Editor’s Note
This article introduces Geneva Watch Days, a decentralized watchmaking event that has grown from a pandemic-era initiative into a major industry gathering. It highlights the event’s unique format and its appeal to both professionals and the public.
Established in 2020 during the midst of the pandemic, Geneva Watch Days brings together brands, collectors and key industry figures in a multi-day celebration of watchmaking. What began humbly has grown into a large, decentralized fair spread across the Swiss financial capital, involving companies of all sizes, from LVMH-owned mega-brands to auction houses and high-end independents. Special experiences give the public access to watchmaking classes, panel discussions and get-togethers with executives, many of whom wouldn’t normally be accessible to those outside the industry. A boon for the watch-loving public, the fair has become an important event on the horological calendar.
As is the case with other more established trade shows, watchmakers are now molding their release schedules to include Geneva Watch Days, debuting new references or special editions in time with the fair. From a new TAG Heuer moon phase complication to a spectacular new take on Bulgari’s Octo Finissimo, here are a few of our favorite pieces.
Zenith is expanding its angular Defy collection with a series of chronographs — the first within the Defy lineup — inspired by the colorful designs of fellow Swiss brand USM Modular Furniture. Zenith pulled from the latter’s Haller furniture system from 1965 — a modular setup that uses chrome-plated steel tubes, collector ball joints, and colored metal panels to create distinctive arrays of shelving and other components — to inform the new sub-collection’s look and color palette, designing a 37.3mm stainless octagonal steel case with a 14-sided bezel to house the El Primero cal. 400 movement. Available in USM Green, USM Pure Orange, USM Golden Yellow and USM Gentian Blue, the dial features applied square hour markers, a triple-register chronograph layout, a 4:30 date window, and a luminous handset. Paired to Zenith’s beloved ladder bracelet, this distinctive, well-sized chronograph is sure to delight lovers of midcentury design.