Some things in life you never forget and my first SIHH will be one of those…
For those who don’t know, SIHH means Salon International de Haute Horlogerie, which in literal translation means International show of high end watch making.
SHII started in 1991 when 5 prestigious watch brands decided do break off from Basel world show and make a venue in Geneva. The intention was to create more of an intimate and luxurious experience….whereas the Basel show was way too big to accomplish that.
The attempt succeeded… Especially after the endorsement of the Richmond Group which comprises, under the same roof, the most prestigious watch making brands in a interesting entangled relationship in which each brand is able to keep its identity and strategy despite of the common controller…
2018 is my first SIHH experience. I was kindly invited by Piaget and I was delighted to be able to attend…
2018 is the second year that fair has 1 day open to the public. Until 2016 it was restricted to the market experts, journalists and guests (invited by the brands), but from 2017, a visitation day was open to the general public and rightly so…
The First impression of the fair is just amazing. A huge space shared by the several brands where each brand can develop and express it’s own uniqueness…
Piaget space was just incredible… a bar surrounded by a shallow water pool, would give this incredible tropical feel… In the back of the stand, guests could take pictures as they were in the deed sea…. Chique, luxurious and exclusive… As only Piaget can be….
I had time to go around and visited a few other stands… Some of which were really impressive, such as Vacheron Constantin, Cartier, IWC, Panerai and Baume Mercier…
All brands have a unique way of representing themselves and although fine watches are expensive and collective items, they can be more affordable than one can think….
Baume Mercier for instance has just released its newest piece… The Baumatic collection with an in house made caliber… For those who understand a bit of the watch making industry, understands that it is a revolution for the brand… To be able to do its own caliber, in house, is very prestigious as the knowledge to achieve such an accomplishment at a reasonable cost is quite something… it is stunning, classic and VERY affordable… around USD 3,000… A great entry point for watch lovers…
It is fascinating and I have so much to learn… I promise to share all about it with you here…
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