LVMH Watch Week will start on 24 January. The annual appointment with the launches of the four watch brands of the Louis Vuitton Moët Hennessy group: Bulgari, Hublot, TAG Heuer and Zenith. This event from 2020 raises a fundamental question: does it still make sense to concentrate launches at a single time in the year?
LVMH is not the only player to say no. Just think of the brand's participation in the Geneva Watch Days at the end of August, the WatchPro Salon held in November in London, the Couture in Las Vegas, which last year also saw the presence of Swatch Group, absent from trade fairs since 2018 (last Baselworld for the group). The Swiss watch giant took part in the event with the Longines, Rado, Tissot and Hamilton brands. Significant statement from Arnaud Michon, Country Manager Swatch Group USA: "For the first time since 2019, Swatch Group is looking forward to re-engaging with trade fairs in attendance." The plural of 'fairs' is the strongest signal and seems to indirectly answer the question: does a single annual watchmaking event still make sense?
Of course, my answer is also 'No'. Instead, it is time to distance ourselves from a globalisation that has proven to have its limits. This is why L'Orologio enthusiastically supports all emerging initiatives in the watch industry. And, above all, those aimed at the public of enthusiasts, who are our first interlocutor.
A new project is taking shape these days and the magazine is in the front line to contribute to its success. It will be an event in the presence of all the watchmaking players: brands, press, retailers, industry institutions and the general public. Now, I have no doubt about the warm welcome that the new watch salon will find among collectors and watch lovers. But we need a positive and participative reaction from the manufacturers.
Because the danger, today, is that the Italian customer feels increasingly considered a 'small provincial' in the world of watchmaking. Or am I wrong?
Dody Giussani
