Watches and Wonders, the luxury watch trade show held in Geneva April 1-7 was big on numbers this year, at least in terms of attendance and reach. While the mostly elite brands exhibiting launched mostly limited edition or limited production pieces – and in some cases, one-offs, the crowds grew bigger. The fair reports record attendance, with over 55,000 visitors throughout the week, compared to 49,000 last year (+12%), 6,000 retail representatives (+5%), 1,600 journalists (+7), and 23,000 tickets sold on the public days (+21%). Social media posts throughout the fair, using the hashtag #watchesandwonders2025, had an estimated reach of more than 700 million people. In addition to being the most important showcase for watch introductions for the year, Watches and Wonders includes guided tours, workshops, presentations, panel discussions and entertainment events.
“It really shows the success of our initiative to open the show up to a broader audience, to all demographics,” says Watches and Wonders CEO Matthieu Humair. “The average age of attendees is 35, so it shows that young people are interested in watches.”
The show is operated by the Watches and Wonders Geneva Foundation, a non-profit organization run by a committee of exhibitors. It is chaired by Cyrille Vigneron, the former CEO of Cartier. There are now 60 exhibitors, including Bulgari for the first time this year, joining other LVMH brands Hublot, Zenith, along with several Richemont brands (including Cartier, Piaget, A. Lange & Söhne, Jaeger-LeCoultre, Vacheron Constantin and Panerai), along with other big marques like Chanel and Hermès. Louis Vuitton and Breitling have yet to sign on, but perhaps the biggest gap on the exhibitor list is the Swatch Group, which includes Breguet, Longines, Omega, Blancpain and Harry Winston. “There is still room to expand the show physically, and with the hotel capacity in Geneva,” says show chairman Cyrille Vigneron, “There is room for the Swatch Group. They have been invited, so if they’re willing, they’re welcome.”
Despite the fact that President Donald Trump announced his administration would impose a 31% tax on Swiss exports, including watches, to the U.S. about half way through the show, the outlook was upbeat and optimistic, with plenty of gold, platinum and gem-encrusted watches on display. According to watch industry news site WatchPro, shares for the three major watch groups dropped since the announcement: Richemont, Swatch Group and LVMH shares are down 12.4%, 15.6% and 13.4% respectively. In terms of trends, some watch brands celebrated their heritage with anniversary or tribute editions, while others highlighted their iconic collections. Rolex introduced a new collection, the Land-Dweller, and Piaget introduced a new ladies’ collection, the Sixtie. There were perpetual calendars by the score, and plenty of hardstone dials, along with blue dials of every color. Women were in the spotlight, particularly in the jewelry watch segment, and since case sizes are shrinking, there were more watches in general for ladies to choose from. And Bulgari broke a new record for micro-watchmaking, introducing the world’s smallest tourbillon in its Octo Finissimo collection.