By this time next week, major trends and topics coming out of this year’s Watches & Wonders event will (mostly) be pretty clear. Ahead of the show, our editorial team has some thoughts on what we’ll be looking for as we approach the watch industry’s major tradeshow. These aren’t product predictions, necessarily (spoiler alert: we already know a lot of what’s coming, and you won’t find us using AI to come up with what we think a hypothetical Rolex or Tudor of your dreams might look like), but what we’re anticipating for the show itself more broadly. 

Zach Weiss 

I’m not sure exactly how many years I have been attending trade shows, but considering the COVID gap, my guess is about a decade—a decade starting with the defunct Basel and I’m now about to attend my fourth Watches & Wonders. And, I’ll be candid, I’m not sure what I’m looking for. The show is a lot less about discovery than Basel was. It’s mostly a time to see in person the watches we’ve seen in our emails in the preceding weeks, get some hands-on time, and make some quick impressions, shake some hands, etc. 

Sure, some tight-lipped brands, like Tudor, give us no advance information. So there always is a little adrenaline rush at 9 am on the first day. But, after that, the cat is out of the bag (cats are out of the bags?). There’s a lot of running around because meetings are set too close and the space is just a bit too big, and there’s a surprising number of people loafing in the way, as well as chairs everywhere, so you can’t run. Among the media, there’s a lot of “what did you like so far,” “did you see this yet?” and “man, things are crazy.” Brands ask you what it’s like in the halls, because they generally don’t have a chance to leave their booths.

It’s oddly rinse-and-repeat. But it’s also days of deep immersion in watches, and yes, I love watches. I love holding them, I love photographing them, I love taking the 10X loupe I have attached to my bag out to see if those bevels are really as good as they say.  There’s our annual meal at a great Singaporean restaurant that, thankfully, no one else has discovered.  In the end, it’s always a fun, if exhausting, time. 

Which leads me to something I will definitely be looking for: a place to sit. Museum fatigue is a real thing that includes “…fatigue including exhaustion, satiation from repeated exposure to similar exhibits, stress, information overload, object competition from the simultaneous presentation of multiple stimuli, limited attention capacity, and the decision-making process.” So, a good chair, to stop, get off my feet, decompress for a sec, and maybe catch up on social media, is something I am looking forward to.

Zach Kazan 

Every year, as Watches & Wonders approaches, you can feel a narrative begin to take shape even before the first meetings take place. It has less to do with the new releases we’ll see from the roughly 60 brands participating in the event, and is more about the economic climate, the current state of the watch market, and dozens of other intangibles. But you kind of get a sense of what to expect in terms of the mood of the show. This year, the vibes, as the kids say, are kinda bad.

Here’s the gist: the watch market has slowed, and brands are displaying old fashioned signs of genuine caution. The LVMH Watch Week novelties are perhaps a good barometer of how many mainstream luxury brands are approaching the new release season. The most talked about pieces coming out of that event were the true heavy hitters – super watches and jewelry focused pieces with vanishingly small production numbers. These are watches with enormous profit margins, aimed at a small handful of clients who are likely to be insulated from a worldwide economic slowdown. So we see LVMH focus on the rare, pricey stuff. Watches aimed at the mass market are iterative, and not very risky (think: purple Carrera, and yet another Defy Skyline variant). 

As for the show itself, I’ll be curious to see how several small changes add up to altering the Watches & Wonders experience. For the second year in a row, the show has expanded options for the general public to attend. There are two tiers of public day access, including a new pass that is significantly more expensive than a normal public day ticket aimed at VIPs. Catering to the public, regardless of the price of a ticket, says something important about what Watches & Wonders is, and might eventually become. Remember, this is ostensibly a trade show, an event that in most industries is not only off limits to gen pop, but frankly not usually of much interest. Reaching out to end users and making it easier for enthusiasts to attend mirrors the notion that the authorized dealer, typically the most important attendee of a watch industry trade show, is being bypassed as brands begin to feel more comfortable selling to clients directly. 

There’s a similar impact on media and journalists who attend the event. I imagine we’ll see fewer traditional watch media at this year’s event, and more social media influencers. They’ll all be fighting for the same cramped real estate, though, when it comes to actually working the show in the press lounge. That’s “lounge,” singular. According to the Palexpo map we were sent this week showing the locations of every booth, for the second year in a row only a single lounge will be available, and let’s just say it’s not in the most accessible area of the hall. Journalists were never the first priority of Watches & Wonders organizers (and really, they shouldn’t be) but they’ve perhaps fallen a rung or two down on the totem pole. 

Does this sound like doom and gloom? That’s not my intent – I am, as always, incredibly excited for the show. It’s the Super Bowl of the watch industry, and I’d question anyone in my position who is not genuinely excited for the experience we’re all about to have. There are bound to be surprises, discoveries, and interesting stories developing on the fringes of the show and throughout Geneva, and we’re looking forward to documenting as much of it as possible next week. 

Kat Shoulders 

I’m personally pretty curious about whether this year watch brands will continue the trend of more creative risks. Last year did feel like a relatively quiet show in my opinion. It wasn’t that the releases were bad — far from it — but either the show or the releases themselves lacked the excitement and sense of novelty that makes events like Watches & Wonders so electrifying. With the industry as competitive as ever, this feels like a prime opportunity for brands to push boundaries and create some buzz.

I’m well aware there always seems to be an expectation that every year will bring blockbuster releases and seismic shifts. Which leads me to wonder if the Watches & Wonders phenomenon is becoming overhyped? Are we reaching a point where the hype outweighs the reality? We’ll be keeping an eye on how brands juggle big, buzzworthy launches while still refining their collections and staying true to who they are. The thing I’m curious about is if we see more subtle, incremental updates, will enthusiasts feel let down, or is there still room to celebrate craftsmanship over spectacle?

I’m also excited to see how brands roll with the punches as the watch collecting scene keeps evolving. In the last few years we’ve definitely seen a shift toward independent brands gaining more recognition, as well as increased interest in watchmaking transparency. The real excitement at Watches & Wonders isn’t just about the new releases — it’s about getting a glimpse into where the luxury watch industry’s head is at. We’re curious to see if they’re paying attention to the little guys and the conversations the watch community, Worn & Wound, and others have been driving over the past year, or if it’s business as usual.