Watchonista: A Year In Review

The watch industry can now breathe a collective sigh of relief and even raise a glass of champagne or two. That is because, in the end, 2021 turned out to be an extremely positive year for the sector, with interest in and demand for watches booming, possibly more than ever.

The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in the spring of 2020 brought unprecedented challenges for the watch industry and the entire world, and no one in the horological world quite knew how the following months and years would pan out. But in the early days of 2021, as vaccine roll-outs began to pick up steam, there was cautious optimism and quiet excitement around the thought that a corner had (finally) been turned.

At the beginning of 2021, nine months of lockdowns and social distancing had seen the watch industry embrace digital like never before. From using WhatsApp to communicate with customers to holding press conferences over Zoom to live-streaming events, by January 2021, brands had learned to excel at online engagement. Meanwhile, more than ever, enthusiasts were flocking to platforms like Instagram and sites like Watchonista to work out what their next horological purchase would be. In turn, brands’ and retailers’ e-commerce sites saw significant upticks in traffic as a result.
 

With so much switching to online, it was no surprise to learn that many in the industry – from top watch CEOs to members of our Watchonista team – were most looking forward to a return to face-to-face interactions.

“Face-to-face conversations, relationships, shared experiences, travel, finding inspiration, exchanging ideas – that is the foundation of creativity and emotion, vital to our world of watchmaking,” IWC Schaffhausen CEO Christoph Grainger-Herr told Watchonista.
 

Our chairman and executive publisher Marco Gabella could only concur, saying: “After all, humankind is a social animal who needs others.”

Despite this unanimous wish to reunite with the watch community in person, the first major watch event of 2021, January’s LVMH Watch Week, remained an online-only affair.

During the virtual fair, Bulgari released three stunning new Octo Finissimos, and Hublot launched a flurry of pieces in ceramic, colored sapphire, and carbon white. Moreover, Zenith unveiled a fresh Chronomaster Sport, Chronomaster Revival A385, and DEFY 21 Urban Jungle.
 

In March, we revealed the exciting news that Watchonista had started a partnership with eBay, one of the largest luxury watch marketplaces in the world. The Silicon Valley firm turned to us to leverage our expertise, credibility, and content creation talents to further cement eBay’s watches category in the minds of luxury watch shoppers.
 

Nearly three decades since its founding, eBay has evolved immeasurably and has now taken its watches category to impressive new heights with its Luxury Watches program and Authenticity Guarantee. The latter is a no-cost service available on timepieces over $2,000 that ensures the watch for sale is authentic and fully as described.

However, more importantly for us, in addition to being the physical get-together we had all been craving, COUTURE will live long in the memory of Team Watchonista as the place where we officially launched Watchonista: Volume 01, our first foray into the world of print.

Filled with fantastic original photographs and stories presented in a rich, luxurious format, this exclusive biannual magazine isn’t sold in bookstores, on our website, or anywhere else for that matter, because Watchonista: Volume 01 is NOT FOR SALE!
 

To get your hands on a copy of “The Watch Magazine You Can’t Buy,” head over to our dedicated page and locate your nearest retailer or brand boutique carrying the magazine. Currently, we have over 50 points of distribution all over the globe.

A few days after COUTURE, all eyes turned to Switzerland, where the second edition of Geneva Watch Days took place. Its self-managed, decentralized format saw 25 diverse brands present new releases and host socially distanced events all around the Swiss city, including at manufactures, boutiques, and hotels.
 

Attended by 350 retailers, more than 300 journalists, and numerous global collectors, the show was a resounding success. Being out and about in the summer air and catching up in person with the watch fam for the first time in a long time made for a real feel-good occasion.

What’s more, this is one of the few major watch fairs where visitors can discover – and take shots of – new watch releases in abundant, natural daylight, and Team Watchonista took full advantage.
 

In the fall, more in-person watch shows returned to the US. Or, more specifically, New York City, with WatchTime taking place at Gotham Hall and the Windup Watch Fair held at Chelsea Market.

Watchonista’s very own Kat Shoulders and JJ Owens were in attendance, and both agreed the pair of events were more than just a chance to hang out with fellow enthusiasts; they reminded us how great it is to see new timepieces in the metal.
 

The GPHG was a neat prelude to Geneva’s watch auction week, during which the Only Watch charity auction celebrated another stand-out edition, raising CHF 30 million.

While, once again, Patek Philippe topped the lots with its Complicated Desk Clock Ref. 27001M selling for CHF 9.5 million, all 54 participating brands played their part. Indeed, four other lots – F.P.Journe, Audemars Piguet, Richard Mille, and De Bethune x Voutilainen –fetched over a million Swiss francs each, and another 20 one-of-a-kind watches went for over CHF 100,000.
 

And that, as they say, is a wrap. If 2021 showed us anything, it was that the watch industry is very much alive and well, displaying a steely resilience and ability to adapt and evolve while managing to fuel the passion of enthusiasts and collectors to soaring new levels.

Will it continue to flourish in 2022? If so, how will it happen? You’ll just have to watch this space.
 

(Photography by Watchonista)