OFF TO THE FAIR

Watch clients are increasingly dropping into Watches and Wonders, a trade fair meant for retailers and media personnel. Here's why.

- LYNETTE KOH

At the world's biggest horology fair, Watches and Wonders Geneva, it is common for media personnel and retailers to rush past each other to attend their next appointment at the brands' swanky, house-sized booths. I speak as part of the journalist clique that has been attending the fair for over a decade. We know our job, our interviewees, and the brands we want to hit up. Few things jolt us. Last year, however, we did a double take when we spotted the Tick Tock Belles - local female watch collectors Stephanie Soh and Deborah Wong who go by that name on Instagram - at the entrance of the Palexpo, Watches and Wonders' exhibition site.

Clients used to be an uncommon sight at the Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie (SIHH), the precursor to Watches and Wonders Geneva. One of the world's two most important watch trade fairs a few years ago - along with beleaguered, once-dominant Baselworld -SIHH used to be an invite-only event for retailers and the media.

Following its revamp as Watches and Wonders Geneva (there is also a Shanghai edition), the fair has morphed in several ways. While SIHH was a smaller-scale, exclusive event comprising primarily Richemont brands like Cartier and Vacheron Constantin, Watches and Wonders has many more participants, including former Baselworld heavyweights Rolex and Patek Philippe.

And unlike SIHH, Watches & Wonders is more consumer-focused. Last year, for the first time since its inauguration in 2021, the week-long event included two public days, with all 12,000 tickets selling out in advance. It stands to reason why the organisers upped the number of public days this year to three. When it opens this month, the fair will have 55 brands showcasing their launches across 66,000sqm of exhibition space, or 1.5 times the size of the Padang.