news


The watchmaking year kicks off today with SIHH

Español Pусский
January 2016


Baselworld beware. The 26th edition of the prestigious Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie takes place from January 18th to the 22nd in Geneva, Switzerland. Besides a fresh new interior design, the event will also welcome nine independent watchmakers and display a new exhibition that explores the the quintessentially Swiss cuckoo clock.

While many of us celebrate the New Year on January 1st, the watchmaking industry New Year effectively begins on January 18th, when the Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie (SIHH) takes place in the watchmaking capital that is Geneva, Switzerland. And thanks to exciting new innovations at this year’s fair, this SIHH is set to outdo even the success of last year’s 25th anniversary edition.

New interior design

This year’s event features a fresh look to the “Cité de la Haute Horlogerie”, which will welcome the invited brands and some 15,000 guests. The sleeker and more contemporary setting will match the luxury of the brands on display thanks to a more elegant floor plan and modern lighting throughout.

Benefitting from this new setting will be the usual suspects form the Richemont group, including a few others. The exclusive guest list includes heavyweights like A. Lange & Söhne, Audemars Piguet, Baume & Mercier, Cartier, Greubel Forsey, IWC, Jaeger-LeCoultre, Montblanc, Panerai, Parmigiani, Piaget, Richard Mille, Roger Dubuis, Van Cleef & Arpels, and Vacheron Constantin.

DISCOVER HERE THE SIHH WATCH MODEL PREVIEWS

The watchmaking year kicks off today with SIHH

The new arrivals

This year’s SIHH will also be the biggest yet, thanks to an expanded invitation list. Besides those long-established SIHH brands, the fair has expanded its exhibitors to twenty-four by introducing the first ever “Carré des Horlogers”. The special area is designated for the nine independent workshops which represent the new wave of watchmaking. They include: Christophe Claret, De Bethune, H. Moser & Cie, Hautlence, HYT, Kari Voutilainen, Laurent Ferrier, MB&F, and Urwerk.

READ EUROPASTAR’S SPECIAL “9 BREAKAWAYS” FEATURE

The reason behind the expansion is to provide a different perspective on the future of Swiss watchmaking, and to better appreciate the richness and diversity of the industry. While some brands have centuries of history to their name and others have just reached maturity, they all share the same values of excellence, craftsmanship and dedication to a precious form of watchmaking that has made SIHH such a hit.

The watchmaking year kicks off today with SIHH

A new exhibition

Last but not least, SIHH will also present the “24 Hours in the life of a Swiss cuckoo clock” exhibition by the Geneva University of Art and Design (HEAD) and staged inside the SIHH. Jean-Pierre Greff, director of HEAD, invited the renowned Swiss designer Claudio Colucci to work with students to give a contemporary, avant-garde spin to the quintessential icon from the Swiss Apls.

As the more exclusive and more luxurious counterpart to Baselworld, SIHH has continued to grow over its 26 years in existence. While it will never be the size of Baselworld – nor does it aspire to be – SIHH is arguably more influential simply because it features some of the biggest hitters and perennial trendsetters in the watch world. This year’s additions to the fair will put some added pressure on Baselworld in a few months’ time.