5 things to look forward to at luxury watch fair SIHH 2018
This year’s Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie (SIHH) is up for some major changes as the luxury watch market warms up, and the aftermath of Richemont’s senior management restructuring start to show. Ahead of the prestigious watch fair’s opening next Monday, we take a look at five changes that piqued our interests.
1. New brands
This year a total of 35 exhibitors – 18 historic maisons and 17 in the Carre des Horlogers aisle – are showing at SIHH. Six new brands joining the fair are Hermès, Armin Strom, DeWitt, Chronométrie Ferdinand Berthoud, Élégante by F.P. Journe and Romain Gauthier.
2. New CEOs
The 2018 edition of SIHH also marks the first fair of many newly on-board CEOs such as Montblanc, Jaeger-LeCoultre, Ulysse Nardin and Vacheron Constantin. The fair is expected to give a glimpse of the fresh directions envisioned by the new crop of keepers of these heritage maisons.
3. New dimension
Digital innovation is another highlight of this year’s fair. Plug-and-play studios called the “White Boxes” are set up for digital media to help with on-site publishing or conduct live interviews. An updated SIHH app will also help visitors and exhibitors to keep up to date with the latest fair news.
4. New set-up
A new auditorium will debut at this year’s SIHH. The 100-seat auditorium will be the venue for a series of product presentations, CEO interviews, panel discussions and more.
5. New exhibition
The “Beauty of Time” exhibition, organised by Fondation de la Haute Horlogerie, will be held during the fair showcasing exceptional timepieces, some dating back to The Middle Ages. Cartier will also be presenting an exhibition dedicated to its iconic mystery clocks.
Six new watchmakers are joining this year, raising the number of brands to 35