Vienna watch fair 2022

«Second edition of the new watch fair has started well »

Live presentation with brilliant success: The Vienna Watch and Jewelry Fair 2022 (Wiener Uhren SCHAU 2022) records high visitor numbers, exciting presentations and a large number of prominent exhibitors. With the concept of a strong product focus instead of elaborate staging, the young event is becoming a permanent fixture in the international watch industry and can look forward to a secure continuation in 2023.

The new magnet for international watch fans

Following the demise of Baselworld, successful alternative trade fairs are establishing themselves throughout Europe: Geneva Watch Days, with its decentralized concept, is celebrating its third triumph in 2022, Watches & Wonders is equally heading towards a promising future, and in Vienna a new Mecca is just blossoming for watch lovers around the world. After its debut in 2021, the Vienna watch fair 2022 (as part of the “Presse” show) will open its doors for the second time in the new media district of the Austrian capital and will impress exhibitors and visitors alike across the board. Held in the imposing Marx Hall from November 04 to 06, 2022, the event relies on a more personal, simpler concept compared to the former Baselworld, which was known for elaborate buildings and enormous costs until its last staging in 2019.

Over 100 brands and 9,000 visitors

The dimensions of the Vienna watch fair 2022 are manageable compared to other watch fairs: The event is not characterized by thousands of exhibitors and six-figure visitor numbers, but by a cozy atmosphere with around 100 booths and 9,000 guests. The quality is high. The organizers manage an attractive balancing act of major watch brands and important manufacturers in the jewelry sector, which leads to a gratifyingly high proportion of female guests and emphasizes the diversity of the watch fair. However, die-hard watch lovers will get their money’s worth the most, as a selection of the most important brands demonstrates. In addition to brands with a traditionally great reputation, such as Girard-Perregaux, Zenith or Chopard, the fair welcomes no less than four major German manufacturers.

           

Thus, the booths of Junghans, Mühle Glashütte, Nomos Glashütte and Union Glashütte were well attended. Union Glashütte was not the only representative of the Swatch Group, which demonstrated the market size with other stands, such as those of Mido, Tissot, Rado, Hamilton or Longines. The stands of Ebel, Oris and Grand Seiko were also very popular.

     

The pleasing thing about this brand world is that all price classes are represented in a healthy mix. So unlike the former SIHH, which focused heavily on the high-end, and WatchTime Düsseldorf, which tends to focus on down-to-earth brands, enthusiasts of all purses will get their money’s worth at the Vienna watch fair 2022. An additional advantage is that the watch fair will be held as part of the larger “Press” show with a total of five theme worlds. In addition to watches & jewelry, visitors can also explore design, crafts, travel and mobility, making for a varied day out.

Focus on personal conversations

After the end of the pandemic, the Vienna Watch and Jewelry Fair 2022 is one of the first industry events ever to enable classic watch fair feeling without restrictions. Even during 2020 and 2021, many critics claimed that the physical trade show concept was dead and would be supplanted by online formats in the future. The proof to the contrary will be provided by the watch fair: Visitors and exhibitors alike are thrilled by the up-close experience; in the end, the difference between trying on real watches and seeing photos on a screen is just huge. In addition to the opportunity to experience valuable watches with all their senses, attendees especially appreciate personal conversations: talking on the spot with product developers, owners and brand managers makes the Vienna Watch Fair 2022 a lively experience instead of a sober presentation.

Attractive supporting program

The event is given additional power by an appealing supporting program that offers visitors entertainment as well as specialist discussions. In the Watches and Jewelry World of Experience, a total of three panels will entice visitors to explore on November 5: At 1:00 p.m., the program will begin with the design of jewelry, its role as an investment object and the question of how to determine the value of fine pieces of jewelry. Afterwards, lovers of horology at the Vienna Watch Fair 2022 will get bright-eyed: starting at 14:00, the role of independent, authentic watch brands for retailers and clientele will be highlighted. The third panel, which will focus on the establishment of a new watch brand, will also be received with great interest by visitors. The integration of a supporting program shows that the Vienna Watch and Jewelry Fair 2022 has successfully learned from the innovations of major predecessor shows. However, it is by no means a copy of Watches & Wonders in miniature form: with comparatively small booths and a clear product focus, the show sets its own accents.

Novelties at the Watch Fair 2022

Sämtliche Uhrenmarken zeigen in Wien einen tollen Ausschnitt aus ihrem Produktportfolio und präsentieren dem Publikum teils spannende Newcomer. Während die Zenith Defy Extreme mit einem kantigen Karbonfaser-Gehäuse für Aufsehen sorgt, kommen Rennsportfans mit der Chopards Mille Miglia 2022 Race Edition auf ihre Kosten. Erstaunlich robust tritt Nomos mit seiner Ahoi Atlantik ins Rennen, die in dunkelblauer Ästhetik an einem neuen Textilband erscheint und satte 200 Meter Wasserdichtigkeit besitzt.

Union Glashüttes Sportuhr Noramis Datum Sport erhält durch eine leuchtend gelbe Variante zusätzlichen Reiz, während Grand Seikos Designer stolz auf die neue “Skyflake” mit schlanken 34 Millimetern Durchmesser und himmelblauem Zifferblatt sind. Diese und viele weitere Neuheiten machen die Uhren SCHAU 2022 zu einem spannenden Event, das in puncto Unterhaltungswert problemlos mit den großen Messen früherer Zeiten mithält.

Vienna Watch Fair – the new Baselworld?

So will Vienna be the new Basel? Not in the former dimensions of Baselworld for the foreseeable future. What does make us optimistic, however, is the international response: despite its relatively small size and the fact that it is only being held for the second time, the Vienna Watch and Jewelry Fair 2022 is already finding its way into watch magazines and news blogs around the world. The attention is increasing. It is already certain that a third edition will be held at Vienna’s Marx Hall from November 10 to 12, 2023. And should the organizer, “Die Presse” Verlags-Gesellschaft m.b.H. & Co KG, also observe great success at the next Watch Fair, the question of an expansion of the concept is not remote.