The Hong Kong Watch & Clock Fair: Preview

31 August 2023

The Hong Kong Watch and Clock Fair, 5–9 September 2023

Martin Foster FBHI writes: ‘The Hong Kong Watch and Clock Fair is by far the biggest of the annual horological trade fairs for release of the new models and innovations. It has clearly emerged as the serious destination for the international press, agents, collectors and buyers.

‘Following the resumption of global flights and travel, the way is again open to visit this comprehensive exhibition of the assembled watch industry makers from around the world. Organised by the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC), together with the Salon de TE, the Hong Kong Watch and Clock Fair will be held at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre from 5–9 September 2023, looking out directly onto Hong Kong’s Victoria Harbour.

‘The fair administration is independent of, and free from, brand ‘proprietorial interest’ meaning all/any global brands/exhibitors are welcome here for visitors, thus providing the widest possible scope and variety of products.

‘The Watch & Clock Design Competition is a stimulating creative initiative in local watch and clock design. Under the theme of ‘Game Code’ for the student group and ‘The Beauty of Perspective’ for the open group, winners will be announced at the fair, and winning pieces will be on display in Hall 1 Concourse.

‘There are sub-categories within the fair, which reflect the wide scope of this specialised event, and the ‘Pageant of Eternity’ displays a variety of high-end finished watches. Integrated within the fair are categories of:

• Complete watches
• Clocks
• Machinery and equipment
• OEM Smart Watches
• Packaging and display
• Parts, components and accessories
• Trade services

‘Under the umbrella of the HKTDC, the Salon de TE is exhibiting pre-owned watch brands and designer collections in categories within its ‘World Brand Piazza’, which will display limited editions and rare timepieces of the international prestigious brands:

• ‘Chic & Trendy’ features fashion-driven watch brands, including Arbutus (USA), Obaku (Denmark), Charles Jourdan (France), Julius (Korea), Infantry (Japan), and Romago (Switzerland).
• ‘Craft Treasure’ showcases mechanical watches and flawless craftsmanship of jewel-laden watches from brands include CIGA Design (mainland China), Memorigin (Hong Kong), SAGA (USA) and Peacock Watches (mainland China).
• ‘Renaissance Moment’ gives us classic and elegant European watch brands from Europe, such as Coinwatch (Switzerland), Nove (Switzerland), Pierre Lannier (France) and Gagà Milano (Italy). Among them, the Swiss Independent Watchmaking Pavilion will bring eight outstanding Swiss-made watch classics.
• ‘Wearable Tech’ presents a series of smart watches with the latest technology, including Microwear (mainland China), DTNO.1 (mainland China), DO (mainland China), King-Wear (mainland China) and MYZI (mainland China).

‘Featured this year is the Guo Chao theme, and a number of significant mainland Chinese makers have been invited to showcase a variety of watches designed with exquisite craftsmanship and Chinese culture.

‘On 5 September, representatives of major watch associations around the world will gather at the Hong Kong International Watch Forum to discuss the global trade performance and forecast the luxury watch market trend for the coming year.

‘At the Asian Watch Conference on 6 September, the international researcher Euromonitor will reveal the latest development of various markets and industry representatives will share the trend of wristwatch design.’