« Second edition of the new watch fair gets off to a strong start »
A live showcase with resounding success: the Vienna Watch and Jewelry SCHAU 2022 recorded high visitor numbers, exciting presentations and a wide range of prominent exhibitors. With its concept of a strong focus on the product instead of elaborate staging, the young event is establishing itself as a fixture of the international watch industry and can look forward to a confirmed continuation in 2023.
The new magnet for watch fans worldwide
Since the decline of Baselworld, successful alternative fairs have been taking hold across Europe: with their decentralized concept, the Geneva Watch Days are celebrating a triumphant run for the third time in 2022, Watches & Wonders is likewise heading toward a promising future, and in Vienna a new mecca for watch lovers around the world is just coming into bloom. Following its debut in 2021, the Uhren SCHAU 2022 (as part of the "Presse" Schau) opens its doors for the second time in the Austrian capital's new media district and wins over exhibitors and visitors across the board. Held from November 4 to 6, 2022, in the imposing Marx Halle, the event relies on a more personal, pared-back concept compared with the former Baselworld, which until its final edition in 2019 was known for elaborate booth constructions and enormous costs.
More than 100 brands and 9,000 visitors
Compared with other watch fairs, the Vienna Watch SCHAU 2022 is modest in scale: rather than thousands of exhibitors and six-figure visitor numbers, the event is defined by a relaxed atmosphere with around 100 booths and 9,000 guests. The quality is high. The organizers strike an appealing balance between major watch brands and important manufacturers from the jewelry sector, which results in a pleasingly high share of female visitors and underlines the diversity of the Uhren SCHAU 2022. Still, it is dyed-in-the-wool watch lovers who get the most out of it, as a selection of the key brands shows. Alongside brands with a long-standing reputation such as Girard-Perregaux, Zenith and Chopard, the fair welcomes no fewer than four major German manufacturers.
The booths of Junghans, Mühle Glashütte, Nomos Glashütte and Union Glashütte were well attended. Union Glashütte was not the only representative of the Swatch Group, which demonstrated its market heft with further booths such as those of Mido, Tissot, Rado, Hamilton and Longines. The booths of Ebel, Oris and Grand Seiko were also very popular.
The great thing about this lineup of brands is that all price ranges are represented in a healthy mix. Unlike the former SIHH, which concentrated heavily on the high end, and WatchTime Düsseldorf, which tends to focus on down-to-earth brands, the Vienna Watch SCHAU 2022 caters to enthusiasts with every size of wallet. An additional advantage: the watch fair is held as part of the larger "Presse" Schau with a total of five themed areas. Besides watches & jewelry, visitors can also explore design, craftsmanship, travel and mobility, making for a varied day out.
Personal conversations take center stage
After the end of the pandemic, the Vienna Watch and Jewelry SCHAU 2022 is one of the very first industry events to offer the classic watch-fair experience without restrictions. As recently as 2020 and 2021, many critics claimed that the physical trade-fair concept was dead and would be replaced by online formats in the future. The Uhren SCHAU 2022 proves them wrong: visitors and exhibitors alike are thrilled by the up-close experience; in the end, there is simply a huge difference between actually trying a watch on and looking at photos on a screen. Besides the chance to experience valuable watches with all the senses, participants above all value personal conversations: talking on the spot with product developers, owners and brand managers turns the Vienna Watch SCHAU 2022 into a lively experience rather than a dry presentation.
An attractive supporting program
The event gets an extra boost from an appealing supporting program that offers visitors entertainment in addition to expert discussions. In the Watches and Jewelry area, a total of three panels invite exploration on November 5: the program kicks off at 1:00 p.m. with jewelry design, jewelry's role as an investment and the question of how to determine the value of fine pieces. After that, horology enthusiasts at the Vienna Watch SCHAU 2022 prick up their ears: from 2:00 p.m., the role of independent, authentic watch brands for retailers and customers is examined. The third panel, which deals with founding a new watch brand, is also received with great interest by visitors. The inclusion of a supporting program shows that the Vienna Watch and Jewelry SCHAU 2022 has successfully learned from the innovations of the big fairs that came before it. Yet it is by no means a miniature copy of Watches & Wonders: with comparatively small booths and a clear focus on the product, the fair sets its own accents.
Novelties at the Uhren SCHAU 2022
All the watch brands in Vienna show a great cross-section of their product portfolios, and some present the public with exciting newcomers. While the Zenith Defy Extreme turns heads with an angular carbon-fiber case, racing fans get their money's worth with the Chopard Mille Miglia 2022 Race Edition. Nomos enters the race surprisingly rugged with its Ahoi Atlantik, which comes in a dark blue look on a new textile strap and boasts a hefty 200 meters of water resistance.
Union Glashütte's Noramis Datum Sport sports watch gains extra appeal with a bright yellow variant, while Grand Seiko's designers are proud of the new "Skyflake" with a slim 34-millimeter diameter and a sky-blue dial. These and many other novelties make the Uhren SCHAU 2022 an exciting event that easily keeps pace with the big fairs of earlier times in terms of entertainment value.
Vienna watch fair - the new Baselworld?
So will Vienna become the new Basel? Not on the former scale of Baselworld for the foreseeable future. What makes us optimistic, however, is the international response: despite its relatively small size and the fact that it is only being held for the second time, the Vienna Watch and Jewelry SCHAU 2022 is already making its way into watch magazines and news blogs around the world. Attention is growing. It has already been confirmed that a third edition will take place from November 10 to 12, 2023, in Vienna's Marx Halle. And should the organizer, "Die Presse" Verlags-Gesellschaft m.b.H. & Co KG, see similar success at the next Uhren SCHAU, an expansion of the concept is not out of the question.