Notes from the Beige Halls | Geneva Dispatch
What happens when even the barista knows about the watches and the wonders.
In today’s newsletter: A week in Geneva. Five favorites, one miss, and what it means when even the barista recognizes a Chronometre Artisans.
On my last day in Geneva, I went to my favorite coffee spot. The barista recognizes me, or at least knows I’m in Geneva a few times a year “for watches.”
He told me about a few folks who had just been in with a bunch of watches spread across the table. He even took a photo because he vaguely recognized Simon Brette’s Chronometre Artisans:
It turns out the eponymous founders of Aubert & Ramel were there showing a prototype of their Ourea. The pair of watchmakers won the 2024 FP Journe Prize and worked for Simon Brette for about a year before starting their own brand.
The Ourea is beautiful, even if it reformulates the general idea of the Chronometre Artisans—finely finished, time only (with a price approaching $100k)—in their own style.
It’s a wonder
Everyone, from the customs agent at the Zurich Airport to the barista at my favorite coffee spot, knows about Watches and Wonders now, which wasn’t the case when I first attended in 2023.
It’s as much about the wonders as the watches. More than previous years, I saw Watches and Wonders coverage about Watches and Wonders—the best booths, best coffee, best tote bags. Thierry Stern carrying a Rolex tote while shaking hands with CEO Jean-Frederic Dufour.
There’s the good of that: If the purpose of Watches and Wonders is to create a global moment for Swiss watchmaking, it is a wild success.1 Those beige halls have become instantly recognizable. I was shocked by the amount of content wherein the primary purpose of the content was to show that yes, I was there too. Those Rolex totes are already listed for $200+ on eBay, while everyone points out their resemblance to the work of artist Alighiero Boetti.
There’s also the bad: I heard of at least a few watch thefts across Geneva last week. The most notable involved a media member reportedly being stabbed in front of a bar late the night before Watches & Wonders officially began. Apparently, attackers were trying to steal his Octo Finissimo.
I heard another story of a retailer having a couple of Patek Philippes swiped after leaving his bag unattended in a hotel lobby. If the customs agent and the barista know that millions of dollars of watches are descending on Geneva for six fast-paced days of watches, surely the thieves know.
FP Journe didn’t even allow photos at their appointments, and honestly, I don’t blame them.
Watches have a place in culture like never before, and that’s mostly a massive positive. Watches and Wonders is a microcosm of all the good and potential bad that comes with that.
Wheels up
I was on the same flight back with Jonathan Sydel, of retailer Sydel & Sydel here in Chicago. We traded notes about indies we saw. Jonathan carries brands from Grönefeld, Gruebel Forsey, and Voutilainen all the way to Oris and Unimatic—he’s got a good eye for what’s exciting and what works. We talked about the parade of time-only, highly finished indies we saw, a conversation I must’ve had 4-5 times last week.
The formula may be well-worn by now, but the market's interest hasn't faded. Most watchmakers in this mold have sold out, with retailers lining up for special editions.
There’s nothing wrong with the formula itself. There will always be room for another watch with flowing stripes and finely executed anglage (at the right price). But fine finishing without any real expression behind it can feel as cold, clinical, and calculated as the collectors-cum-investors who seem to be as interested in supporting the next Rexhepi or Journe and the associated windfall as they are in the watchmaking itself.
I said before Watches and Wonders that most of these watches aren’t really for us anyway, and that’s fine—they’re exhibits as much as actual products. But if you haven’t found something to get excited about over the past week, then I don’t know what to say. Design, history, mechanics, craft—it’s all there.
Nerd out on the TAG Heuer Evergraph, flip through Patek Philippe’s rare handcrafts, or check out the Armin Strom 12:59 Minute Repeater. I’m not about to buy a $30k TAG Heuer chronograph, much less a $500k repeater, but they’re fascinating.
It’s fun to be in Geneva during Watches and Wonders or observe from afar, to suspend reality, if only for a few days, and forget about wars and ceasefires, and instead argue about a beloved brand’s relaunch or 100th anniversary celebration.
If my barista is excited enough to take a picture of the Chronometre Artisans in his shop, then we should all have plenty to be excited about, too.
A few more notes from Geneva:
I hate the word “novelties.” It’s just not a normal word, and I don’t know why we use stilted language to describe new watches or releases.
LTM. I heard the name Le Temps Manufacture a lot last week. The Fleurier-based manufacturer is making the three-quarter “microrotor” movements for the Universal Geneve Polerouter (while the chronograph uses Breitling components). On Friday, another small brand that has thus far relied on Sellita told me it’s working on a project with LTM. LTM’s website also counts the Berneron Mirage 34, Ressence, Fiona Kruger, and others as clients.
Below the paywall: 5 favorites from Geneva, a slept-on release in gold, the indie that finally delivered a watch, Wei Koh’s new brand, and the biggest miss of the week.
