After two years of digital fairs – and several sold-out physical fairs in China – Watches & Wonders is finally happening in Geneva. First announced for 2020 as the successor to the long-running SIHH, which for two decades was the luxury-watch fair in Geneva, Watches & Wonders (W&W) 2022 will take place from March 30 to April 5 at Palexpo, with 39 brands in attendance.

All of the major names that spurred the demise of Baselworld will exhibit at W&W 2022, namely Rolex, Patek Philippe, Chanel, Chopard and Tudor.

They’ll be joined by most of the brands owned by Richemont, the Swiss luxury group that was historically the anchor of SIHH, the event that preceded W&W. Amongst the Richemont brands are A. Lange & Söhne, Cartier, IWC, and Vacheron Constantin.

Another luxury group represented at the fair is LVMH, which has all three of its watch brands – Hublot, TAG Heuer, and Zenith – taking part. Bulgari, however, is notably absent, perhaps because there are already two Richemont-owned jewellers present.

One of the significant newcomers is Grand Seiko, which only just announced its participation in the fair. Seiko was a longtime mainstay of Baselworld, so it’s not surprising that its top-of-the-line brand is returning to Switzerland to exhibit its newest watches.

The gang returns, except for the independents

As was the case with SIHH in the past, W&W 2022 will include the Carré des Horlogers, a square dedicated to independent watchmakers. In years past the carré counted brands like Urwerk, Voutilainen, and Elegante by F.P. Journe amongst its exhibitors.

The Carré des Horlogers at SIHH 2019

But the brands in the carré next year are a mixed bag, though fortunately the lineup is led by respected names like H. Moser & Cie., Ressence, and Ferdinand Berthoud.

The independents bring the total count of brands taking part in W&W 2022 to 39, slightly more than the historical average for SIHH, which was around 35.

Journe at the Carré des Horlogers in 2019

And Voutilainen

W&W 2022 will take place from March 30 to April 5, 2022 at Palexpo, the exhibition hall near Geneva airport that’s the traditional home of the Geneva watch fair.

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