Business News: How Watches And Wonders Remains Worthwhile For Brands Big And Small

Executives running and overseeing the world’s biggest and most important luxury watch retail trade show say a record number of exhibitors and visitors this year is allowing Watches and Wonders to charge exhibitors the same fees per square meter as they did half a decade ago. 

“Prices have been stable for the past five years, despite everything,” Cyrille Vigneron, the chairman of the Watches and Wonders Geneva Foundation, the non-profit organization that organizes and stages the annual retail trade fair that also welcomes public visitors for three days on the weekend.

A record 65 brands are exhibiting at Watches and Wonders in 2026, with Audemars Piguet’s participation marking a major win for the annual event that brings together global watch brands, retailers, media, and public guests. The number of visitors to the show has increased from about 55,000 in 2025 to an expected 60,000 in 2026, says Matthieu Humair, the Chief Executive Officer of the Watches and Wonders Foundation

Soaring gold values and surging trade costs, including U.S. tariffs, have pressured watchmakers and squeezed margins, prompting several rounds of price increases from most of the biggest brands in recent years. That’s created discord and frustration among some watch enthusiasts as so-called industry premiumization increases with brands making fewer watches at higher prices.

However, those participating in Watches and Wonders can expect to pay the same fees for using the same amount of space at their booths to welcome guests and exhibit their wares. The foundation has grown revenue through expansion and leveraged the economies of scale that come with a larger trade show. It’s also worked with local hotel operators to keep costs in check and ensure the financial health of the week-long horological showcase event.

“The price per square meter has not moved,” says Vigneron, a former CEO of Cartier.

With more public-facing events in 2026, including activities in the city center to promote the Swiss city’s position as a global center for watchmaking, the annual fair represents a major economic boost for the city and the Swiss canton. With retailers from Europe, Asia, and the U.S. traveling to Geneva for the annual fair, Watches and Wonders generates the equivalent of some 50,000 hotel stays in the city and surrounding area during the event.   

Watches and Wonders could expand even further, hosting up to about 100 brands, the foundation executives say. Anchored by Rolex, Patek Philippe, and Richemont marques (including A. Lange & Söhne, Cartier, IWC, and Vacheron Constantin), Watches and Wonders now includes LVMH brands such as Bulgari, TAG Heuer, and Zenith, as well as Hermès and Chanel. Swiss independents, including Oris and Norqain, as well as international players such as Grand Seiko of Japan and Germany’s Nomos, also participate.

Swatch Group, with brands ranging from Omega to Tissot, Blancpain, and Breguet, remains a holdout, however, eschewing participation in most watch salons since it left Baselworld in 2018. Another is Breitling, which relaunched the historic Universal Genève brand this month in an ultra-luxury product and price category, and has also resisted joining Watches and Wonders. Breitling plans to bring back another previously dormant brand, Gallet, at a more approachable price point this year as part of its new House of Brands strategy.

Vigneron said Watches and Wonders executives and board members traveled to Swatch Group’s headquarters in Biel/Bienne about three years ago to invite the company’s brands to join. A deal wasn’t reached, but Watches and Wonders is still open to the idea.

“We let them know that they are welcome anytime they want,” Vigneron says.