Again April rolls around and same as the changing seasons the time of the watch fairs is upon us again. Halleluiah! is the proverbial shout from all the horology aficionados.
Last year was a great time at the fairs. Especially in Geneva which was such a treat to revisit all over again. Geneva should really be crowned as a sort of Disneyland for the WIS, well actually for any bon vivant, and should be at minimum of one time must see for any WIS (once a year for me that is).
This year unfortunately I will not be able to make BaselWorld, but I am happy to report that I have just confirmed my traveling plans for this year SIHH. I should have sufficient time to cover all the exhibitors at SIHH as well some other brands not present at either BaselWorld or SIHH so you will have my in depth report just like last year.
What am I expecting this year? Well to be honest a lot! I know of a few things that have been in the works for the past year (or in some cases even more) from a few brands I like. I am hoping to see the final unveilings and outcomes of so many talented watchmakers/designers hard work. There should be some pretty groundbreaking stories to report: from vintage icons of old being reborn for a new generation, to novel applications of hi-tech materials (actual improvements to horology instead of just marketing ploys), to positive changes in attitudes of approach (listening to their consumers desires) of some old time brands, to some pretty innovative and bespoke finished complications to collectively amaze us all.
I am also hoping for no more clichés of years past and repetitive additions of yet another (un)special/(un)limited editions which are IMHO just plain useless to the true horology aficionados. As much as I like larger size watches and think they need to be realistically represented in the market not every single model or brand needs to follow the bigger is better mantra. As well let’s please not get overly excited with emblazoning too many diamonds and all sort of varied array of colored precious stone on bezels, dials and bracelets. Lastly and notably keep the prices honest – the great horology renaissance was immense for all brands (some deservedly so, some which got a new lease on life and some that merely rode the big kahunas wave) but do NOT make the mistake like an overindulgent hotshot and overplay your hand. The times are changing (so are economic situations) so let’s not have an experience of a big bust so soon after the big bang. In the end a lot of good was created during this horology renaissance and it would be a great shame if we would wind up loosing this momentum (seeing as in the end we would all end up loosing en masse).
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