Relocating the mountains of Switzerland, home of technical and precious watchmaking, to Hong Kong is beyond anyone’s wildest dreams. Its spirit, however, can be transposed. This is precisely what the Fondation de la Haute Horlogerie, in concordance with the 12 exhibiting Maisons, is proposing with this third edition of Watches&Wonders: a total immersion in the endlessly fascinating world of time measurement.
The exhibition uses digital technology to make each visit as engaging and informative as possible, with itineraries tailored to guide individuals according to their centres of interest.
Visitors can, for example, use their smartphone to sample any one of the five Watches&Wonders Tours. Each tour follows a signposted route that takes in a collection of timepieces on a particular theme: Astronomy, We love Asia, Precious Time, Extreme, Iconic. Scannable QR codes provide information at various points along the way. Visitors can also find out which topics are being discussed as part of the programme of talks, or sign up for a personalised tour of the booths which the exhibiting Maisons are hosting twice a day to present their latest créations.
The app is complemented by a website that provides full information about the event, the exhibiting Maisons, and the exhibition curated by Geneva University of Art & Design titled 24 Hours in the Life of a Swiss Cuckoo Clock.
To be fully appreciated, the essence of watchmaking must be experienced first-hand, hence the Maisons have equipped their booths with benches where they welcome their master watchmakers and experts in the métiers d’art. These specialists have come to Watches&Wonders to demonstrate just how essential the artisan’s hand is to technical and precious watchmaking, and to share their expertise one-to-one with visitors.
In a similar vein, workshops are proposed where would-be apprentice watchmakers can take apart then reassemble a mechanical movement.
For this third edition, Watches&Wonders has set out to create an environment which encourages visitors to do more than just tour the different booths. The products on display at each exhibiting Maison are the culmination of a tradition of technical and aesthetic excellence, as well as continued research and innovation.
Armed with a deeper understanding of these products, visitors can appreciate a timepiece as a reflection of Fine Watchmaking, and Watches&Wonders as a window on this uniquely special world.