Geneva Watch Days: A New Watch Fair Is Announced For April

Geneva Watch Days: A New Watch Fair Is Announced For April

A new Geneva-based watch fair concept has been unveiled and it will take place during the exact same dates that Watches & Wonders was planning to run.

By Sophie Furley
Contributor

After last week’s news Watches & Wonders and Baselworld canceling or postponing their shows due to the ongoing spread of the COVID-19 (Coronavirus), it was with a certain surprise that we learned of the presentation of a new watch fair: Geneva Watch Days. The brands who have initially pledged their allegiance to this new fair are Bvlgari, Breitling, Ulysse Nardin, Girard-Perregaux, Gerald Genta, MB&F, De Bethune, and Urwerk. And this list will surely grow.
 

Fortuitous or Foolish

The coronavirus is finally slowing down in China which would lead us to think that by the end of April we should be out of the woods and a fair would be safe. Add to this the fact that the concept of this new fair is to split up the brands in different hotels around downtown Geneva, and the risk should be minimal. But as the head of the WHO stated yesterday, we are in “uncharted territory” with this virus. Anything can still happen.
 

Press And Retailer Solutions

In these uncertain times, brands need to find solutions and Geneva Watch Days could enable European journalists and retailers the opportunity to see several brands in one go via smaller break out events. An interesting solution indeed!

The Initiative Came From Bvlgari

“Despite the cancellation of the two major Watch Fairs, it will allow retailers and media, primarily from Europe but not only, to discover, comment and order the novelties of the founding brands,” commented Jean-Christophe Babin, CEO Bvlgari. “Besides these brands, we are currently in advanced discussions with several other important names including Chopard an H. Moser & Cie., which we hope will be confirmed soon. Plus some others which I’m sure will be interested after discovering our initiative,” he added.
 

Seal Of Approval From The Canton Of Geneva

This decision has been approved by the Canton of Geneva, as Geneva State Councillor Pierre Maudet confirmed: “We fully support this initiative, especially after the cancellation of both the Geneva Motorshow and the Watches & Wonders Fair last week. Even though its scale cannot be compared, it will contribute significantly to the Geneva economy during a period that otherwise would have been very challenging. We will provide the participating brands with all our possible support and thank them for having elected Geneva as their event venue.”
 

So the dates were out of our diaries last week are now back in!

This is indeed uncharted territory for all of us.

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