2021 & 2022 Watch Trade-show Update: Baselworld, Watches and Wonders and Windup NYC

For years I was lucky enough to attend and display at Baselworld. I looked forward to it every year, primarily because there was so much to look forward to. I would see friends from other brands, the event was a class act all around and overall I love traveling to Switzerland. We would always come out with new designs around this time and it was so much fun to see what Rolex, Tudor, Patek, etc. would be releasing that year. However, COVID had a vote in 2020 and 2021 and the show did not happen.

We did have Watches and Wonders in 2021, which was an online version of a tradeshow with Rolex, Tudor and a few others presenting a ton of great watches. But the experience was somewhat lame, understandably. The good news is that in 2022 (cross your fingers) we are going to have in person watch shows again! 

The most recent one coming up is WindUp in New York on October 22-24, 2021. MONTA and many other brands will be in attendance. One thing I love about this show is the fact that you can actually touch and try on the watches. If you have always wanted to touch a MONTA Oceanking, and will be in Manhattan on the 23rd of October...you're in luck. With the shows in Switzerland you sadly will not have such luck. The public is allowed to pay a fee to enter the show, and see the booths themselves and the watches are displayed behind glass. However, you cannot touch the watches, nor try them on. 

The other exciting news is that Baselworld is set to be a thing again. From studying their website I see that they plan to have the show from March 31st 2022 - April 4th, 2022. It will be in Basel Switzerland, at the famed show location of the past. The firm who is running the show, MCH Group, seems to be aiming to change up a few things from the past. They want to have the public more involved than previous years and it looks like they are also looking to work with pre-owned watches, aka the Grey Market. This should be interesting to say the least. We do not see any confirmed brands yet, but we do see that a few larger brands attended a pop-up event put on by MCH Group this past summer. One being Bulgari.

Alternately, Watches and Wonders released the list of brands that will be in attendance for 2022. The Watches and Wonders show is set to be from March 30th, 2022 to April 5th, 2022. Ironic how the both seem to be going on at the same time? We think not. Here is a list of brands who are for sure going to be displaying then:

Exhibiting Brands:  

A. Lange & Söhne, Baume & Mercier, Cartier, Chanel, Chopard, Grand Seiko, Hermès, Hublot, IWC Schaffhausen, Jaeger-LeCoultre, Montblanc, Oris, Panerai, Parmigiani Fleurier, Patek Philippe, Piaget, Roger Dubuis, Rolex, TAG Heuer, Tudor, Ulysse Nardin, Vacheron Constantin, Van Cleef & Arpels, and Zenith

Carré des Horlogers: 

Angelus, Armin Strom, Arnold & Son, Cyrus, Czapek, Ferdinand Berthoud, Grönefeld, H. Moser & Cie., Laurent Ferrier, Louis Moinet, Rebellion Timepieces, Ressence, Rudis Sylva, Speake-Marin, and Trilobe

We will keep you up to date on all the happenings and expect full coverage of the WindUp NYC event. We will be in attendance and are looking forward to heading back to normal (HOPEFULLY SOON!)