Watches and Wonders – while since you asked… a few thoughts.
As I have limited experience at Switzerland watch shows – one Baselworld and one Watches and Wonders – I am certainly not the one to ask about how these events compare or stack up.
But I have been to each and I do have a keyboard and blog so, I have an opinion to share. I also have 4 decades of experience putting on events around the world. In short, I have no qualifications at all.
But I must say I have been impressed by Watches and Wonders so far.
As a collector – the last part of the sales cycle – I look at these events through filtered lens. Given my event experience, I can imagine what is behind the curtain and the challenges of pleasing everyone, much less anyone, at a gathering of this size.
An “event” is a moment in time experienced by an audience with a shared interest. For a (American) football game, it is 4 quarters (plus overtime if needed) and everyone is interested in football, the teams, or the audience attending (i.e., sponsors, etc.)
A Taylor Swift concert is a couple of hours with “Swifties” and a singer.
Watches and Wonders is a few days attended by members of the watch industry – from press to manufacturers to collectors.
But like so many events, there are so many sub segments within the larger community that it can feel like you do not fit in, even when you do.
Being a collector at any watch industry event is one such sub-segment. But the organizers of Watches and Wonders have taken a couple steps to make the experience more relevant to the collector.
The Les Grade-Temps Exhibit
For instance, I came across an interesting display last year. It was an exhibit of photos and chapters from a book entitled “Les Grade-Temps” written by Luc Debraine.
The room was appropriately dark given many of the moments were tragic in one way or another. Spotlights illuminated and separated each story bringing the visitor from one moment to the next. The descriptions were in English and French, much appreciated by this monolingual collector. The book itself (conveniently bought at the nearby Watches and Wonders bookstore) is in French only.
Debraine, who is the director of the Swiss Museum of the Camera and a journalist, spent two decades traveling the world to photograph these clocks. The timepieces – stopped by natural or human disasters, revolutions, or singular events – were in public places, museums, or private homes.
Through his work, Debraine questions the “profound nature of photography and time,” drawing parallels between the art of photography and clock-making. His book embodies this idea by capturing the essence of time through images of stopped clocks. It creates a visual and narrative fresco of these silent witnesses of history.
The exhibit was thought-provoking, visually interesting, and invited visitor to reflect on the passage of time and the moments that define it. It was not what one might expect at a watch industry conference.
The differences between “time” and “watchmaking” and “retail” are as vast as physics, stars, and the search for understanding of one’s own existence. I think it would be safe to say that while the attendees at Watches and Wonders share watches as a common interest, the contest of their philosophical, historical, and cultural existence may not be of universal interest. I was the only person in the exhibit when I visited. (I would welcome more details on the “success” of this exhibition from the Watches and Wonders organizers and other attendees.)
Premium Package
It is nice to see Watches and Wonders recognizing that not all attendees place the same value on each experience. Some are looking for more convenience, others more education, others more swag, and some more prestige.
To that end, Watches and Wonders have introduced a VIP Premium Package that covers off on each of these. While sales seem to have closed by now, this package, for CHF 550, includes shorter lines, swag bags, private group tours, and the privilege of being a “VIP”.
These types of offering are not unique in the event space – everyone from concerts to sporting event to conferences make such packages available in limited quantities. Want to get into the concert early to watch the end of sound check and get a signed CD, we have a package for that; Better seats and easier entry for F1, there is a package for that; Staying at the hotel attached to the convention center with breakfast buffet, there is a package for that; Exclusive content and experiences, look towards the Plus Pass.
Premium Packages can account for a significant part of an event’s income while generating early interest (due to their likelihood of selling out) and removing the more traditional (money loosing) Early Bird Pass.
Despite all the positives, and the growing availability of these types of experiences, they are not as common as they should be. To see Watches and Wonder introducing such a package is exciting and encouraging.
Unsolicited advice for Watches and Wonders, (isn’t that the theme of this entire post?), the first year is for learning, the second for adjusting and the third for formalizing. Listen to those who do purchase the packages, and those who don’t, to adjust for the second year. One event I produced went from no Premium Packages to four over the course of three years, and from $0 in income to over $3,000,000 yearly. Offer different packages to mix or match and grow the percent of audience getting (and paying for) the values they most desire.
While I may or may not experience Watches and Wonders in 2025 (it is hard to get reasonably priced housing and none of the watchmakers have much time), I do recommend that even as a collector you keep an eye out for exciting things from Watches and Wonders this year and in the future.
