This story has been updated.
PARIS – It’s going to get even busier in the 810,000 square feet of Watches and Wonders in 2025.
The annual watch industry fair, which is slated to take place April 1 to 7, announced Tuesday the arrival of Bulgari among its exhibitors.
“This is a significant opportunity for us to firmly state our position in the top tier of the watch industry alongside the most respected brands in the world,” said Bulgari chief executive officer Jean-Christophe Babin.
The Roman jeweler, which used to take part in Baselworld before pulling out in 2018, was previously showing independently during the fair period.
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It was also among the founding members of the Geneva Watch Days, an event traditionally taking part in late August and launched in 2020.
“It’s a very nice move in terms of message, of openness for the industry to have the key stakeholders [of watchmaking] be part of the Watches and Wonders Geneva ecosystem,” said Matthieu Humair, CEO of the Watches and Wonders Foundation that organizes the annual event.
Another four independent labels – Christiaan van der Klaauw, Genus, Kross Studio and MeisterSinger – will exhibit for the first time at Watches and Wonders, while Armin Strom and HYT are returning to the lineup.
“Clearly, it shows the importance of being together, talking about watchmaking with one voice,” said Humair. “To see brands returning is a nice and strong commitment for the industry.”
Despite the contingent of confirmed exhibitors standing at 60 for the 2025 edition, the watch industry executive brushed aside questions about the fair growing too large.
“We are growing slowly so it allows us to adapt our operations and take the necessary decisions in terms of hospitality and services,” he said, highlighting efforts to mutualize costs, enhance efficiency through a range of tools as well as ease access and circulation in the venue.
Despite inflation, the organization has worked to keep costs stable since 2022, he added.
“It’s an important cost for all the brands taking part in this event,” he continued. “But the number [of them] shows that the return on investment is good and that it’s important to be present.”
For the upcoming edition, Humair said the focus would be on youth, particularly through the Lab zone dedicated to tomorrow’s watchmakers and innovative projects.
He anticipated the upcoming Geneva edition would top 2024’s 49,000 visitors.
Beyond Geneva, Watches and Wonders continues to grow, with a Shanghai edition that welcomed more than 10,000 visitors in August. “It’s a very good platform in China to get closer to local retailers, press and of course, end clients,” he said.
“Brands also did specific launches at a global level this year and this is something new [that shows] Watches and Wonders Shanghai has become an important meeting for the industry in Asia,” he said.
Although the luxury slowdown has been biting watchmakers hard in recent months, with exports down 3.3 percent year-on-year in the first half of 2024, Humair expressed confidence in the industry’s resilience. “April 2025 will reveal once again that being together [makes us] stronger,” he said.
Separately on Tuesday, bodies representing the Swiss watchmatching industry and its employers released a joint statement calling for support measures.
“The Swiss watch industry is currently in a delicate situation, marked by a very contrasted evolution since the beginning of the year,” they said.
A slowdown in exports has created a difficult context for some 700 companies in the sector, forcing some to prolong the summer break and furlough or even lay off staff, they continued.
Exports to Greater China are a particular source for concern. In June, the number of timepieces to for China and Hong Kong fell respectively 36.5 and 23.1 percent and declined by around 20 percent for the first six months of the year. Figures for July also shrunk by a third and August’s results are expected Thursday.
Among demands are a reduction in administrative charges, better free-trade agreements, and support from the Swiss central bank to counteract the strength of the Swiss franc which is undermining the sector’s competitivity.
