We should celebrate the creativity and the people who love our trade – and not celebrate business – Maximilian Busser, MB&F founder Of course, fairs attract budding watchmakers – but also young entrepreneurs keen to make their mark. At DWW, brands without official booths were spotted touting watch rolls, showing their latest designs to collectors and enthusiasts. James Kong, a watch photographer turned chief operating officer of watch marque Fleming, was scoping out potential retailers and partners for his much-anticipated brand that’s due to launch this year. For a non-commercial fair like DWW in particular, the playing field is levelled, making it “less competition, more community”, says Seddiqi. No wonder unexpected collaborations germinate here, like a 2021 collaboration between MB&F and the LVMH-owned Bulgari. “We should celebrate the creativity and the people who love our trade – and not celebrate business,” says MB&F founder Maximilian Busser. The bastion of watch fairs, Watches and Wonders (running 9-15 April), is also incorporating more crowd-pleasing programming for the next generation. This year’s third public day falls on a Monday, and will welcome universities and watchmaking schools, while new activities for kids and families are planned at the weekend, says Matthieu Humair, CEO of the fair’s organisers, Watches and Wonders Geneva Foundation (WWGF). Meanwhile, a new future and innovationfocused section of the fair, known as LAB, promises to be “an immersive, tactile and sensory experience for the curious and especially relevant to younger enthusiasts with career aspirations,” adds Humair, who said that 25 per cent of last year’s public visitors were under 25 years old (the average age was 35). There will also be guided tours of the individual watch-brand booths – long closed off to end clients – plus events planned in the city of Geneva, from workshops to special exhibitions. A new watchmaking village will be inaugurated in front of WWGF’s offices at Pont de la Machine, and mark in your diaries 11 April, for a late night of concerts and music shows, as brands add to the buzz with special events in and outside their Geneva boutiques. “The entire city will vibrate to the rhythm of watchmaking,” says Humair. W ith Joe Public – not to mention pushchairs and young families – now descending on watch fairs en masse, the question remains how to manage the expansion and interest. Watch brands, especially on the haute horlogerie end, still wish to position their products as exclusive and timeless, rooted in artistry and craft. “Each event should have a thing – and stick to it,” says watch collector Gary Getz, who credits part of Baselworld’s downfall to the fair trying to be everything to everybody. “There’s a risk of diffusing or diluting the focus on what you’re trying to achieve,” he adds, noting that he’ll be leaving before the public days (“It’s going to be a zoo”). Indeed, many journalists and CEOs are known to avoid the open days, too. “Established enthusiasts and buyers are going to be turned off if it’s a sort of all-comers environment,” says Getz. “Not because of snobbery – it’s just crowded.” 82
IN GOOD TIME An array of elegant watches whose thoughtful design is about more than just keeping time 1 2 3 PHOTOS COURTESY OF THE WATCHMAKERS 1 AUDEMARS PIGUET Code 11.59 Selfwinding with a 38mm pink-gold case. Sapphirecrystal caseback. Gold-applied hour markers and hands with luminescent coating. Alligator-leather strap. 2 BOVET Miss Audrey with a 36mm convertible Amadéo stainless-steel case. Bow, bezel and guilloché dial set with diamonds. Self-winding movement. Alligator-leather strap. 3 BLANCPAIN Ladybird Colors with a 34.9mm red-gold case. Sapphire-crystal case back. Bezel, lugs and mother-of-pearl dial set with diamonds. Self-winding movement. Alligator-leather strap. 83
