongst the releases?
There’s a trend in luxury to play with versatility, changing the outfit and the style. So the Overseas Self-Winding is delivered with two different strap materials to reflect this – rubber and calfskin – allowing the wearer to change the strap on their own with a simple, fast and easy system, adapting the watch to their look.
This was the first Watches and Wonders open to the public – how did that change things?
What’s really interesting for our clientele is that we had an opportunity with this exhibition to get in touch with them in a different way. When we are in the boutique, it’s a rather corporate ambience for the expression of different facets of the collection. Here, we focussed on one message, and it was another way to express our creativity to our clientele with a specific focus and to be very creative in the way we displayed our timepieces.
Any memorable moments from Watches and Wonders 2023?
Many of our journalists and partners were waiting for a variation on the yellow gold 222 that we presented last year, which was a perfect choice considering the year. It was so popular and it was really under the spotlight. But it was such an obvious choice, for us to come up with a second variation around the 222, that we decided to take another way around by focusing on the story of the sporty chic Overseas and the retrograde complication, which also formed a connection with our heritage.
Oliver Ebstein – CEO, Chronoswiss
How would you sum up the Watches and Wonders 2023 experience?
Our inaugural participation at Watches & Wonders has been a thrilling and rewarding experience, allowing us to proudly present our brand and creations to a wide audience and stand alongside the world’s most prestigious watch brands.
What, for you, was the best launch?
For our 40th anniversary, we reinvented an icon, showcasing all our capabilities and ushering in a new era: the ‘Delphis Oracle’. At Watches and Wonders, I especially enjoyed witnessing the exciting novelties from independent watchmakers, creating their own buzz in the industry.
What was the most significant trend you spotted amongst the releases?
We are a non-conformist watchmaker, creating one-of-a-kind timepieces for individuals who seek to differentiate themselves from mainstream trends. With limited editions and a commitment to innovation, expect the unexpected from us as we push boundaries and redefine true luxury.
This was the first Watches and Wonders open to the public – how did that change things?
We greatly enjoyed being directly in touch with watch connoisseurs from all over the world. The feedback and shared passion for our ‘modern mechanical’ timepieces was overwhelming for us and is proof that we are on the right track.
Did you go to any of the legendary Watches and Wonders parties or dinners
Despite our small team occasionally sacrificing parties for business meetings, we are grateful to be part of the lively watch world in Geneva and cherished the dinners with collectors and friends throughout the week.
Any memorable moments from Watches and Wonders 2023?
The lasting memories include the team spirit, sharing our passion for handcraft, and the smiles of our partners. Witnessing the growth of Chronoswiss is akin to watching our children grow and make an impact on the world. Watches and Wonders was a proud milestone, but it signifies only the start of our exciting journey together.
