China to host Watches & Wonders luxury watch fair this September

In a bold move, luxury watch show Watches & Wonders (formerly Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie or SIHH) has decided to host an on-ground event in Shanghai this September.

Eleven brands have already confirmed that they will participate in the fair that is scheduled to take place from September 9-13, 2020, at the West Bund Art Center.

Top watchmaking houses participating include A. Lange & Söhne, Cartier, Vacheron Constantin, IWC Schaffhausen, Jaeger-LeCoultre, Panerai, Parmigiani Fleurier, Piaget, Baume & Mercier, Purnell and Roger Dubuis.

“The participating brands will welcome visitors inside two halls at the heart of West Bund Art Center. Shanghai’s hottest address for art, lifestyle and design provides the ideal setting for a 360° immersive encounter with the culture of watchmaking, thanks to a full programme of events,” the show’s organisers said in a statement.

The by-invitation event which is open to select media, retailers and key clients will host product launches of the novelties unveiled earlier this year, talks and panel discussions as well.

The LAB will showcase innovation by individual brands, while workshops will permit visitors to understand more about mechanical watchmaking too. The Métiers gallery will host workbench demonstrations of rare skills by master artisans and watchmakers who will attend the fair.

Earlier this year, the organisers of the show decided to cancel the annual on-ground event that was scheduled to take place in Geneva in April and instead conduct an online event.

Read: Watches & Wonders Geneva cancels 2020 edition

The organisers have said that the event in Shanghai will also be visible on the Watches & Wonders website and its digital platforms.

With Baselworld also cancelling its 2020 exhibition, and a number of brands subsequently exiting from the fair, the Watches & Wonders Shanghai event will be the first major international watch exhibition of the year.

According to the data provided by the Federation of the Swiss Watch Industry (FH), the value of Swiss watch exports in the first six months of the year has climbed in some of its key markets across the world – especially in China, Japan and the UK – thereby indicating a partial recovery for brands who were severely impacted by the Covid-19 lockdowns worldwide.

China accounted for CHF925.6m worth of Swiss watch exports (up 13 per cent year-on-year), UK was at CHF698.5m (up 26.3 per cent) and Japan at CHF797.6m (up 21.8 per cent).

Read: Rethinking luxury watch fairs