One of the last major absentees among the watchmaking giants is about to make its debut at Watches and Wonders. Starting in 2027, Breitling’s House of Brands will participate for the first time in the world’s most important fine watchmaking exhibition.
The event will take place from April 5 to 11, 2027, in Geneva at the Palexpo venue and will once again be accompanied by the “In The City” side programs and city events, a format successfully introduced at the last edition. Alongside founding partners such as Rolex, Patek Philippe, and the brands of the Richemont Group, the group led by Breitling will also bring Gallet, Universal Genève, and the Italian brand Damiani to the fair, as confirmed by the Watches and Wonders Foundation.
The arrival of the House of Brands is a significant addition to Watches and Wonders and further strengthens its role as a key event on the annual Swiss and international watchmaking calendar, bringing together manufacturers, retailers, the media, and the public every spring. “The arrival of these new names marks an important milestone in the evolution of Watches and Wonders Geneva and reflects the desire of the major watchmaking Maisons to unite around a shared vision,” the organizers stated in an official press release.
The 2026 edition set an all-time record with 65 participating brands—including Audemars Piguet, which took part for the first time—and nearly 60,000 visitors, despite geopolitical tensions and the conflict in the Middle East, which inevitably made travel difficult for some of the international guests.
Cyrille Vigneron, chairman of the Watches and Wonders Geneva Foundation, explained that participation costs for exhibitors—including fees charged per square meter of exhibition space—have remained unchanged over the past five years. At the same time, the foundation has worked with local hotel operators and food and beverage suppliers to keep overall costs at sustainable levels.
This is by no means a minor issue, especially given the precedent set by Baselworld, once the world’s largest watch and jewelry trade show, which came to a definitive end after 2019 following the Swatch Group’s withdrawal in 2018 and growing criticism regarding the exorbitant costs for exhibitors and visitors—including booths, hotels, and dining.
Founded in September 2022 on the initiative of Rolex, Richemont, and Patek Philippe, the Watches and Wonders Geneva Foundation is a nonprofit organization based in Geneva, established with the goal of promoting watchmaking through the annual exhibition. Chanel, Hermès, and LVMH are also currently members of the board.
Alongside historic giants such as Rolex, Patek Philippe, and the brands of the Richemont Group—including A. Lange & Söhne, Cartier, IWC Schaffhausen, and Vacheron Constantin—Watches and Wonders now also features names such as Bulgari, TAG Heuer, and Zenith, as well as Hermès and Chanel. These are joined by independent Swiss brands such as Oris and Norqain, as well as international players like Grand Seiko, Nomos Glashütte, and Sinn Spezialuhren.
The news comes just a few weeks after the announcement that Basel is returning to the trade show circuit with Basilia, the new trade show dedicated to watches and jewelry that will debut that same month. This development now leaves the Swatch Group as the only major Swiss conglomerate still absent from Watches and Wonders.
According to Vigneron, the trade show could continue to expand until it reaches 100 brands—a possibility that, if confirmed, would further reshape the global trade show landscape. The WWGF has confirmed that further details on the 2027 edition, including the complete list of participants, will be announced in the coming months.
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