Russell Sheldrake
It may seem like a long way off, but plans for Watches and Wonders 2025 are well underway. For those who don’t know, Watches and Wonders is the world’s leading trade show held annually in Geneva, the capital of watch country. Last year’s edition saw 54 brands fill the Palexpo Exhibition Center with larger-than-life booths individually designed and decorated to reflect the brand’s main focus this year. This is a massive event. However, recent announcements have confirmed that Watches and Wonders 2025 will be the biggest edition to date next year with a total of 60 brands exhibiting.
When is Watches and Wonders 2025?
Watches and Wonders 2025 will be held from April 1st to 7th, 2025, and it was revealed last week that April 5th to 7th will be the public opening days. General admission tickets for public opening days will go on sale from February 11th.
What’s new at the fair in 2025?
The first big announcement was about its operations and organization. It has been revealed that Chanel, Hermès and the LVMH Group have joined the Watches and Wonders Geneva Foundation Board, the organization that organizes the exhibition. Additionally, the two-year term of Chairman Jean-Frédéric Dufour has come to an end. The role of CEO of Rolex will be handed over to his successor, Cyril Vigneron, president and CEO of Cartier.
But last week, big news was announced that next year’s Watches and Wonders Geneva 2025 will be the largest watch trade show ever, with a total of 60 brands exhibiting. Bvlgari will make its Watch and Wonders debut alongside independent newcomers Christian van der Klaue, Genus, Cross Studio and Meistersinger. In addition, previous exhibitors HYT and Armin Strom are also scheduled to return next year. However, based on the brand’s official listing, it looks like Beauregard won’t be returning for the 2025 edition.
These changes show how the fair is beginning to expand from its Richemont-only origins, born out of SIHH. It’s now a combination of the old SIHH and Baselworld, and it’s good to see more brands joining the organizing committee. Does this mean there will be changes to the layout or structure of the fair? Not sure, but it’s still a good sign.
It’s very interesting to see Bvlgari enter the Watch and Wonders mix. In recent years, the brand has used January’s LVMH Watch Week to kick off the year and close it out with more new items at the Geneva Watch Days fair in the summer. This means Bvlgari will have three major touchpoints throughout the year for major announcements. With Watches and Wonders growing rapidly, it will be interesting to see whether heavyweights such as Audemars Piguet, Breitling, and the Swatch Group’s roster of brands feel the pressure or temptation to join in 2026.
The last and latest announcement for the upcoming fair is the new “VIP Pass.” These VIP passes are available for pre-sale starting today and will only be available for purchase via the Watches and Wonders website from December 3rd to December 20th, 2024. The VIP Pass costs CHF 550 (approximately USD 620) and offers exclusive VIP entry with no waiting time, an exclusive VIP lounge where pass holders can enjoy complimentary lunch service and snacks throughout the day, and priority access with access to private areas. I will. Includes a small group guided tour of the salon (1.5 hours), priority access to reserved exclusive product presentations (30 minutes), free private parking, and a complimentary swag gift. This is a fairly expensive form of admission, but again, we’re talking VIP here.
Which brands will be participating in Watches and Wonders 2025?
The official list is: A. Lange & Söhne, Alpina, Angelus, Armin Strom, Arnold & Son, Altia, Baume & Mercier, Bell & Ross, Bremont, Bulgari, Cartier, Chanel, Charriol, Chopard, Christian Huang. Del Klau, Chronoswiss, Cyrus Genève, Czapek & Cie, Eberhard & Co, Ferdinand Bertaud, Frederique Constant, Genus, Gerard Charles, Grand Seiko, Gronefeld, H. Moser & Cie, Orlans, Hermès, Hublot, Heizec, HYT, IWC, Jaeger-LeCoultre, Cross Studio, Laurent Ferrier, Louis Monet, Meistersinger, Montblanc, Nomos Glashütte, Norquein, Oris, Panerai, Parmigiani Fleurier, Patek Philippe, Pequinier, Piaget, Raymond Weil, Ressence, Roger Dubuis, Rolex, Rudy Silva, Speke Marine, TAG Heuer, Trilobe, Tudor, U Boats, Ulysse Nardin, Vacheron Constantin, Van Cleef & Arpels, Zenith.
And as always, we didn’t hesitate to let you know what we liked and didn’t like.
Where is Watches and Wonders 2025?
As always, Watches and Wonders 2025 will be held in Geneva, Switzerland, at the Palexpo Exhibition Center next to Geneva Airport. Those familiar with the world of cars will know Palexpo as the home of the Geneva International Motor Show, but the show has now been canceled and will remain open until 2024, when it returns from its coronavirus hiatus. This is a big blow for enthusiasts. In addition to the main exhibitions held at Palexpo, many other brands will host press, industry players and clients at hotels and smaller exhibition spaces in Geneva, including Beau Rivage and President Wilson. you will see. Found in the old town. For this reason, the week became unofficially known as Geneva Watch Week.
