Business News: Watches & Wonders 2021 Unveils New Lineup And Schedule

January 28, 2021

This morning we woke up to news from Switzerland of how this young year's watch trade show schedule is developing.? As we reported back in November, Watches & Wonders Geneva, scheduled for April 7 to 13, 2021, will be a digital-only affair. Today's news offers more insight into what that show will look like and what brands will be showing. As we reported in November, the five "Rolexit" brands are on board for the 2021 Watches & Wonders Geneva digital show. As a reminder, these brands are Rolex, Tudor, Patek Philippe, Chopard, and Chanel. They will be joined by brands from the Richemont Group, as was also expected. However, the major news is that they will be joined by Bulgari, Hublot, Louis Vuitton, TAG Heuer, and?Zenith from LVMH, as well as by Carl F. Bucherer. In all, the Watches &?Wonders Geneva digital experience will comprise some 38 brands.? It figures to be a large show with a distinctively luxury focus. With participants from most of the major group-affiliated and non-group-affiliated watch companies on board, with the exception of the Swatch Group, the digital platform is getting some new features: "To facilitate interaction and enable visitors from around the world to enjoy the full Watches & Wonders experience, the watchesandwonders.com platform C successfully introduced in April 2020 C launches with additional features," Watches?& Wonders said in the press release.?"More interactive, more functional and focused on services and exchange, this upgraded version is designed to favor synergies, communication and networking. Visitors become actors, not just onlookers, in a robust program that includes multiple opportunities to directly interact with the brands through live chats and streams." The next iteration of Watches & Wonders?will also include a live morning show with daily analysis of what's new at the fair, as well as panels and talks led by key industry figures. The show is being put on for media and retail professionals, as well is for brands' invited VIP customers. And HODINKEE, of course, will cover all the new watches and major news that develops throughout the show. The other news from Watches & Wonders is that its Shanghai iteration, launched in September 2020 at the West Bund Art Center, will be back this year with another live, invitation-only show C and with some notable new brands, including Chopard, Rolex, Tudor, and Ulysse Nardin. Watches & Wonders Shanghai is slated to take place "a few days" after the Geneva digital show. Watches & Wonders did specifically mention that as the COVID-19 situation evolves, more live shows may be added to the calendar.? As far as 2022 plans are concerned, the press release mentioned an anticipated in-person spring show at the Geneva Palexpo. The full list of brands participating in the Geneva digital event includes:A. Lange & Sohne?|?Arnold & Son?|?Baume & Mercier?|?Bvlgari?|?Carl F. Bucherer?|?Cartier?|?Chanel?|?Chopard?|?Chronoswiss?|?Corum?|?Ferdinand Berthoud?|?Greubel Forsey?|?H. Moser & Cie?|?Herms?|?Hublot?|?IWC Schaffhausen?|?Jaeger-LeCoultre?|?Louis Moinet?|?Louis Vuitton?|?Maurice Lacroix?|?Montblanc?|?Nomos Glashtte?|?Oris?|?Panerai?|?Patek Philippe?|?Piaget?|?Purnell?|?Rebellion Timepieces?|?Ressence?|?Roger Dubuis?|?Rolex|?Speake-Marin?|?TAG Heuer?|?Trilobe?|?Tudor?|?Ulysse Nardin?|?Vacheron Constantin?|?Zenith For more, visit Watches & Wonders.