The third edition of Watches and Wonders took place in Hong Kong during the first week of October where 12 exhibiting brands such as Cartier, Van Cleef and Arpels or Jaeger Lecoultre took the opportunity to unveil their new timepieces imagined for women.
The third edition of the Watches & Wonders fair took place in the international hub of Hong Kong from September the 30th to October the 3rd. Bringing together the most celebrated watch-making brands in the world, which could exhibit their models by invitation only. The event, organized by the Fondation de la Haute Horlogerie, took a step forward in becoming one of the most anticipated annual events in the fine-watchmaking calendar where timepieces transform into objects of passion, emotion and desires.
In addition to the appealing vitrines showcasing the latest creations of the 12 exhibiting brands, visitors could enjoy booth attractions, workbench demonstrations or watchmaking initiations.
This year, Watches and Wonders offered a new way to explore the different Maisons in a digital manner where thematic tours were organized for visitors to get acquainted with the notion of time in which they could choose a watch model and get an individual discovery according to one of the five themes: Astonomy and reaching for the stars and the cosmos, We Love Asia by understanding the inspiration of the Asian culture, Precious time into the understanding and admiration of the dazzling stones transforming a watch into a jewelry creation, Extreme Watches pushing the boundaries of feasibility and Iconic Watches learning about how they got to become icons. All in which leaded to the mysteries of horological creations and boundaries.
Economic trends set aside yet taken into account, the 2015 watchmaking trends seen during Watches and Wonders showed that brands are keeping a low-profile, became less creative, and were more focused on trusted designs and classic styles. Yet, the Jewelry timepieces still dazzle, and the feminine timepieces keep on growing. Now that the market has understood that women are a promising market, the development of mechanical pieces specifically made for them are flourishing!
Cartier along with Van Cleef and Arpels–being the epitome of Jewelry savoir-faire participated in the event presenting exquisite Jewelry timepieces for the occasion. The more “masculine” brands did not miss the opportunity to unveil their latest creations that sometimes included a jewerly component ! Among the rest of the participating brands, you could find Lange& Sohne, Baume et Mercier, Jaeger-Lecoultre, Montblanc, Panerai, Roger Dubuis, Piaget, Vacheron Constantin and IWC – the Swiss manufacturer owned by the Richemont Group– who participated in an attempt to “to increase sales growth in Asia” and solidify its international reputation of an innovative and cutting-edge haute-horlogerie company.
This event was viewed as an ideal opportunity for the socially-responsible and creative brand to demonstrate once again its superb technical ingenuity and commitment to sustainable production.