Face-to-face meetings ‘more important than ever’ for watch industry

When it opened to the public for the first time in 2023, Watches and Wonders pulled in over 40,000 visitors. KEYSTONE/WWGF/KEYSTONE/Cyril Zingaro

The Watches and Wonders trade fair in Geneva is hoping to set a new record for exhibitor and visitor numbers at this year’s edition in April. SWI swissinfo.ch spoke to the event’s CEO, Matthieu Humair.

This year’s event is expected to draw even more watchmakers and visitors. From April 9-15, it will take place at the Palexpo exhibition and congress centre in Geneva – the same venue where a scaled-back edition of the Geneva International Motor Show took place in early March. 

Last year, Watches and Wonders already hosted a record number of professionals from the industry, while tickets for the general public sold out in advance. A total of 43,000 unique visitors flocked to the week-long show.

Matthieu Humair, CEO of the foundation which organises Watches and Wonders, met SWI swissinfo.ch for an interview at the foundation’s offices in Geneva.

Matthieu Humair

After studying management at the University of Lausanne’s Faculty of Business and Economics – including an exchange programme at the University of Technology Sydney – Matthieu Humair worked at the Fondation Haute Horlogerie in Geneva from 2009 to 2023. In his last two years there, he held the position of CEO. He then took the top job at the Watches and Wonders Geneva Foundation, where he now leads a team of around 30 people throughout the year, a number which doubles during the emblematic Geneva show.

SWI swissinfo.ch: What makes Watches and Wonders in Geneva different from other watchmaking events in Switzerland and around the world?

Mathieu Humair: Watches and Wonders is the summit where the entire watchmaking industry can come together and speak with one voice. This year, we will host a record 54 brands, eight more than last year. All the latest watchmaking novelties will be unveiled.

We will also offer a series of personalised experiences and meetings with watchmakers. In terms of media visibility, last year our show reached some 700 million people around the world.

It is of course interesting to observe other watchmaking initiatives and events, including one [i.e. Time to WatchesExternal link] which is taking place in Geneva at the same time as Watches and Wonders. But we see them above all as complementary to our show, and as a welcome sign of enthusiasm for our trade.

SWI: What are the main new features of this year’s show compared with 2023?

M.H.: In order to host our eight new brands, we will create a new space at Palexpo. And for the first time, the show will be open to the public for three days, as opposed to two days in 2023. This will be a unique opportunity for visitors to discover the dynamic and innovative world of watchmaking. A brand new “LAB” will also be set up at the heart of the fair, where schools, start-ups and exhibiting manufacturers can interact and share their visions of the watch industry of tomorrow.

We will also have a stronger presence across the city of Geneva, via organised talks, guided tours, activities for children and a watchmaking village. All these events will be free and open to all, as they aim to spur a sense of vocation towards watches, particularly among the younger generation.

SWI: In some sectors like the automobile industry, in-person trade shows are facing big challenges. Does it still make sense to hold these fairs?

M.H.: Absolutely! During the pandemic, we organised two online-only fairs and everyone was asking us when we were going to return to in-person shows. In an increasingly connected world, it is more important than ever to meet face to face, to interact with other people in the industry and to have genuine experiences.

SWI: Would the watchmaking industry not be better off holding one single big fair with all the major brands?

M.H.: Certainly! We would be delighted to see Audemars Piguet and Richard Mille [both of whom took part in the past] return to the fold, and to welcome the Swatch Group brands. But we’re already very happy to see the growing number of brands that are placing their trust in us, and it’s probably unrealistic to expect to host all the key players each year.

SWI: Geneva is a watchmaking city. Does this give you the upper hand in organising the event, especially compared to Basel, where the global watchmaking community used to meet each year until the last Baselworld show in 2019? 

M.H.: Of course it is an important factor, with many manufacturers based in Geneva. Also, the arrival of brands like Rolex, Patek Philippe and Chopard was a watershed in the history of our show.

Geneva also has other major advantages, including its central location in Europe, the quality of its infrastructure and transport links, and its wide range of hotels.

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SWI: Baselworld was criticised for its high hotel rates. What about Geneva?

M.H.: Our non-profit foundation works year-round on cost control with all of our partners. To avoid any excesses, our foundation centralises all hotel bookings, which helps prevent hiked prices.

SWI: The major European motor shows are attracting more and more Chinese exhibitors. What about your event?

M.H.: We will be hosting a major Japanese brand (Grand Seiko) as well as two brands from the Japanese Citizen group (Frédérique Constant and Alpina). We are open and interact with all brands interested in joining our show.

But for the moment no Chinese brands have contacted us. More generally, the final decision to bring in new brands is a collective one which must be taken by our steering committee. The aim is to ensure a certain consistency for the benefit of all our stakeholders.

SWI: Your website is in French and English. Are you not targeting Chinese, Japanese or Arabic-speaking nationals?

M.H.: All markets are very important, and we take care not to overlook anyone. As far as China is concerned, all our content is on a WeChat site, as this platform is very popular with the Chinese. Moreover, with English and French, we can reach much of the global population. In some cases, we also work through local intermediaries, as in Japan.

SWI: Your foundation has organised several trade fairs in Shanghai. Do you intend to repeat this experience, or even to expand it to other countries?

M.H.: We have successfully organised three fairs in Shanghai. In 2023, Watches and Wonders Shanghai hosted 14 brands and attracted 12,000 visitors, including a high proportion of young people. In the years to come, it will be up to the exhibiting brands to define their strategy regarding events abroad. In any case, our main show will remain in Geneva.

SWI: You now host not only “elitist brands” but also manufacturers like Alpina, which make watches for under CHF1,000 ($1,110). Why this decision?

M.H.: It’s a sign of openness and inclusion. This is also why we opened our doors to the public for the first time last year. This experience was positive: our show attracted visitors from 125 countries, with 25% of them under the age of 25.

Having a very wide range of brands allows us to showcase the variety and dynamism of the watchmaking sector. It gives visitors full visibility into the finest and most innovative products in the industry, from niche brands to the big names in watchmaking.

SWI: Are you thinking of opening a special section for watch suppliers, for example makers of components or machine tools?

M.H.: We aim to grow progressively, but for the moment there are no plans to include such suppliers. We also have space limitations: we are already using almost the entire capacity of Palexpo and there isn’t much scope to host more brands. We take great care to give optimum visibility to all the exhibiting brands.

Edited by Samuel Jaberg. Adapted from French by Julia Bassam/dos