PARIS – Watches and Wonders retains on rising.
The annual watch business honest introduced Tuesday the arrival of Audemars Piguet among the many exhibitors within the 2026 version, scheduled for April 14 to twenty in Geneva.
It leads the contingent of 11 manufacturers collaborating within the honest for the primary time, bringing the entire variety of watchmakers showcasing their wares on the Palexpo exhibition middle to 66.
Additionally becoming a member of the roster are clockmaker l’Epée 1839, acquired by LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton in 2024, and watchmakers Behrens, Bianchet, B.R.M Chronographes, Charles Girardier, Corum, Credor, Favre Leuba, March LA.B and Sinn Spezialuhren.
The version “marks a turning level in our want to set Geneva as a number one vacation spot,” mentioned Matthieu Humair, chief government officer of the Watches and Wonders Geneva Basis. “Our ambition is to supply a real city-wide cultural program that goes past the salon. We wish to present guests of all generations with a rewarding, entertaining and various expertise.”
In a separate announcement, Audemars Piguet, the oldest producer nonetheless owned by members of its founding households, mentioned it will “pay tribute to Switzerland’s horological legacy whereas opening the doorways of watchmaking to a broader viewers” by means of an immersive exhibition and a sequence of city-wide actions.
Watches and Wonders additionally flagged a redesign of the area that may see impartial artisan-creators unfold between two areas, with 23 exhibitors within the Carré des Horlogers and one other 15 within the Mezzanine.
Different modifications embody a transfer for H. Moser & Cie and Frédérique Fixed, which might be altering location and increasing their cubicles, in addition to a submission course of to the LAB incubator part.
Some 60 manufacturers exhibited on the 2025 version of Watches and Wonders. Guests had been up 12 % to 55,000, whereas the general public days noticed a 21 % leap in ticket gross sales versus 2024 to 23,000. The honest’s estimated attain on social media exceeded 700 million folks, in response to organizers.
The occasion was marked by U.S. President Donald Trump’s April 2 announcement of sweeping tariffs that will see a 31 % levy slapped on Swiss items coming into the U.S. These had been raised to 39 % on Aug. 7, with negotiations nonetheless underway.
