The Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC) will stage the HKTDC Hong Kong Watch & Clock Fair, along with Salon de TE, the premium platform for designer and original brands, during 5-9 September 2017 at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre (HKCEC). The fair will feature more than 800 exhibitors from 27 countries, including a newcomer from Lebanon. As in 2016, when over 20,000 international buyers came to the fair, the suppliers of complete watches & clocks, parts & components, machinery & equipment and specialist packaging will provide an effective marketplace.

Salon de TE celebrates premium brands

Salon de TE will present designer watch collections in five themed zones. World Brand Piazza comes to the spotlight with limited editions and rare timepieces from 13 prestigious brands including BVLGARI and Chopard. Chic & Trendy gathers stylish and trendy watch labels including Code (Hungary), Deep Blue (US), Hush Puppies (US), Rhythm (Japan) and Wacocoro (Japan). Craft Treasure stands for functional mechanical watches as well as jewellery watches that exemplify horological craftsmanship. Renaissance Moment focuses on classic and elegant brands originated in Europe such as Guy Laroche (France), Lancaster (Italy) and Van Gogh (Netherlands), with the expected return of Swiss Eminence and the Swiss Independent Watchmaking Pavilion bringing the finest Swiss-made watches. Wearable Tech is again home to branded smart watches, a dynamic and growing industry sector.

Broad range of complete watches and accessories

The concurrent HKTDC Hong Kong Watch & Clock Fair showcases a diverse range of watches and clocks as well as accessories. Pageant for Eternity is a prime location for outstanding complete watches. OEM Smart Watches, which made its debut to wide industry support last year, returns this year to cater for the growing demand of smart watches worldwide. Other product zones include Complete Watches, Clocks, Machinery & Equipment, Packaging, Parts & Components and Trade Services.

Design Competition

To encourage creative exchange in watch and clock design, the HKTDC joins hands again with Hong Kong Watch Manufacturers Association Ltd. and The Federation of Hong Kong Watch Trades & Industries Ltd to arrange the annual Hong Kong Watch & Clock Design Competition. The organisers have received 206 submissions under the theme “Future Luxury” for the Student Group and “Luxury Automobile” for the Open Group. The winners will be announced in late August, and winning pieces will be on display during the fair at Hall 1 Concourse.

Industry Exchange

A diverse programme of watch parades, seminars, buyer forums and various networking events will be held during the fair period to share the latest market insights between industry players and facilitate business exchange. In particular, representatives of major watch associations around the world will gather and discuss challenges and opportunities in watch manufacturing at the Hong Kong International Watch Forum (5 September), while speakers from watch brands and the wearable technology sector will be invited to explore smart movement in time at the Asian Watch Conference (6 September). There will also be a seminar to provide an update on the ordinance concerning the use of the Swiss-made label.

Salon de TE welcomes public visitors on the last day (9 September). Visitors are welcome to enjoy watch parades and lucky draws. Selected products are also available for sale.

Hong Kong is one of the leading exporters of watches and clocks worldwide. The main export item are battery-powered wrist watches, accounting for 46% of total exports. In 2016, the Chinese Mainland, Switzerland and the U.S. were the largest export markets of the metropolis, together they accounted for nearly half of the total watch and clock exports. In the same period, the major import markets were Switzerland (35% of total imports), the Chinese Mainland (35%) and Japan (9%).