The countdown is on: On March 27, 2023, the Geneva Watches & Wonders watch fair will open its doors for the second time as a presence event. After the brilliant success of the 2022 edition, what is now the most important event in the Swiss watch industry is all about growth and openness. The sensation: for the first time, the fair will welcome the general public in addition to trade visitors.

49 brands – bigger than ever before

In the spring of 2022, excitement is high when, after a forced break of two years, a large, physical watch fair takes place again in Geneva. Although the long-awaited Watches & Wonders, with its nearly 22,000 visitors, does not reach the dimensions of the defunct Baselworld, which set a record attendance of 150,000 people in 2015, the successful starting shot into a new era of watch fairs had been fired. 38 brands, among them the biggest names from Zenith to Patek Philippe, presented their novelties to the international audience.

With relief and optimism followed the certainty: There will be a successor with the W&W 2023. At the moment, the hot preparation phase is underway, so we are not yet able to provide you with any exact information on the program of the trade show or even the new watches. What is certain, however, is that the event will grow noticeably with 49 exhibitors and is pleased to welcome 13 new faces compared to last year’s edition. Only two manufacturers are leaving the fair. The full list of participating brands can be found on the official website; among the most notable companies are:

– Bell & Ross (new)

– Chanel

– Frederique Constant (new)

– Grand Seiko

– Hublot

– Oris

– Patek Philippe

– TAG Heuer

– Tudor

– U-Boat (new)

– Zenith

– Rolex

Two visitor days for the general public

Watches and Wonders 2023 will be held for a full week: from Monday, March 27 to Sunday, April 2. While the first five days are reserved for trade visitors (press, retailers, invited guests), the final weekend brings a grandiose innovation for all enthusiasts: Watches & Wonders 2023 Geneve will present its watches to the general public. For the first time, any ordinary mortal can buy a ticket and become part of the experience at Geneva’s Palexpo site. To make the visit a success, the following points should be noted:

1. Tickets can be ordered exclusively online on the trade show website (www.watchesandwonders.com) from early February 2023.
   The price is 70 Swiss francs (currently 71 euros) per person. It is a one-day ticket, which can be purchased either for Saturday, April 1 or Sunday, April 2. The opening hours are in each case from 8:30am to 7pm.

Great cooperation of Rolex, Patek and Richemont

Building on the success of the previous Watches & Wonders Geneve, three of the main participants join forces for a new project: Rolex, Patek Philippe and the Richemont Group create the so-called Watches and Wonders Geneva Foundation (WWGF), a non-profit organization with the aim of promoting the “excellence of watchmaking” globally through physical or digital watch as well as jewelry exhibitions. A board of directors will be created to manage the WWGF, with Rolex CEO Jean-Frédéric Dufour serving as chairman and Emmanuel Perrin (head of the Richemont watch division) as vice chairman. At the same time, Matthieu Humair, the current CEO of the trade show organizer FHH (Fondation de la Haute Horlogerie), moves into the position of Chairman of the Board of the new foundation.

The fact that the rising fair will present its novelties in 2023 not only in Geneva is part of the concept: in addition to the Watches & Wonders “Geneve”, there is a fair of the same name in the Chinese province of Hainan, which will open its doors in the two cities of Sanya and Haikou over a full three months (December 2, 2022 to February 28, 2023). The event underlines the enormous importance of the Asian market for almost all luxury brands. However, while watches from 49 brands will be presented in Geneve, W&W 2023 in Hainan counts only 13 houses, which exclusively cover the upper luxury segment. Those who want to experience Oris, Hublot, Grand Seiko and many other houses cannot avoid a visit to Switzerland.

Major brands that do not participate

Despite all the good news surrounding Watches and Wonders 2023, we cannot attest to the completeness of the brand lineup that was found in the best years of Baselworld. In addition to Breitling, the entire Swatch Group is missing, having not entered a major watch show since its cancellation at Baselworld 2019. For visitors, this means that in addition to affordable manufacturers like Tissot, Hamilton and Certina, Omega and high-end greats from Breguet to Blancpain are notably absent. We also miss Audemars Piguet at Watches and Wonders 2023.

Despite the considerable gaps, the organizer has succeeded in putting together a wide variety of brands for different tastes and price ranges. We are looking forward with particular excitement to the price-performance hits from newcomer Frederique Constant, but the exotics from Bell & Ross and U-Boat should also spice up the overall picture of the watch fair compared to last year. Those who like it fine will drop by Chanel, Chopard or Ulysse Nardin. Lovers of the sporty will get their money’s worth at TAG Heuer, Tudor and Co.

Is it necessary to visit the Watches and Wonders 2023?

The possibility of a private visit is a novelty in the Swiss watch fair world and confronts many enthusiasts with the question: Is the trip to Geneva worth it? The fact is: Neither the 70 franc entrance fee nor the journey or even the overnight stay in the Geneva area at the time of the fair are particularly inexpensive. On the other hand, Watches & Wonders attracts visitors with an overall package that makes the mouths of die-hard watch freaks water: Not only the great variety of brands, which, in addition to trying on brand-new luxury watches, allows for exciting technical discussions and contacts with other enthusiasts, but also the spectacular presentation of the fair on the Palexpo grounds and most likely an exciting supporting program make the event worth seeing. As a visitor, you will be able to talk about the experience for a long time to come and perhaps get to know your next dream watch up close.

Those who can’t make it will be able to enjoy extensive coverage with interviews, videos and articles on the Internet. Our magazine will be back after the watch fair to sum up the most important news of the fair.

Der Beitrag Watches and Wonders 2023 erschien zuerst auf Uhrinstinkt Magazine.

Stepping down after 30 years at the helm

Large corporations dominate the Swiss watch industry with an overwhelming superiority. Sometimes it feels like the most powerful players – Swatch Group, Richemont and LVMH – dominate the entire industry. The face of probably the most prominent exception has been one of the most influential women in Swiss industry for 30 years: Jasmine Audemars. Her retirement as Chairman of the Board of Directors, which will officially take place on November 11, 2022, marks a turning point in the nearly 150-year history of the high-end manufacture. From the very beginning in 1875, the company was owned by the two founding families, Piguet and Audemars, who passed on their leadership roles to the next generation as a matter of course.

In 1992, Jasmine Audemars took over the board of directors from her father Jacques-Louis Audemars, who brought the independent manufacturer the greatest success in the company’s history with the bold enforcement of the Royal Oak. The “grande dame of the Swiss watch industry,” as the press dubs the now 80-year-old and places her in the ranks of industry icons such as Jean-Claude Biver and Georges Kern, quickly developed into a resolute, forward-looking boss of the great house. The difference to her predecessors: Jasmine Audemars has no descendants.

From journalist to watch icon

In return, the passionate watchmaking personality, for whom the financial health and independence of her brand has always been a matter close to her heart, looks back on an impressive career. After studying social and economic history in Geneva, which gave her a close connection with the cosmopolitan Rhone metropolis that continues to this day, she worked at the daily newspaper Journal de Genève, gaining deep insights into the world of international trade relations. Knowledge that was to prove invaluable in her later management of the Group.

Jasmine Audemars devotes almost 25 years of her life to journalism and rises to the top of her daily newspaper in the 1980s. At this point, she becomes Switzerland’s first female editor-in-chief and loves her job more than anything, despite the daily pressures and the fact that editors-in-chief don’t just have friends in the world. Making decisions, meeting exciting people, learning from daily mistakes – while her father puts the manufactory on a previously unattained track to success, Jasmine pursues her own career.

The fact that she experienced an abrupt change of scene in 1992 and took over the president’s seat from Audemars Piguet did not bother her successor. On the contrary: the then 50-year-old identifies (to this day) 100 percent with her family’s watchmaking tradition, takes over the chairmanship with the same naturalness as her predecessors and is not afraid of the new task. The first big bang came just one year after she took the helm: in 1993, the brawny Royal Oak Offshore was launched, which over the next three decades became a huge success alongside the regular Audemars Piguet Royal Oak.

Patience, discipline and responsibility

The fact that the businesswoman faces her challenges with patient composure is to pay off. In the midst of the 2008 financial crisis, the company’s healthy financial position made it possible to build a new manufactory to urgently expand capacity. And even in the second half of the 2010s, when many watch brands are struggling with falling sales, the manufacturer under Jasmine Audemars continues its success story without a break. From her journalistic work, the watch president is very familiar with international business and knows the benefits of good diversification. While other companies are expanding massively in China, the strategic leader is focusing on solid sales on all continents.

Like the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore and other timepieces from the high-end brand, Jasmine is an exciting character with rough edges. As contradictory as the balance in the watch industry between the preservation of historical values and constant further development may seem, the impressions one gains from talking to the elegantly dressed businesswoman are equally contrasting. On the one hand passionate, enthusiastic about her profession and with sparkling eyes as soon as she is asked about her journalistic time, on the other calm, observant and above all disciplined. Jasmine Audemars considers discipline a luxury and punctuality a matter of course in her line of work.

Watch personality with own convictions

A watch representative who appears unpunctual? Not conceivable for the self-confident lady. In other respects, too, the outgoing mistress of Royal Oak and Co. is a woman with clear visions, who can answer complex questions briefly and questions things instead of simply accepting them. Smartwatches, for example, are not rejected per se by the grande dame of mechanical watchmaking, but she regards them as an interesting line of business alongside traditional watches, although they do not come close to the emotional impact of a genuine automatic movement. She places particular emphasis on local responsibility, stressing that many jobs and family histories depend on the well-being of the world-famous company, especially in its hometown of Le Brassus. And on the uncompromising quality of the top brand, which is not up for discussion for Jasmine Audemars.

The successor: brief portrait of Alessandro Bogliolo

Whether her successor will lead Audemars Piguet with the same aplomb remains to be seen. In any case, Alessandro Bogliolo’s CV sounds promising: the 57-year-old Italian, who lives in New York, was CEO of Tiffany & Co. from 2017 to 2021, after 16 years as CEO of the Italian fashion brand Diesel. This followed various managerial positions at Bulgari in the U.S., Singapore and Italy. In any case, Bogliolo does not lack experience in the luxury industry to follow in the big footsteps of his predecessor.

However, the previous era of the last watchmaker owned by the founding families does not end completely. After Jasmine’s departure, there will still be a leading family member in the company, 63-year-old Olivier Audemars, who took over the post of Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors from his aunt Paulette Piguet in 1997 and is a great-grandson of the second founder of the company, Edward Auguste Piguet.
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Image sources:

Title photo:
By Rama – Own work, CC BY-SA 2.0 fr, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=1563549
Portrait Jules Audemars:
By Alexaube – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=108993844
Portrait Edward Piguet:
By Alexaube – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=108993980

Der Beitrag Watch personalities: Jasmine Audemars looks back on a great career erschien zuerst auf Uhrinstinkt Magazine.