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Direction Shanghai for Watches and Wonders!
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Direction Shanghai for Watches and Wonders!

Monday, 12 April 2021
By The FHH Journal editors
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The FHH Journal editors

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4 min read

As Geneva prepares to close the doors of the largest watch event ever held online, it’s en route for China and part two of Watches and Wonders, in person. Starting tomorrow, 19 exhibiting brands will be at the West Bund Art Center for Watches and Wonders Shanghai, April 14-18, 2021, for what promise to be five exhilarating days, as much for the prestigious exhibitor line-up as for the multitude of activities and highlights on offer.

New releases, previews, celebrities, talks, the LAB innovation space as well as workbench demonstrations will continue throughout the week to make this an unmissable event: as dynamic, inventive and creative as the industry it represents!

After a week navigating the watchesandwonders.com digital platform, the Watches and Wonders adventure continues in China. From April 14 to 18, the West Bund Art Center in Shanghai becomes the venue for an ambitious and wide-ranging program. With full safety measures in place, Watches and Wonders Shanghai will welcome professionals – media, retailers and select guests – for the first two days before opening to the public by invitation only: the opportunity for the visitors to immerse themselves in watchmaking excellence and discover, in the metal, the latest releases as well as trends for 2021, thanks to a lively five-day program.

Double the number of exhibiting brands

With 19 exhibiting brands, almost twice as many as last year, the second edition of Watches and Wonders Shanghai is set to deliver. Not only will visitors and guests have the chance to discover some of the watches unveiled online at Watches and Wonders Geneva, they can also be first to see new models created especially for the Chinese market. Certain brands will be presenting unique pieces and iconic heritage watches. One no visitor will want to miss; the Cartier booth will be showing a vast range of exceptional creations. For its first participation in Watches and Wonders Shanghai, Rolex will reveal new timepieces from its collection. Vacheron Constantin, Piaget, A. Lange & Söhne, Ulysse Nardin, Roger Dubuis, Tudor and Baume & Mercier also have surprises in store. And as they explore the booths inside the West Bund Art Center, visitors shouldn’t be surprised to come face to face with famous influencers and KOLs. Celebrities are also announced for the first days of the Salon at Chopard, Montblanc and Panerai.

A rich and educational cultural program

Throughout the five days, Watches and Wonders Shanghai will keep up a brisk pace of activities focused on watchmaking culture and learning: pierce a watchmaker’s secrets by assembling a mechanical movement, admire the craftsman’s seasoned hand at workshops, delve into new technologies and innovations at the LAB with IWC Schaffhausen, Jaeger-LeCoultre and Montblanc, understand the challenges and trends in the industry at talks or panels, and more.

A place for discovery, exchanges and experiences, the first floor of the West Bund Art Center will come alive with dense programming. Digitalization in business, the impact of the secondary market in China, 2021 trends, iconic watches and watchmaking’s grandes complications will be discussed and debated by experts, influencers and thought leaders at talks and panels held each day in the Auditorium and broadcast live on streaming platforms and social media. Also, five independent artisan-creators – H. Moser & Cie., Armin Strom, Arnold & Son, Ferdinand Berthoud and Purnell – will show their creations in a specially dedicated space.

Watches and Wonders is partner to Tmall Super Brand Day

To further its China digitalization and empower new online-to-offline consumption experience, Watches and Wonders will collaborate with the most powerful Tmall campaign, Tmall Super Brand Day this April. During this collaboration, each participating brand will offer unique experiences and exclusive offers on Tmall Luxury Pavillion. This unprecedented collaboration featuring 11 of the world’s leading Swiss watch brands is seen as a robust offering of digitalization for the luxury sector; an intense and informative experience for all watch enthusiasts.

On April 15, renowned guest influencer Austin Li will host three hours of live streaming and present 11 exclusive, pre-selected watches to an audience of several million followers.

At the end of this extraordinary day, 1,000 drones will take to the skies above Shanghai for a Watches and Wonders sound and light choreography, shown live on streaming platforms and social media. This will be the climax of a week devoted to excellence in watchmaking: yours to experience from tomorrow in Shanghai and around the world with the hashtag #watchesandwonders2021.

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