Time to Watches at maximum capacity

By Serge Maillard

February 2025

Relocating closer to Palexpo for its 2025 edition, Time to Watches will take place from 1st to 6th April at Villa Sarasin. The event will welcome a curated selection of independent watch brands and startups. Event organiser Christian Wipfli shares the latest details.

Time to Watches at maximum capacity

By Serge Maillard

February 2025

ith over 70 exhibitors, Time to Watches will be operating at full capacity in its new venue just a stone’s throw from Palexpo. It will be held during what has become Geneva Watch Week, alongside Watches and Wonders, from April 1 to 6, 2025. As we meet with Christian Wipfli, last-minute discussions with exhibitors are still underway.

Converting the venerable 19th-century Villa Sarasin, specially for the occasion, into a fully functional watch exhibition space is no small logistical feat. Yet, the event has become a hotspot for independent watchmaking creativity during the most significant week on the international watchmaking calendar.

“This new location has transformed the scope of the show, and demand has been much higher this year,” explains Wipfli, who also organises the Swiss Boat Show at Palexpo in November. Among the standout brands are independent labels such as Antoine Preziuso, Ming, Krayon, Beauregard (a rare case of exhibiting at Watches and Wonders before participating in Time to Watches, in a path typically taken in reverse), and Dennison, a newcomer to the scene.

Other brands, such as watch winder specialist Wolf, who is well-represented in watch retail outlets worldwide, promise to attract “a large number of distributors”. The brand previously exhibited in lakeside hotels, another key venue for watch and jewellery showcases during Geneva Watch Week, which each year witnesses a “mercato” as brands compete for prime locations to unveil their novelties.

Accessibility, not only geographical but also financial, is a key issue for exhibitors with limited budgets. This year, Time to Watches has introduced simplified exhibition packages, starting at 5,250 CHF for smaller brands, while larger stands range from 30,000 to 50,000 CHF. “With our new offerings, the cost of entry is now under 1,000 CHF per day,” Wipfli notes. All four floors of Villa Sarasin, along with its veranda and annex, will be transformed for the event.

Since its inception in 2022, Time to Watches has operated with a form of gentlemen’s agreement with the organisation of Watches and Wonders. Until last year, the event was held at the HEAD campus, a larger yet more remote venue from Palexpo.

Wipfli acknowledges the role of the show as a springboard for certain exhibitors who may eventually join Watches and Wonders: “Our event was created to address a clear need within the watchmaking industry following the pandemic and for its community to gather in Geneva. We help these brands grow, and if one day they move on to Palexpo, in a way, we can say: mission accomplished!”