Geneva Watch Days 2020, the surprise meeting
Breaking news !!! At the initiative of Bvlgari, several watch brands – Bvlgari, Breitling, Girard-Perregaux, Gerald Genta, Ulysse Nardin, MB&F, De Bethune, Urwerk as well as other independent brands – have coordinated their agendas and announce the holding of a joint event distributed in different luxury hotels in Geneva and over several days, from April 26 to 29.
Called Geneva Watch Days 2020, this “surprise” meeting is mainly aimed at European retailers and media. It takes the place left vacant by the Watches & Wonders trade fair which was to be held on the same dates but which was canceled as a precaution due to the epidemic of the Covid-19 coronavirus.
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For information, the press release from Bvlgari:
SEVERAL MAJOR SWISS LUXURY WATCH BRANDS, INCLUDING BVLGARI, BREITLING, ULYSSE NARDIN, GIRARD-PERREGAUX AND MB&F UNITE TO CREATE THE INDEPENDENT GENEVA WATCH DAYS 2020 LATE APRIL WITH THE FULL SUPPORT OF THE STATE OF GENEVA.
A decentralized and self-managed Multibrand Watch Event will take place in several Geneva high-end hotels from April 26 to April 29, at the dates initially planned by Watches & Wonders.
The initiative has been unveiled Monday evening by Jean-Christophe Babin, CEO of Bvlgari, during the RTS (Swiss National Television) TTC broadcast. “Despite the cancellation of the two major Watch Fairs, it will allow retailers and media, primarily from Europe but not only, to discover, comment and order the novelties of the founding Brands, namely Breitling, Bvlgari, Gerald Genta, Girard-Perregaux, MB&F, Ulysse Nardin, De Bethune and Urwerk” commented Jean-Christophe Babin. This initiative will allow retailers and media to meet with these Swiss Watch Brands in a few days in the capital of Swiss Watchmaking rather than attending many roadshows in different European cities currently under organization after the Watches & Wonders and Baselworld cancellations, thus saving a lot of time.
“Besides these Brands, we are currently in advanced discussions with several other important names including Chopard and H. Moser & Cie., which we hope will be confirmed very soon. Plus some others which I’m sure will be interested after discovering our initiative” added Jean-Christophe Babin.
The Brands will create a Steering Committee responsible for negotiating the best potential showrooms and hotels’ rates. The Committee will liaise and work closely with the State and City of Geneva and relevant institutions to guarantee the maximum safety and sanitary protection for participants. It will also organize two multi-brands evenings, including the GMT Magazine party and B2C activities, and will contact media and retailers. The Committee will eventually select additional Brands wishing to join the initiative.
The Geneva Watch Days event does not intend to substitute on the long term the historical Geneva Watches & Wonders and Baselworld Fairs but presents an efficient alternative at smaller scale, given the 2020 changing environment. It ensures visibility for the funding Brands 2020 novelties and fights against the slow-down and gloominess prevailing in the watch industry in the recent years, reinforced since February by the Covid-19 pandemic.
“We fully support this initiative, especially after the cancellation of both the Geneva Motorshow and the Watches & Wonders Fair last week. Even though its scale cannot be compared, it will contribute significantly to the Geneva economy during a period which otherwise would have been very challenging. We will provide the participating Brands with all our possible support and thank them for having elected Geneva as their event venue” commented Pierre Maudet, Geneva State Councillor.
The Brands will provide separately the details of their participation and contents in the next days while the Steering Committee will start organizing the operational elements of the event.
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