“The watch world is also known as a community and it definitely felt that way in Geneva this past week,” said David Hurley, deputy chief executive officer of Watches of Switzerland Group, after an edition of Watches and Wonders that spilled out onto the streets of the Swiss city.

The fair, a serious moment within the watch industry’s calendar, “had a refreshed energy, excitement and buzz as your complete world was back to attending in-person,” said Tatiana Birkelund, vp and general business manager, beauty and jewellery at Neiman Marcus.

And if Swiss watch exports alone — 23.7 billion Swiss francs, or nearly $26.2 billion at current exchange rates in keeping with the Federation of the Swiss Watch Industry — weren’t enough to attest to the health of the high-end watchmaking industry, the “busier than ever” edition “really gave everyone the reassurance the industry was in full swing,” in keeping with Mr Porter’s senior buyer high quality watches and jewellery Maxim De Turckheim.

Especially since retailers got here able to spend time and budget, letting touch-and-feel sessions guide them. “We do have a given budget. Nevertheless, ultimately, the collections and our crushes have the ultimate say. So… no budget,” quipped French retailer Arije’s president and CEO Carla Chalouhi.

Brands definitely rose to the occasion, offering booths that caught the attention but in addition pieces that might hit the spot for “emotion but in addition the rarity through exclusive or limited-edition pieces” expected by consumers, in keeping with Galeries Lafayette’s buying director of watches and jewellery division Mandana Levaux.

Innovation in materials, craftsmanship, vintage inspiration and iconic designs were among the many ideas that stood out.

Here’s what retailers considered a record-breaking edition that saw an appearance by Julia Roberts, the return of Asian visitors and customers already reaching out:

Tatiana Birkelund, vp and general business manager, beauty and jewellery at Neiman Marcus

Overall impression: Watches and Wonders had a refreshed energy, excitement and buzz as your complete world was back to attending in-person. The booths showed each a fresh perspective and continued innovation, and the watches advanced in newness and luxury. We’re confident our curated buys and product assortment will resonate with our luxury customers. 

Best booth: There have been so many great booths on the event. One which stood out was Hermès with its use of materials to create movement, motion and overall lightness. We were delighted by their moving “butterflies” within the vitrines. Piaget’s booth also had a renewed energy [and] we foresee great things with their brand as they approach their a hundred and fiftieth anniversary next 12 months. 

Top watches: It was exciting to see innovation in materials — the usage of meteorite, Damascus steel, titanium blends, forged ceramic. We appreciate the flexibility this brings to design, allowing the wearer to change the watch depending on the occasion or mood. For instance, Piaget had a feather watch that may convert to earrings. We were excited to see trends in smaller, feminine watch case sizes and expect our clients to reply positively. On this trend, we specifically loved Hermès’ petite “H Hour” and Chopard’s smaller “Pleased Sport.” It was wonderful to see a lot color in dials and faces — blues, greens, reds and pinks. Watches as jewelry is a very important category for our customers and one wherein we saw plenty of great newness. A few of our favorites included Chanel’s lion cuff with the hidden face, Chanel’s pincushion watch, Hermès’ gold bracelet watches, and each Piaget and Chopard bejeweled watches with degrades of coloured gemstones. Chopard had one watch with an exquisite dial wherein the gemstones went from diamonds for day to sapphires at night.

Ordering behavior: Watches are such a novel and detailed category. Our ability to the touch and feel them at Watches and Wonders is critical to understanding how the purchasers will reply to the curated assortment we procure.  

What are your customers searching for? [They] are searching for versatility, the flexibility to style their watches with each their look and their personality. Our customers are all the time searching for the watch with that “something extra” – more diamonds, more color, more interest to make their life extraordinary.

Your outlook for 2023: We remain excited concerning the future and bringing the perfect of Watches and Wonders’ luxury offering to our customers. [They] proceed to trust Neiman Marcus to curate the perfect assortment of watches from our wide-reaching global brand partners. 

Maxim De Turckheim, senior buyer high quality watches and jewellery at Mr Porter

Overall impression: This 12 months’s fair was busier than ever, which really gave everyone the reassurance the industry was in full swing. It was nice to see a rather more simplified format for a lot of brands, which made it easier to navigate booths and appointments.

Best moment: Julia Roberts casually making an appearance on Day One!

Best booth: I loved the Jaeger-LeCoultre booth this 12 months with all of the artisans showing their craft, amazing historical pieces from the archives, a water fountain projection and in fact let’s not forget their insane hot chocolate (created from mountains of melted chocolate).

Top watches: Our top clients were already messaging us concerning the Vacheron Overseas Moonphase Retrograde, Cartier Tank Normale Platinum Skeleton and Jaeger-LeCoultre Chronograph. But my personal favorite was the Ressence Type 8 in a beautiful sage green.

Latest talent: I loved the brand new Czapek collection with all of the fun-colored dials and located Trilobe’s concept stunning and an incredible price.

Budgets: We were lucky that plenty of the brands we stock had already given us sneak previews so we had some budget already committed and a healthy amount to spend on the fair.

Ordering behavior: Being online, we had an enormous surge of demand throughout the pandemic, which was maintained in 2022. For 2023 we would like to introduce some nice opening-price industrial pieces to focus on our watch newbies but in addition secure among the métiers d’art/rare/limited pieces for our biggest spenders. We see these two segments being those which can proceed to grow.

What are your customers searching for? Our customers are quite classic of their watches and really tasteful. They’re going towards smaller sizes but in addition elegant designs. We’ve had a number of demand for Hermès recently since they launched their H08 because it is an ideal day-to-evening watch but in addition from recent brands corresponding to Gerald Charles, that are bringing back to life a few of Gerald Genta’s gorgeous designs.

Your outlook for 2023: A lot of salmon and green.

David Hurley, deputy chief executive officer of Watches of Switzerland Group

Overall impression: It was wonderful to feel the energy of the fair back in full force, particularly with the added element of public access at this 12 months’s Watches and Wonders. The watch world is also known as a community and it definitely felt that way in Geneva this past week. It’s essentially the most exciting time for our industry and to have brands, press, buyers, executives, and now watch aficionados, from all all over the world in a single place makes the atmosphere unmatched.  

Best moment: Too many to count but Day One when all of the launches drop — what an exciting rush.

Best booth: I may need to offer that to Ulysse Nardin. The interactive giant Freak movement with a mirrored ceiling was an incredible photo opportunity.

Top watches: We saw plenty of vintage inspirations with this 12 months’s launches. Chopard’s recent Alpine Eagle and Vacheron Constantin’s Patrimony Retrograde have exceptional dials that give them a retro-inspired and understated elegance. Along with the thrill across the sixtieth anniversary of the Daytona, Rolex released a once-in-a-lifetime Day-Date with the puzzle-piece dial and emoji date window — a extremely unexpected drop. We also saw several brands doubling down on a few of their most iconic pieces, Cartier with the brand new Santos in yellow gold and two-tone steel together with Ulysse Nardin with a black DLC coated titanium and rose gold Freak One. At all times a favourite, Patek Philippe struck an undeniable balance between their modern unveils of recent Travel Time and Pilot watches in juxtaposition to their rare handcrafts exhibition highlighting the artistry that sets them apart.

Latest talent: Watches of Switzerland will all the time champion the independents. Ressence and Speake Marin are two independents we all the time stay up for seeing and our clients proceed to be intrigued by.

Budgets: We come to the fair with the intention of seeing the novelties in person, so we go in without prior commitments to our budget. Watches and Wonders is essentially the most significant show for us so we all the time plan on maximizing the chance to introduce recent lines to our clients based on what we see in person.

Ordering behavior: At Watches of Switzerland, our teams really appreciate the “touch and feel” component of the fair. We very much will stay up for our in-person appointments next 12 months and the continued expansion of the present format.

What are your customers searching for? With such a large global network of clients, we actually look to envision all of the boxes. Every market and client is different, so Watches of Switzerland looks to have the advantage of alternative inside the group. Overall, we’re seeing a move towards 42mm being the most important size that clients are asking for and you possibly can see from this 12 months’s launches many brands are moving in that direction.

Your outlook for 2023: [It] is incredibly positive. Our teams’ phones are off the hook with clients reaching out about releases they’ve seen coming out of Watches and Wonders. Watches of Switzerland continues to be in growth mode, globally, but particularly within the U.S. market where the watch consumer demographic continues to grow exponentially.

Mandana Levaux, buying director of watches and jewellery division at Galeries Lafayette

Overall impression: It’s a really successful second [physical] edition bringing the most important names of high-end watchmaking, with much energy and creativity.

Best booth: Chanel’s beautiful staging of its creations on 3D-printed mannequins, a real black-and-white immersion into [its] world.

Best moment: Cartier’s touch-and-try, a moment of conviviality to enter into the brand’s collections, try product and share our impressions.

Top products: Collections that were very colourful, with plenty of green but in addition recent colours on the dials. Much richness within the treatments and decors for dials. We’re seeing that smaller sizes, often unisex, and a growing women’s offer in collections. Our favorites were Rolex’s Yachtmaster 42mm in RLX titanium; Cartier’s Santos Dumont skeleton; Panerai’s Radiomir Quarenta; Hermès H08 in rose gold and titanium, and Hublot Classic Fusion Chronograph Orlinski in titanium.

What are your customers searching for? Our clients are searching for emotion but in addition the rarity through exclusive or limited-edition pieces.

Your outlook for 2023: [The year] starts on a superb dynamic and the novelties of this 12 months should allow us to see one other excellent 12 months on high-end watches.

Carla Chalouhi, president and chief executive officer of Arije

Overall impression: We imagine that positivity, revolutionary spirit, and novelty — and a few positive messages in a colourful palette were the important thing words of this 2023 edition.

Best moment: What we appreciated essentially the most was being brought back all together within the beating heart of the industry.

Best booth: The Hermès booth for its artistic and poetic facets.

Top watches: The brand new Yacht-Master 42 in RLX Titanium and as one other premiere for Rolex the Day-Date 36 with 31 emojis and colourful statements. The Cartier Clash [Un]limited jewelry watch with its revolutionary purple gold, and its high jewelry Art Deco declination. Last but not least, the Greubel Forsey Balancier Convexe S2.

Latest talent: Yes — we are going to reveal our crushes in the approaching weeks.

Budgets: We do have a given budget. Nevertheless, ultimately, the collections and our crushes have the ultimate say. So… no budget.

Ordering behavior: [We] definitely [won’t go for] the digital methods [as] we strongly imagine that it’s worthwhile to touch, try, feel a watch you’ll wear in your wrist… [This is an] essential a part of the emotion.

What are your customers searching for? Our clients search for quality, innovation, rarity and exclusivity all together. They expect to be surprised.

Your outlook for 2023: We cannot say that the market is resistant to the macro environment. Nevertheless, we are able to and can remain optimistic.

Roberto Chiappelloni, owner, and Robert Weintraub, manager, of Manfredi Jewels

Overall impression: A improbable attendance, well attended from all around the world finally after COVID-19. There’s a way of cautious optimism from the opposite retailers that we connected with. 

Best moment: Spending 45 minutes with the master watchmaker Kari Voutilainen, who shall be celebrating his twentieth anniversary this 12 months as an independent watchmaker. We’ve been very fortunate to be a retail partner of his from the very starting.

Best booth: Hermès.

Top watches: Grand Seiko Tentagraph, Parmigiani Tonda PF Minute Rattrapante, Rolex Day-Date 36 with a celebration dial stuffed with emotion. 

Latest talent: We’re already a retailer [for the brand] but we’re more than happy with the evolution of Schwarz Etienne watches. We’re also very excited to have seen the watches that we shall be receiving soon from Frederick Jouvenot, as we shall be the primary retailer representing them in North America.

Budgets: We all the time come well prepared to make purchases that can represent all of our brands in one of the best ways possible. 

Ordering behavior: It’s lots more fun to be together in person at these events, and to find a way to truly touch and feel these beautiful mechanical wonders. There isn’t a substitute for seeing a watch live, and putting it in your wrist.

What are your customers searching for? At Manfredi we’re very much in tune to our clients’ wishes and wishes and are encouraged by the newfound appreciation for excellent timepieces that can deliver a lifetime of delight from their beauty and quality.  We encourage our clients to check and contrast between the various brands we stock, assisted by one in all our passionate advisers to search out the proper timepiece so as to add to their collection, or to have a good time an important day. They’re asking for sport watches with integrated bracelets in steel that they will wear in a wide range of different settings and activities. Jeweled yellow gold ladies’ watches are gaining preference recently as well.

Your outlook for 2023: Cautiously optimistic.