Hong Kong Takes Time with the 2024 Clock and Watch Fair (HKCWF) 3-7 September
If you need a change from the carpeted floors and the luxurious, calm, Gallican atmosphere of European fairs, Hong Kong’s Clock and Watch Fair (HKCWF) may well be just the right thing. I will be heading to that event for the second time to see what timekeepers the Asian market have in store, but also to find out more about the trials, tribulations and trends of the industry there and globally.
Victoria Harbour, Hong Kong (photo courtesy Diego Delso/Wikipedia)
The 43rd Hong Kong Watch & Clock Fair (HKWCF) will be opening on 3 September in the sprawling, modern halls of the Hong Kong Exhibition Center. It’s the second event since the Covid shutdown, and it comes right between two other major watch fairs, the Geneva Watch Days and the SIHH in Shanghai. So it is overlooked by many, alas, I should add.
A 360° panorama
The HKCWF is quite an event. It’s very location, in a major hub of the global watch market, means that it not only attracts brands and companies from the product side, but also many stakeholders and actors from business and commerce. Major watch organizations from around the world are present – including the Federation of the Swiss Watch Industry (FH) – and they will be involved in some of the scheduled panels and round tables.
Day One, for example: experts and pundits will be gathering for the Hong Kong International Watch Forum to examine and discuss global trade performance and the upcoming market, which may provide some new insights into the current turbulence in some parts of the industry.
Then, on day Two, the Asian Watch Conference will offer a broad outlook of the industry in general under the aegis of Euromonitor International, one of the leading market research companies.
Hong Kong Watch & Clock Fair
What is already known, is that sustainability is high on the list of topics. It is not new, but a coherent universal strategy is still nowhere in sight. The other big headline is “wearable technology,” which sounds like some postmodern sartorial sci-fi, but simply means the integration of wellness, healthcare, and fashion into timepieces and, I guess, other accessories and clothing.
Three big names will be on hand for the explanation, Huawei Device, Pierre Lannier, and France Horlogerie.
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In the metal
On the hardware side, the HKCWF reserves lots of space for all players from the horological supply chain, from parts and components, machinery and equipment, to packaging and displays. The “Pageant of Eternity” hall will be showing finished timepieces from sort-of luxury to fast-and-fashionable, passing by smartwatches that you can buy for a pittance, as long as you take large volumes.
Looks familiar but much cheaper
(As a chatty aside: Having passed on my business card to several of these companies, I was bombarded with offers I had to respectfully decline, several times, reminding the senders that “journalist” did not mean “buyer” or “retailer.” But the shotgun method of commerce is applied when the competition is large and fierce).
If last year’s event is any gauge, the Pageant hall will also host an array of companies specializing not both in finished products and OEM/ODM wares, a very vigorous segment especially in nearby Shenzhen.
Salon de Time at the Hong Kong Watch & Clock Fair
The “Salon de Time” is where the real action is for watch fans. This sprawling hall is divided into several sections, like the “World Brand Piazza”, where last year I found some very high-end pieces, of Bovet, DeWitt, Parmigiani and Franck Muller.
The “Chic & Trendy” section has much lighter fare, like Ice-Watch’s colorful products, and other brands. Not far off is the “Renaissance Moment” area, where the Swiss, French, and other companies exhibit their wares.
Mechanical and jewelry watches are gathered to one side under the heading “Craft Treasure”. It is here you find the Chinese makers of mechanical watches, including brands and independents.
Lucky Harvey watch
Last year, I spent almost a day here examining Shanghai Watch, Happiewatch, Angleswatch, Lucky Harvey, Hedone, and the well-known CIGA Design. Some of these brands have been knocking hard at the European gate, and one, CIGA Design, even won a GPHG prize in 2021.
Ciga Design Blue Planet
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The wheat and the chaff
Chinese brands are often victim of the nation’s success in producing in gigantic quantities. Knowing the Chinese market from the producer side is important, however, and not just for giggles. As one Swiss watchmaker told me last year on condition of anonymity (indeed!): “We have to stop being so arrogant, because I have seen some watches here that are on par with ours.”
He was the member of the SIWP (Swiss Independent Watchmaking Pavilion), a valiant group of small brands, such as Aerowatch, Matthey-Tissot, the new H992 (the elevation of La-Chaux-de-Fonds), Marvin and others, that go to far off places to promote Swiss watchmaking, especially where the competition is tough.
I recently asked one of their leading lights, Amarildo Pilo of the eponymous brand, what is the significance for his group: “This fair is the largest gateway to the Asian market, most professionals from China, Japan, Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia, etc., visit it,” he said in an interview. “In the current crisis we are going through, it is vital for the independents of the SIWP to show their products, physically.”
OLTO-8
To find out more about Chinese watchmaking, a conference with panelists from Fiyta, Zbioland, and Lucky Harvey, three independent Chinese brands, will be moderated by a retail and watch expert, William Bai. They will be discussing not only design and the future of the market for Chinese watches, but, no doubt, the further spread of what’s called Guo Chao. This “national trend” has been sweeping China since around 2015 and impacting the fashion industry and advertising.
The appeal is focuse to younger consumers who, it is assumed, will at some point be entering the luxury market and will gravitate towards brands that are Chinese in design and origin. Guo Chao is “an expression of pride in products and brands that are authentically Chinese in design and origin,” according to one report on the Inside Retail site, and it is giving Chinese high-end brands ever-growing name recognition in the country and abroad.
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Fun and games
The HKCWF is not all business. Entertainment and excitement are always welcome during these events, and what better way than calling out awards. The suspense generated by the Hong Kong Watch and Clock Design Competition for students of design was very appreciated last year, so it will be repeated this year, with winning pieces displayed during the fair.
A second award was also created for 2024, the “The Made-to-Sell Award”, which will be presented to a student group demonstrating exceptional marketability. The winning entry will be manufactured under guidance of the Hong Kong Watch Manufacturers Association and be officially launched in HKTDC Design Gallery in the lower floor of the Exhibition Center.
Salon de Time at the Hong Kong Watch & Clock Fair
Business and beyond
To say the fair goes from September 3 to 7, is not quite accurate. Last year’s “EXHIBITION+ hybrid model” plus the “Click2Match” concept, an online business matching platform was inspired it seems, from the dark days of lockdowns. But it proved valuable to encourage communication amongst all participants, and it means the fair in fact gets rolling virtually on 27 August and end on 14 September, virtually.
Sapphire crystal cases are much cheaper in China/Hong Kong
And finally, the premises: The HKCWF is organized by the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC), Hong Kong Watch Manufacturers Association Ltd and The Federation of Hong Kong Watch Trades & Industries Ltd.
It is held in the modern Exhibition and Convention Centre whose acre-sized windows let in lots of natural light and deliver a panoramic view of Victoria Harbor. The generous halls of this modern building avoid having crowds gathering like hiving bees around the stands or at the gates.
More to come…
For more information, please visit www.hktdc.com/event/hkwatchfair/en
You might also enjoy:
Dubai Watch Week 2023 Photofest and Videos – Part 1
Why Tim Mosso Sold (Nearly) All of his JLC Watches – Reasons and Regrets (Video)
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Good clean and clear but very informative piece of journalism about a subject I know relatively very little about … but now have learned quite a bit ! Thank you