The Time Aeon Foundation, driver of the Le Garde Temps, Naissance d’une Montre project, will present its second project at the 2017 edition of SIHH, which involves a collaboration with the recently announced boutique brand Oscillon.
Post-SIHH reports indicate that the inclusion of the so-called indies was a big success for both visitors and the small brands alike, but also that there was a little grumbling from some of the large established SIHH brands generated by the fact that visitors to the fair remarked − with justification − that there were more interesting watches in the Carré des Horlogers than in the rest of the SIHH altogether. What can the industry learn from their inclusion in 2016’s first fair?
Mont Blanc is visible from just about everywhere in Geneva: the name of the highest mountain in the Alps means “white mountain” and it rises 4,808.73 meters above sea level. The summit comprises a thick dome of snow and ice, which makes exact measurements not only difficult, but also different depending on what time of year – and what year – the measurements are taken. This is why Montblanc added “4810,” the approximate height of Mont Blanc in meters, to its historical logo. And 4810 is also the name of a new themed collection making its debut at the 2016 edition of the SIHH.
The 2016 edition of the SIHH sees Christophe Claret, De Bethune, H. Moser & Cie, Hautlence, HYT, Kari Voutilainen, Laurent Ferrier, MB&F, and Urwerk exhibiting at the first big watch show of the year, while Ralph Lauren is leaving. The addition and subtraction of these marques enlarges the upcoming Geneva watch fair to encompass 24 brands in total.
For the past five years, I’ve had the delightful experience of traveling to Switzerland with several friends to experience SIHH week, before finishing up with a Friday night dinner at which we review our impressions of the week by answering what watch we thought was best of show at SIHH; what was the worst watch; what current-production watch that we saw at any event during the week would we buy if money were no object; and what current-production watch did we see that we would buy with our own money?
From the word “go,” the SIHH (Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie) was an entirely different beast than what I was expecting, especially after having attended Baselworld as both a spectator and a journalist. From my experiences at Baselworld I expected the SIHH to be just another trade show, perhaps with a dash more glamour. But I was wrong . . . and for all the wrong reasons.
Monday is usually a fairly easy day at the SIHH as the press conferences start later to allow visitors time to check in and get badges, etc. The Quill & Pad team kicked off SIHH 2015 with the Ralph Lauren, Richard Mille, and Montblanc press conferences.
Paradoxically, the SIHH really begins at least a day before its doors open; Sunday is the time to visit the smaller brands holding private exhibitions Geneva. So we put on our Sunday best and headed into town for a busy day of meetings with De Bethune, Urwerk, Laurent Ferrier, Revelation, Christophe Claret, Speake-Marin.
It is impossible to think that the SIHH (Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie) has been around for 25 years already…you know what they say, tempus fugit (time flies). The Geneva fair began in 1991 with five exhibitors: Cartier, Piaget and Baume & Mercier Gérald Genta and Daniel Roth.
If you are in Geneva during the SIHH week, you may want to consider going to one of the other horological exhibitions taking place in town at the same time as the main show: WAG (Watch Art Gallery) and SIWP (Swiss Independent Watchmaking Pavilion). Both exhibitions provide visitors with the chance to get to know independent creators and boutique luxury brands.