News As they examined different ways of developing public interest in the world of watches, Alain Carrier, the publisher of Movment, and Eric Othenin-Girard, the magazine’s editor-in-chief, noted that while Swiss watchmaking was very much in the public eye on all five continents, its profile in its home country was more low-key. Indeed, other than when shows are taking place, the Swiss watch industry has no free-entry exhibition space open to the general public. It was only natural therefore to create The Watch Days, which will take place on 12, 13 and 14 November 2010.
The organisers chose for their venue the Espace Hippomène (Avenue de Châtelaine 7), ideally situated between Geneva city centre and the airport. The site is very well served by public transport and a large car park is available only 200 metres away. The exhibition will play host to 31 brands in the Espace Cube (Audemars Piguet, Blancpain, Bovet, Breguet, Bulgari, Chaumet, CodeX, Corum, Dior, Eterna, Frédérique Constant, Greubel Forsey, Hermès, Hublot, IWC, Jaeger-LeCoultre, Jaquet Droz, Louis Vuitton, Milus, Montblanc, Officine Panerai, Omega, Piaget, Rado, Raymond Weil, Richard Mille, TAG Heuer, Tiffany & Co, Tissot, Van Cleef & Arpels, Zenith), and nearly fifteen more in the Espace Tavaro (Alain Silberstein, Artya, Concord, Cyma, DeWitt, Dubey & Schaldenbrand, MB&F, MCT, Pierre DeRoche, Pierre Thomas, Rebellion, etc) for a total floor space of 2,500 m2. Around 10,000 visitors are expected.
As a prelude, the evening of Thursday 11 November sees the launch of the eighth Night of Watchmaking which will bring together, by invitation only, 1,600 people selected by exhibiting brands. This edition will be opened officially by the cantonal authorities of Geneva.
At the end of the event, the list of prize-winners of the 2010 Public Grand Prix will be published. This is the only watch industry award whose winners are voted for by the general public, without the intervention of a jury. Visitors to The Watch Days will be able to vote for the three models of their choice, in three categories: men’s watch, ladies’ watch and new watchmaking.
October 12, 2010
