A Look Back at Watches & Wonders 2018 – When Geneva Met Miami

The Miami Design District opened in 2009, and for almost a decade since, has enjoyed a steady adoption of retailers and brand boutiques. Nestled in a beautiful arts district minutes away from downtown Miami, the district has constantly improved their product to appeal to residents and tourists alike.
 

By bringing Geneva to Miami for Watches & Wonders, the Fondation de la Haute Horlogerie and exhibiting brands assembled a bevy of watch journalists, collectors, and enthusiasts to the unique Miami Design District designed by Duany Plater-Zyberk.
 

While SIHH is predominantly tailors to press and retailers, Watches & Wonders is a consumer facing show which gives attendees multi-day access to exhibiting brands. Typically, SIHH novelties only hit retailers on their official on sale dates. However, at Watches & Wonders, many (if not most) SIHH novelties were on display. This simple fact coupled with the exotic locale of Miami, truly positions Watches & Wonders as a complementary show to SIHH.

On the Thursday night opening of Watches & Wonders, TAG Heuer hosted a bash to unveil their traveling US exhibition Museum in Motion. Which will make its way across the country for the remainder of 2018.
 

Throughout the weekend, we collaborated with Jaeger-LeCoultre on the first ever Instagram takeover of the brand. In addition, we captured some stunning Miami themed photos of the new Polaris Collection.
 

On Saturday afternoon, the Miami Design District Concours was held, which brought out some of the finest American and European supercars. Ferraris, Lamborghinis, Mclarens, and even a Pagani were positioned around the Design District. This unique showcase brought aficionados together to celebrate their passion of all things mechanical. The roar of the engines and tantalizing smell of autos was in the air.
 

From major brands to independents, Watches & Wonders presented some great watches. For example, we experienced again the Platinum F.P. Journe Chronographe Monopoussoir Rattrapante , the A. Lange & Söhne Triple Split, Ralph Lauren’s Automotive Skeleton, the stunning IWC Tribute to Pallweber, Bulgari’s Diva Finissima Minute Repeater, and much much more.
 

After a very well-organized SIHH, and right before Baselworld, the FHH, Miami Design District, and exhibiting brands came together to produce Watches & Wonders. Similar to the posh surroundings of Geneva’s PALEXPO, Watches & Wonders is an upscale haute horology event that brings together the very best of the watch industry and shows ambition and commitment to moving the industry forward.
 

While many in attendance were optimistic about the outcome of the show, we simply had no baseline to compare it to. Sure, Watches & Wonders had previously held editions in Hong Kong, but the US market is an entirely different world. The FHH openly admitted that staging a massive showcase in the United States just weeks removed from SIHH was a challenge. It’s worth noting, without the generous participation of brands, this show couldn’t have happened.
 

Our impression? The show was positively alive! Everyone we spoke with felt an energy that they said was lacking prior to the show. Maybe it took an event like Watches & Wonders to get attendees out of their comfort zones and into a welcome and inviting space such as the Design District.

Watches & Wonders proved, yet again, that the ambitions and strengths of FHH give a strong message to Baselworld that Geneva is here to stay.
 

The classic Field of Dreams quote “If you build it, they will come” applied to Watches & Wonders. The Miami Design District built the platform and the FHH and exhibiting brands effectively promoted what was truly a special experience. Will Watches & Wonders be back in 2019? We certainly hope so! If the impressive showcase returns next year, Watchonista will be there!

(Photography by Liam O’Donnell)