The Fondation de la Haute Horlogerie (FHH) has just announced that Watches & Wonders 2020 will indeed take place, albeit in a social distancing-friendly-online format. Beginning this upcoming Saturday, April 25th, the approximately 30 watch brands participating in Watches & Wonders (formerly SIHH) will release their latest pieces and collections. Like so many others, the watch industry has been in a holding pattern of malaise since the coronavirus outbreak, and the mass exodus of brands from Baselworld hasn’t done much in bolstering confidence. So, while far from ideal, this online format of Watches & Wonders 2020 will be a breath of fresh air (metaphorically speaking, that is) in this stale environment.
Beginning at noon CET on April 25th, watchesandwonders.com will launch a centralized hub containing dedicated pages for each of the 30 participating brands. This “opening day” will have brands streaming their novelties in videos that will then go on the site. The FHH also plans to have industry voices and experts adding a variety of content to the site. The plan is to continuously update the site throughout this first phase, which will last into early summer. The second phase in summer will include more new-product unveilings, as well as e-commerce initiatives. 
The FHH says that the goal of this online program is to offer “a new ‘global ecosystem’ created by the FHH to fulfill the needs of its watch brands; watchesandwonders.com will become the permanent flagship of fine watchmaking excellence alongside several physical events, among which will be Watches & Wonders Geneva in April 2021.”
It looks like brands are eager to start showing off their new releases, and there’s plenty of social media teasers out there to get us in the mood. While it may not be the same thing as being on the ground and covering all the new releases the way team aBlogtoWatch looks forward to doing every year, this is the FHH making the best of a situation we all would like to see pass sooner than later. Of course, we’ll be sharing all the new releases here at aBlogtoWatch, as well as on our social media channels. You can learn more about the show here at watchesandwonders.com.