Brand news
Watches and Wonders Geneva 2026 will welcome eleven new brands, including Audemars Piguet, the oldest fine watchmaking manufacturer still in the hands of its founding families, and l’Epée 1839, the only manufacture in Switzerland to specialize in the production of high-end clocks. With Behrens, Bianchet, B.R.M Chronographes, Charles Girardier, Corum, Credor, Favre Leuba, March LA. B and Sinn Spezialuhren, the total number of exhibiting brands will increase to 66. Other significant change: H. Moser & Cie. and Frederique Constant are changing locations and expanding their booths.

Redesigning the spaces
To support these developments, the Salon is adapting and expanding, while ensuring that visiting comfort and service quality are preserved. All independent artisan-creators will now be spread in two areas, the Carré des Horlogers (increasing from 16 to 23 exhibitors) and the Mezzanine (increasing from 9 to 15 exhibitors), offering greater visibility and consistency in layout.

The LAB, incubator of ideas
Dedicated to technologies that will shape the future of watchmaking, the LAB is, for the first time, offering any startup, company, or laboratory the opportunity to submit its high value-added initiative on watchesandwonders.com. Professionals, visitors, and future partners will discover the selected projects during Watches and Wonders Geneva 2026.

A true city-wide cultural program
While the format of four professional days followed by three days open to the public remains unchanged, the program itself is evolving so that each day becomes an experience of its own: opening of new spaces, museums, afterwork events, workshops and offerings for younger generations, as well as the unmissable Thursday nocturne, with the support of the City and Canton of Geneva. Transfers between the Salon and In The City will be made easier by a free shuttle service allowing visitors to travel between the two locations.

“The 2026 edition of Watches and Wonders Geneva marks a turning point in our desire to set Geneva as a leading destination. Our ambition is to offer a genuine city-wide cultural program that goes beyond the Salon. We want to provide visitors of all generations with a rewarding, entertaining, and diverse experience”, says Matthieu Humair, CEO of the Watches and Wonders Geneva Foundation.

Iremember, not that long ago, when I was just a reader of Hodinkee and being blown away as I stumbled across this amazing photo report of “New York City’s Secret Vintage Rolex Meet-Up.” It was the first “Rolliefest” and I could barely comprehend it. Such a crazy collection of Rolex, all in one place, and in my city? It was impossible to believe, hard to imagine ever being invited, and the kind of thing I was glad to have a glimpse of from the outside. 

Today, I’m just over three years into my tenure at the “Big H,” and last weekend, I was lucky enough to attend my second Rolliefest. Yes, the exclusive, invite-only event, run by Geoff Hess (whose day job is Sotheby’s Global Head of Watches), continues to grow stronger than ever. No, it’s not all about Rolex. In fact, an hour into the second event, I realized I had barely taken a picture of a single Rolex. 

From a ton of F.P.Journe to two Roger Smiths, some wild Patek Philippes, a bunch of Longines, and (of course) some Universal Genève, everything was on the table (literally). Collectors’ tastes, sentiments, and “what’s hot” have changed over the past year, but the passion and friendship remain the same, and that’s genuinely what Rolliefest (which specifically calls itself brand agnostic) is all about. 

Across two days, Rolliefest hosted a dinner around the Temple of Dendur at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, a brunch and gathering on the 102nd floor at One World Observatory, and a farewell cocktail at the Winter Garden in the recently reopened Waldorf Astoria Residences. But more importantly, the event continues to draw more and more collectors from diverse backgrounds, yet it remains a tight-knit community of friends and long-time acquaintances. 

This isn’t an exhaustive documentation of every amazing watch at the event—for instance, there’s a Daytona ref. 6270 that I never got a chance to see (and a bunch of amazing watches the owners didn’t want photographed). But it should give you a taste of how incredible the event was. For privacy (and security), I didn’t mention too many names in the story. If you see yourself and your watch in a picture, feel free to drop a comment, and I can update the caption, if you like.

Every year, the group grows, and so if you’re like me and imagining a world where you might some day be one of the people to attend, don’t give up hope. But until then, I hope you find the same excitement and fascination in discovering, learning, and enjoying the pictures from the weekend.

Today, I’m just over three years into my tenure at the “Big H,” and last weekend, I was lucky enough to attend my second Rolliefest. Yes, the exclusive, invite-only event, run by Geoff Hess (whose day job is Sotheby’s Global Head of Watches), continues to grow stronger than ever. No, it’s not all about Rolex. In fact, an hour into the second event, I realized I had barely taken a picture of a single Rolex. 

From a ton of F.P.Journe to two Roger Smiths, some wild Patek Philippes, a bunch of Longines, and (of course) some Universal Genève, everything was on the table (literally). Collectors’ tastes, sentiments, and “what’s hot” have changed over the past year, but the passion and friendship remain the same, and that’s genuinely what Rolliefest (which specifically calls itself brand agnostic) is all about. 

Across two days, Rolliefest hosted a dinner around the Temple of Dendur at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, a brunch and gathering on the 102nd floor at One World Observatory, and a farewell cocktail at the Winter Garden in the recently reopened Waldorf Astoria Residences. But more importantly, the event continues to draw more and more collectors from diverse backgrounds, yet it remains a tight-knit community of friends and long-time acquaintances. 

This isn’t an exhaustive documentation of every amazing watch at the event—for instance, there’s a Daytona ref. 6270 that I never got a chance to see (and a bunch of amazing watches the owners didn’t want photographed). But it should give you a taste of how incredible the event was. For privacy (and security), I didn’t mention too many names in the story. If you see yourself and your watch in a picture, feel free to drop a comment, and I can update the caption, if you like.

Every year, the group grows, and so if you’re like me and imagining a world where you might some day be one of the people to attend, don’t give up hope. But until then, I hope you find the same excitement and fascination in discovering, learning, and enjoying the pictures from the weekend.

Swiss watch buyers and industry executives say physical in-store sales will continue to be the preferred way to buy and sell watches, with brands scaling back expectations for growth in online sales as the sector adopts a defensive stance amid significant economic and geopolitical pressures, according to a report by audit and consulting firm Deloitte Switzerland.

About two-thirds of brands and retailers surveyed by Deloitte said they sell less than 10% of their watches online compared to in stores and don’t expect that to grow significantly in the near future. Almost three-quarters (74%) of industry executives expect offline sales to continue to dominate in the next five years. That marks a notable shift from 2023, when 62% expected brick-and-mortar sales to remain the dominant sales channel.

The Deloitte report, more than 50 pages in length and based on industry and economic data as well as surveys of more than one hundred executives and 6,500 consumers, suggests the Swiss watch industry has shifted from expansion mode in the post-pandemic era to one of resilience, consolidation, and defense. 

Armed conflicts in the Middle East and Ukraine, U.S. tariffs on Swiss goods, and persistently high input prices for materials, including gold, and a strong Swiss franc are taking a toll on consumer sentiment and margins. Brands are raising prices to counter the higher cost of U.S. tariffs at a time when consumers are increasingly price sensitive, the report says.

The report shows that consumers also continue to prefer in-person experiences when buying watches. More than 60% of watch buyers say they are most likely to buy a watch in a brick-and-mortar store. And the survey suggests that consumers prefer multibrand stores to mono-brand stores, with 38% of consumer respondents saying a multibrand store is their top choice, while 23% say mono-brand stores are preferable.

The report suggests that women consumers definitely prefer watch shopping in multi-brand stores.

“Females like multi-brand stores much more because there are more options,” Karine Szegedi, Managing Partner, Consumer Industry and Luxury and Fashion Lead, at Deloitte Switzerland, said in an interview.

The report also suggests that many industry players, particularly components suppliers, are under significant pressure because of the downturn in demand in some markets, particularly in China, where Swiss watch exports have dropped significantly. But the biggest concern is the current 39% tariff on imported goods from Switzerland to the U.S. that has upended the Swiss watchmaking sector.

”The tariffs have big implications.  The US has been the most important export market for Swiss watches since 2021, when it replaced China as number one. Exports to the US hit CHF 4.4 billion in 2024, which represents 16.8% of all Swiss watch exports. The tariffs themselves and uncertainty about what may happen subsequently complicates planning and investment decisions and amplifies the strain on the industry. The blow is not only to the industry but also to Switzerland. Watches account for 9.2% of all Swiss exports, second only to pharmaceuticals,” the Deloitte analysts say in the report.

Parts and components suppliers are already feeling the impact. A striking 74% of suppliers to the watch industry said cutting costs is a top priority in the current market conditions. At the same time, 61% said innovation and creating new products is also a priority.

Watchmakers and brands are also adapting and reacting. The survey shows that 70% of industry respondents have slowed investment in the past twelve months and that 63% have used short-term work schemes in Switzerland that allow manufacturers to furlough workers while avoiding full-time layoffs.

The report notes that the industry has worked together amid the slowdown and that several components makers have been acquired by brands amid the economic pressures, including Incabloc, the shock-absorbing system, which was acquired by a consortium that included Rolex, Patek Philippe, and Richemont.

“The watch industry has been going through numerous cycles of disruption. Now these are more frequent with shorter horizons; requiring enhanced agility,” Cyrille Vigneron, the President of Watches & Wonders Foundation and Watch & Jewellery Initiative 2030 and the former CEO of Cartier, says in the report. 

These hybrid designs allow wearers to experience the best of both worlds—timeless watchmaking alongside the practicality and functionality of modern technology. While some purists argue that smart features detract from the heritage of mechanical timepieces, others see it as a natural evolution that appeals to a younger, tech-savvy generation of watch enthusiasts.

Why it’s important: This growing trend reflects how the watch industry is adapting to the digital age without compromising the values that traditional watchmakers hold dear. These hybrid smartwatches offer an exciting intersection of craftsmanship and innovation, allowing brands to stay relevant in a rapidly evolving market.