An unofficial watch weekend is kicking off in New York today with the Watchtime show for luxury brands taking place at Gotham Hall, Wind-Up Watch Fair moving uptown to Midtown’s Center 415 and Watches of Switzerland hosting an exhibition of Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève (GPHG) finalist watches at its SoHo showroom on Greene Street.
They are entirely independent of each other, and it could be argued there is far too much to see in just two or three days, but better to much than too little when it comes to seeing watches, and in many cases, their makers, in the metal.
Each event has a distinct identity: Watchtime is a little more corporate with a number of the groups’ brands shoulder-to-shoulder with the rarer high luxury independent makers.
Wind-Up is for the sharp-elbowed with an eye for the next big thing as around 100 microbrands and some of the mid-range independents jostle for attention.
For haute horology, Watches of Switzerland is the place to be because 90 watches, which are competing for the 20 gongs on offer at the gala event in Geneva on November 13.
Notable watches in the touring exhibition include Chopard’s L.U.C 1860 Flying Tourbillon, Voutilainen’s 20th Anniversary Tourbillon, H. Moser & Cie’s Streamliner Tourbillon Skeleton, De Bethune’s DB Kind of Grande Complication, Chopard’s L.U.C Strike One, Hublot’s Classic Fusion Yellow Gold and Urwerk’s UR-102 Reloaded.