The power of attraction of the SIHH star can be measured by the number of satellites that gravitate around it. They come in all sizes, and range from small spacecraft to veritable space stations set up by the competition.

The Swatch Group thus set up its headquarters in the Cité du Temps, its fortress located in the middle of the Rhône river, in order to present exhibitions dedicated to Blancpain and Breguet. Other heavyweights, such as Hublot and Zenith, rented huge princely suites in the hotels along the lakefront, while high-level independent brands, among them Urwerk, De Bethune, and Christophe Claret, set up shop at the prestigious Four Seasons Hotel des Bergues. TAG Heuer held its show in an immense industrial hall converted to the 1960s colours of the Carrera that is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year.

A little further down the Rhône river, the Geneva Time Exhibition (GTE) conducted its show in the magnificent Bâtiment des Forces Motrices, converted into an annex of Geneva’s Grand Théâtre. During this same time, a succession of inaugurations and re-openings of the boutiques along the Rue de Rhône created a lot of activity while fleets of limousines ventured into the industrial zones where the Geneva manufactures are located.

In the midst of all this effervescence, Europa Star retained the essential of the week since it was impossible to be totally exhaustive in scope. We thus present a few examples of what seemed particularly instructive in terms of the diverse forces at work, among the independents as well as the large groups.

Surrounding the SIHH: space stations and satellites

Source: Europa Star February - March 2013 Magazine Issue