Others have covered the show and events in Geneva in detail so rather than repeat what has already been said I will add a few observations in no particular order.
1.) This was my first time at SIHH. All of the represented brands have display widows showcasing their new novelties on the outside of each venue. Not every watch is present but I would guess about 90% are there. Some are always held back for viewing inside or because they are special or restricted. But if all you did was stroll along the perimeter of the halls you could see most of the new offerings. It is much like window shopping. Most displayed the watches with little or no decoration. I thought IWC had a nice idea to place navigation or scenery behind the watches to fit in with the Portuguese theme.
2.) It is simply amazing how this warehouse hall was transformed into a finished boutique look. It was professional and classy on a grand scale.
3.) Newspapers from all over the world were wheeled in giant carts around the exhibition area so that attendees could read their home paper.
4.) There was a press kiosk which contained watch magazines from many places. All of these were arranged well and were free. The biggest problem was narrowing the choices so you would not have to carry 50 lbs loads. There were French and German versions of popular issues and many Asian editions. It was an overwhelming array from which to choose.
5.) I was very interested in the DFB limited edition BIC which Michael Friedberg kindly showed on the Forum about a month ago. This was not shown at SIHH but I prevailed upon Oliver Siegle of IWC to obtain one for my perusal. He very graciously produced it during the “touch and feel” segment and I am very grateful.
6.) Interestingly, I was speaking about the DFB model with Gary Soloveicik who is a manager of the IWC boutique in Hong Kong earlier in the day. He noted my interest and produced another DFB for me, unaware that Oliver had done the same. I really appreciated that both of these gentlemen went out of their way to accommodate me.
7.) Our time with George Kern was very well spent. His answers to our questions were interesting, pointed and detailed. There are some changes in the offing which I think bode well for the future of the Forum and the website. Nothing has been finalized as yet.
8.) Everyone got a good look at the CF Da Vinci watch. It is a very nice offering, especially when you add the bracelet. But still not for me.
9.) Just my observation…but I saw a tremendous presence of Asian participants at SIHH, even more than I anticipated. Apparently, this market has been the saving grace for some segments of the watch industry over the past year.
10.) A few other notes…
a.) Argiris and Bill Barker both fell in love with the blue dial PPC. I expect to see one on each wrist in the not too distant future.
b.) Thanks to Tony Gomes for opening my eyes a little to some of the “purist” aspects of IWC of which I am sometimes unaware. And his 1939 original Portuguese is amazing.
c.) I am not in the market for a tourbillion, but the blue dial Jones version is amazing. I know some would rather see the Jones logo on the back. But the watch is superb, logo or not.
d.) I thought the Yacht Club silver dial looked best in pre release pictures. Not true. On the wrist the black version was superior in my view. And the gold version was better still. Not to be missed when you have the opportunity.
11.) All of the thin or ultra thin Portuguese models looked better on wrist than in pictures. Especially the “half Panda” as someone called it.
OK, that is enough...
