Watches And Wonders 2022 — The Fratello Watches Team Touches Down In Geneva
Fratello will be on location in Geneva from March 30th to April 5th to cover all of the hottest news and releases from Watches & Wonders 2022. It’s the first year this exhibition is available physically for press, and we’ll be there to show you the latest from brands like Rolex, Cartier, Tudor, Patek Philippe, Jaeger-LeCoultre, A. Lange & Söhne, Vacheron Constantin, Oris, TAG Heuer, Panerai, and many more.
Keep an eye on our landing page here, to see all Watches & Wonders coverage from our editorial team. It’s the first large watch exhibition since 2020, and we’re very much looking forward to seeing all the new watches introduced by the participating brands (nearly 40 of them).
In the past, we visited SIHH (the predecessor of Watches & Wonders) and Baselworld every year for over a decade. Now, they have merged into one event under the Watches & Wonders name. Due to the pandemic, both the 2020 and 2021 editions were held in an exclusively digital format. However, as things have started to clear up a little bit (at least in this part of the world), the organizing party (Fondation de Haute Horlogerie) decided to make it a hybrid exhibition.
As such, we will be treated to a physical event as well as an online event. The number of invitations has come down drastically, to make sure it isn’t overcrowded on location, but we Fratello will be on location, meeting brands and getting the chance to try on the watches ourselves.
Watches And Wonders 2022
In the past, Baselworld was open to the public as well. In the “good old days”, anyone could buy an entry ticket and enjoy a spot of window shopping. Sometimes, it was worthwhile just to be there, soaking up the buzz and atmosphere that proliferated the lanes. At the weekends, it wasn’t uncommon to see entire Swiss families having a day out, taking in the sights and the sounds. Surveying the new watches on display was, of course, a whole weekend’s worth of activity!
SIHH was always a trade-only show, until a few years ago when they opened up the last day (a Friday) to the public. My guess is that the Watches & Wonders 2022 will be more targeted at watch press and retailers, but perhaps this will change in the future as well. With a bit of luck, a year further out of the pandemic might see this event take on the scale and accessibility of the Baselworld/SIHH.
Image by Watches & Wonders
Firsthand impressions on the way!
For those who are not aware, Baselworld died a tragic death, and many of the long-term exhibitors decided to go their own way. That was especially true of bigger brands (such as Breitling) and powerful groups (like the Swatch Group). Some of the others hopped over to the Watches & Wonders format. Those brands include Rolex, Tudor, Grand Seiko, Oris, and Patek Philippe. But not every brand decided to move from SIHH to Watches & Wonders. Take Audemars Piguet or Richard Mille, for example. Those brands, and others, plan on holding separate events throughout the year.
Fratello will have boots on the ground during this show. Traveling from the team will be Sinara (social media manager), Ignacio, Rob, Gerard, Lex, and yours truly. Make sure to follow our Instagram feed as well, as Sinara will be posting some behind-the-scenes footage there as well.
Go here to see all Watches & Wonders 2022 coverage starting on March 30.
