{"id":106412,"date":"2026-07-22T06:34:27","date_gmt":"2026-07-22T06:34:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/106412\/"},"modified":"2026-07-22T06:34:27","modified_gmt":"2026-07-22T06:34:27","slug":"swiss-watch-industry-shows-resilience-at-geneva-sihh-2019","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/106412\/","title":{"rendered":"Swiss Watch Industry Shows Resilience at Geneva SIHH 2019"},"content":{"rendered":"

Luxury watches are like haute couture. That\u2019s why the brands on show at Geneva\u2019s 29th Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie (SIHH) in January act as a bellwether for what\u2019s to come.<\/p>\n

\u201cA good SIHH is a fundamental positive signal for the year to come,\u201d says Wilhelm Schmid, CEO of A Lange & S\u00f6hne. \u201cWe cater to the feel-good business; if you are confident and in a good mood, more people are prepared to spend money than they are in the opposite climate.\u201d<\/p>\n

This year\u2019s fair was particularly jolly thanks to an uptick in the market. A few difficult years had prompted The Wall Street Journal to ask, \u201cIs Time Running Out for the Swiss Watch Industry?\u201d in 2018. An oversupply of timepieces, subdued tourism (due to the threat of terrorism in Europe) and a drop in the number of Chinese buyers were some of the factors behind a fall in sales. Digitisation will continue to impact a business that is grappling with online retail and smartwatches but the latest figures from the Federation of the Swiss Watch Industry show a 7.1 per cent increase in the value of exports in the past year. Richemont, the world\u2019s second-largest luxury-goods group, announced a 5 per cent rise in quarterly sales between October and December 2018.<\/p>\n

The challenging years have helped brands to refocus on what they do best. Cartier, for instance, delved into its rich history for inspiration, giving its Tonneau from 1906 a modern upgrade. IWC, A Lange & S\u00f6hne and Jaeger-LeCoultre followed suit. \u201cThe challenge for us is to find a balance between past and future,\u201d says Christian Knoop, IWC\u2019s creative director. Its Big Pilot\u2019s Watch Perpetual Calendar Spitfire is a contemporary take on the brand\u2019s signature timepiece. \u201cWe have to create something that has the IWC DNA but also some surprising elements.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"EnamellerEnameller Sophie Quenaon working for Jaeger-LeCoultre<\/p>\n

\"TheThe AMC atomic-clock hybrid by Urwerk<\/p>\n

\"ThreeHerm\u00e8s at SIHH<\/p>\n

\"WilhelmWilhelm Schmid, CEO of A Lange & S\u00f6hne<\/p>\n

\"WilhelmIWC\u2019s Christian Knoop<\/p>\n

\"ManIni Archibong<\/p>\n

\"WatchMont Blanc\u2019s craftsmanship<\/p>\n

\"CartierCartier\u2019s elegant displays<\/p>\n

\"Cartier'sCartier\u2019s Baignoire Allong\u00e9e<\/p>\n

\"AIWC\u2019s stand at SIHH<\/p>\n

\"PortraitVanessa Monestel<\/p>\n

\u201cI never believed there was a contradiction between tradition and innovation,\u201d says Schmid. \u201cFor us tradition means values; it\u2019s the glue that keeps our company together. Innovation means that you push boundaries, either technically or aesthetically. To never stand still is what one should expect from oneself and from a watch.\u201d A Lange & S\u00f6hne\u2019s Zeitwerk Date, with its digital display, uses technology without losing sight of the brand\u2019s philosophy.<\/p>\n

Because luxury watchmakers are focused on their core audience, trends tend to pass them by. \u201cWe need to understand the trends of society and fashion,\u201d says Lionel Favre, Jaeger-LeCoultre\u2019s product-design director. \u201cBut we are in the world of tradition so we try not to think about market positioning. We want to focus on our craftsmanship because the new generation appreciates authenticity.\u201d<\/p>\n

As SIHH is the showcase for haute horlogerie, there was also plenty of playfulness in the mix. Prime examples were Richard Mille\u2019s Bonbon collection \u2013 a set of inventive complications wrapped in candylicious designs \u2013 and Maximilian B\u00fcsser\u2019s avant garde timepieces for MB&F, which presented watches more akin to robots and spaceships. Herm\u00e8s\u2019s Arceau L\u2019Heure De La Lune, an original take on a moonphase complication with a meteorite dial, was just as fantastical. Its Galop watch, designed by furniture designer Ini Archibong, was more modest but, symbolically at least, more significant. The temperament behind it tapped into the watch industry\u2019s growing diversification: more women than ever are at the helm of luxury watch brands, including those running Piaget, Jaeger-LeCoultre and Laurent Ferrier. \u201cDiversity is improving,\u201d says Vanessa Monestel, who joined Laurent Ferrier in 2013 and became CEO within a year. \u201cThe booming era is in the past,\u201d she says. \u201cBut people will always want something honest and rare.\u201d<\/p>\n

Archibong picked up on the sentiment of the times with his design for the women\u2019s Galop watch. \u201cI felt that there is an aspect of a woman that often gets overlooked: her power,\u201d says Archibong of his watch. \u201cThe easiest way to design something for women is to make it fragile \u2013 and there is a reason why \u2013 but I really started to see the power behind the women that would be wearing this watch. All the women I\u2019ve dated are strong and that definitely comes from the fact that my mother is a strong and determined woman and a huge influence. Making something dainty wouldn\u2019t make sense for her. The best part is for people to experience something I created that didn\u2019t exist before. It was about that feeling of empowerment, of being an object of potential importance, something that people feel could last.\u201d<\/p>\n

Timepieces made to last will also be on display at Baselworld, the world\u2019s leading watch show since 1917, which opens its doors on 21 March. Last year\u2019s fair was cut short by two days due to a huge drop in the number of exhibitors. But this year big names including Rolex, LVMH, Patek Philippe and Chopard will be present. Though the Swatch Group\u2019s decision to leave Baselworld will leave a void, it offers a bigger platform for brands such as Tokyo-based Seiko, which will be celebrating the 50th anniversary of its Astron model. Smaller watchmakers, housed in a dedicated hall, will also benefit.<\/p>\n

To further boost exhibitor and visitor numbers in the coming years, SIHH and Baselworld will synchronise their calendars from 2020. Both events will take place from April to May, one following the other. \u201cFor me it means that hopefully we won\u2019t have the typical flu wave that we usually have in January during SIHH,\u201d says Schmid. \u201cThe weather and the mood will surely be better in April too.\u201d All the better for keeping the industry ticking.<\/p>\n

Leaders of the movement
Standout watches from the Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie.<\/p>\n

\"IWC<\/p>\n

IWC\u2019s Big Pilot\u2019s Watch Constant-Force Tourbillon Edition
Inspired by writer and pilot Antoine de Saint-Exup\u00e9ry\u2019s \u2018Le Petit Prince\u2019, this is the first of IWC\u2019s pilot\u2019s watches to have a constant-force tourbillon.<\/p>\n

\"Man<\/p>\n

Santos de Cartier Skeleton
This is an homage to Cartier\u2019s first pilot\u2019s watch (from 1904) and is designed to be worn on night flights: the steel bridges glow in the dark.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

Panth\u00e8re de Cartier Manchette
Parisian jeweller and watchmaker Cartier frequently reinvents its icons, as with this oversized cuff watch, which features a rose-gold soft-link bracelet.<\/p>\n

\"Ulysse<\/p>\n

Ulysse Nardin Freak X
Like the first Freak (from 2001) this has no hands: time is indicated via a central bridge and a wheel. It\u2019s water-resistant up to 50 metres.<\/p>\n

\"Person<\/p>\n

Arceau L\u2019Heure De La Lune by Herm\u00e8s
This watch contains a moonphase complication developed by Jean-Francois Mojon and an in-house movement: Herm\u00e8s Caliber H1837.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

A Lange & S\u00f6hne Lange 1 25th Anniversary Edition
This white-gold model is limited to 250 watches and is the first of 10 watches dedicated to the milestone Lange 1 set for release this year.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Luxury watches are like haute couture. That\u2019s why the brands on show at Geneva\u2019s 29th Salon International de…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":106413,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[4],"tags":[28519,10126,52039,65,31253,40513,28395,31250,28488,1741,46472,52040,41,52041,19289,17,52042,52043],"class_list":["post-106412","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-switzerland","tag-a-lange-sohne","tag-cartier","tag-christian-knoop","tag-geneva","tag-haute-horlogerie","tag-horology","tag-iwc","tag-jaeger-lecoultre","tag-luxury-goods","tag-luxury-watches","tag-richemont","tag-sihh","tag-swiss","tag-swiss-craftsmanship","tag-swiss-watchmaking","tag-switzerland","tag-watch-industry","tag-wilhelm-schmid"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@ch\/116962241361175432","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/106412","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=106412"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/106412\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/106413"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=106412"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=106412"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=106412"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}