SIHH renamed to Watches & Wonders: Everything you need to know

The Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie (SIHH) exhibition has renamed itself to ‘Watches & Wonders’. The rebranding brings a new format to the exhibition, with a focus on a more interactive, engaging and fun experience.

The history

Starting off in 1991, SIHH began when five watch brands, Cartier, Baume & Mercier, Piaget, Gerald Genta and Daniel Roth, decided to leave behind Baselworld and launch their own luxury watch exhibition. Fast forward to 2019 and SIHH has more than 30 brands taking part, with the majority being Richemont-owned. It’s an event for the top brands like Vacheron Constantin, Panerai, IWC and many others to come together and show off what they’ve been working on that year.

Watches & Wonders Geneva

For its 30th such event however, taking place in April 2020, SIHH is changing gears drastically and going for a total rebrand. In the effort to become more appealing to a wide variety of audiences, the event will now offer a wider variety of experiences rather than just simple watch unveiling and press conferences.

The new ‘Watches & Wonders Geneva’ event will be split into a few different attractions, such as ‘In the City’, ‘The Lab’, ‘The Live’ and ‘The Salon’.

In the City

This is hoped to be a way to get a younger and more curious audience interested in the historical traditional of haute horology, it will bring brands together to show off the behind-the-scenes workings of making the world’s most boggling tickers.

It will act as a way for people to gain more knowledge and information on the highly complex art that is watchmaking, consisting of lectures, practical workshops, demonstrations by the pros, exhibitions, history lessons, animations, and child-focused activities.

The Lab

This will act as a place for the most ambitious watch brands to come together to show the innovations taking place in the industry. It is described as an interactive experience showcasing the technological ambitions of the industry’s start-ups, as well as the continued work of the more established brands.

The Live Show

This is perhaps the most press-focused aspect of the show, a place for keynote speeches from industry leaders, as well as international launches of new products. This is the main stage where you’ll see all the journalists pile into to get a look at the new watches being released that year and the following.

Beyond a platform to show off new products, it is also a place of debate, where industry leaders and experts will come together to discuss numerous questions in the industry.

The Salon

This is the part of the exhibition which looks the most like an exhibition, a floor for all the participating names to come together and set up their interactive stalls or displays. Open to professionals, journalists, enthusiasts and VIPS, it will deliver exclusive previews of new collections.

Watches & Wonders has been renamed as to invigorate the wonder in the world of horology, and the beauty of it. It’s primed to be the show’s most dynamic exhibition yet, also offering walking tours, visits to museums and manufacture visits.

The response

“Hermès welcomes this ambition to open up the Salon. It gives a wider audience the opportunity to discover our exceptional watchmaking savoir-faire both in Geneva and internationally,” declared Laurent Dordet, CEO of Hermès Watches.

“SIHH’s transformation into Watches & Wonders cements a crucial rapprochement with end customers and watch connoisseurs. For an artisan brand such as MB&F, this broader concept gives us a platform for reaching new audiences. We are very proud to be part of this project which begins in Geneva and extends around the world,” commented Maximilian Büsser, CEO of MB&F.

For Patrick Pruniaux, CEO of Girard-Perregaux and Ulysse Nardin, In the City is “a fabulous opportunity to connect the magic and excitement of a temporary event with the powerful, permanent presence of the brands in the world capital of watchmaking, Geneva. As is the case with Ulysse Nardin, and its new lake-front boutique. The prestige of Geneva is further enhanced by the constant innovation, in design and technique, of an industry whose products remain endlessly fascinating and highly desirable.”

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