By: Roger Ruegger
The not-to-be-missed annual watchmaking event returns to Geneva from 14th to 20th April 2026, and if you happen to be one of the 1,600 journalists attending Watches and Wonders, you most likely have been able to plan your visit with a straight-forward online tool by now, allowing you to make appointments with most of the participating brands with a simple click (with the exception of a few brands, like Rolex and Patek Philippe). Assumedly, there’s a similar process in place for the approximately 6,000 retailers expected to travel to this year’s Watches and Wonders.
For anyone else interested in attending the show, fortunately, Watches and Wonders has become more accessible soon after its first physical edition in 2022 (a transformation that could already be observed pre-Covid with its predecessor, the ultra-exclusive Salon International de la Haute Horologie, SIHH), mainly with the introduction of various events in “the heart of Geneva” in 2023 “with a dedicated program for the general public” and, more importantly, access to the Salon itself on Saturday and Sunday.
Last year, I decided to stay in Geneva for the Public Days to see first-hand how the ultra-elegant trade-show would transform into an exhibition space for the public over night. However, it turned out that the “Touch and Try” sessions and product presentations offered in the days leading up to the Public Event were more or less reserved exclusively for members of trade and press, while the general public mostly got to see just the booths and watches on display during the weekend. With a total of 55,000 visitors and 23,000 tickets sold, that unfortunately often required to wait in line to see some of the larger brands.
In November 2024, Watches and Wonders had first announced “a exclusive Watches and Wonders VIP Experience” for end-consumers, which sounded like an interesting proposal for those who’d actually wanted to try some of the watches from the 65 exhibiting brands.
So, for this year, I decided I would personally test the “Premium Package and its exclusive services” during the 2026 edition of Watches and Wonders, and see if in fact this would “transform your day into an unforgettable experience at the heart of watchmaking.”
The Premium Package sells for CHF 550.00 (which is almost a MoonSwatch and a Tsuyosa from Citizen in watch currency, not factoring in the potential need for hotel and travel cost) and includes “one-day access to the Salon”, “free dedicated parking”, “dedicated accreditation desk for VIP wristband collection”, “priority access to cloakroom and through security”, “VIP Lounge for welcome coffee, lunch, rest area and meeting point for guided group tours”, priority booking for exclusive product presentations”, and apparently also a “special gift”. Since I already have a MoonSwatch and a Tsuyosa, I clicked on the buy button last December and was informed I’d shortly receive “all relevant information” to ensure my visit would be “both seamless and unforgettable.”
Shortly before the event in April, I was given access to basically the same online tool as I had been accessing as a member of the press, allowing me to plan my visit on Saturday and book 30-minute presentations from brands like Eberhard & Co., Trilobe, Angelus and Arnold & Son, Laurent Ferrier, Vacheron Constantin, Alpina and Frederique Constant, Bulgari, Chopard, Cyrus, Hublot, Nomos, Ressence, Sinn Spezialuhren, Ulysse Nardin, Bremont, H. Moser & Cie., IWC Schaffhausen, Laurent Ferrier, Louis Moinet, Oris, Roger Dubuis, Bianchet, TAG Heuer, Tudor, Czapek & Cie. and Panerai (with IWC and Tudor being the fasted sessions to book out). In addition, a few of the exhibiting brands even offered premium experiences: Cartier with a “Premium Experience” (90 minutes), for example, Piaget with “Patrimony Pieces” (30 minutes), or Panerai with a “Hand Setting and Watchmaking Masterclass”. Tudor also offered a “Booth visit” for Sunday (together with the Panerai masterclasses), Panerai on Monday. Having spoken to some of the participating brands ahead of the show, it appears that they basically were able to decide how the premium and a regular experience for the public would be defined.
I decided to skip the masterclasses and instead book Cartier, Roger Dubuis, Bremont and Hublot for my visit as a VIP, and I will obviously report about how this year’s public days went, and, more importantly, how the premium experience turned out. Stay tuned.
You are invited: WatchAdvisor talks watches. And wonders. Join us for our first online event on April 24.
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