Geneva Watch Week: SIHH & GTE in 2011

Whilst Paris and Milan were abuzz with Menswear weeks, Geneva played host to an unofficial ‘watch week’ with the Salon International de Haute Horlogerie and Geneva Time Exhibition.

SIHH Opening Ceremony 2011, The Time TV

The Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie (SIHH) has become the unmissable rendez-vous for the industry, gathering an impressive number of prestigious maisons and welcoming the most influential journalists and retailers since 1991. The private trade fair is strictly reserved for fine watchmaking professionals, who are personally invited by the exhibiting brands. Organised by the Fondation de la Haute Horlogerie, this year the ceremony showcased nineteen timepiece brands, including IWC, Cartier, Baume & Mercier, Girard Perregaux, Jaeger LeCoultre, Parmigiani Fleurier & Richard Mille.

Following the exhibition was a feeling of general optimism from executives and numerous announcements of record sales in the industry, leading to many new recruitments in the sector in anticipation of an even stronger demand in Asia.

Inside the Geneva Time Exhibition, The Time TV

Still in it’s infancy, the Geneva Time Exhibition has quickly become the event to support and promote a new generation of innovative and independant watchmakers. Whilst boutique in size when compared to SIHH, the increasingly successful exhibition provides an opportunity for all watch industry professionals, private collectors and afficionados to discover the exceptional creativity of a wide collection of smaller brands.