To set off on a personal note, let me just say that 2016 marks the third year that I can look forward to attending the world’s largest event of its kind, the HKTDC Hong Kong Watch & Clock Fair, staged September 6-10, 2016, at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre. aBlogtoWatch has been reporting live from the fair for four consecutive years now, getting – and hence giving you – a unique insight into the quirky, unique ways of how the world’s largest economy approaches the comparably complicated world of watchmaking.
Very competitively priced watches to be seen on the floors, like this dressy looking Earnshaw Observatory for around $450
Not your typical watch show, the Hong Kong Watch & Clock Fair welcomes over 800 exhibitors from 26 countries and regions, among which, for 2016, Australia, Iran, Lithuania, Monaco, Thailand, and Turkey are new to the show – so there is yet more room to grow. The concurrent “premium event Salon de TE” will showcase timepieces of the grandest luxury from around 150 renowned brands – bear in mind, though, that they are present through a distributor, and major Swiss brands themselves do not directly exhibit here…
Hundred and hundreds (a total of 800) exhibitors, brands, and suppliers to welcome visitors
…which makes everything all the more interesting. Complete watches, as you very well know, do not fall out of the sky, but rather historically require a complex chain of specialized suppliers, many of whom (yes, even for a lot of Swiss brands) are located in Asia. The Hong Kong Watch & Clock Fair is the place where suppliers and OEM manufacturers go to meet one of the near-as-makes-no-difference 20,000 attendees and secure orders for brands established this year or a hundred and fifty years ago alike.
The Hong Kong International Watch Forum (September 6) invites speakers from Switzerland’s, France’s, Japan’s, Korea’s, mainland China’s, and Taiwan’s watch industry association top decision makers to discuss industry developments and the latest market trends – a most insightful gathering that is yet to fail in showing just how different each region’s approach is to developing their own position in the industry. The forum is closed to the public, but as always, we shall report from it in detail.
Last but not least, beyond checking out the latest and in fact quite affordable smart and connected watch offerings, we take a look at the brands which carry the present and future of The Chinese Made Luxury Watch on their shoulders. Plus, as an extra, we of course always bring you some of the most mind-bending new brands and ideas, and let you decide whether or not they should have ever come to existence. To bring back some great memories and see recent analysis, check out all our previous articles about the fairs from all previous years here.
From the countless smart-device exhibitors, some get to make a splash – like Cogito did with their Cogito Classic
A lot to look forward to, so stay tuned on our social media channels (Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook) for some live updates from the 2016 HKTDC Watch & Clock Fair and a full write-up after the show. hktdc.com