As global vaccination rates for the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic continue to climb and travel restrictions around the world begin to loosen, in-person watch industry trade shows are re-emerging in the wake of a year of event shutdowns. The latest trade show to announce its return for 2021 is Geneva Watch Days, which has laid out a schedule for a “phygital” hybrid event taking place across Geneva and worldwide via digital presentations from August 30 to September 3, 2021.

In many ways, this announcement heralds the start of a return to form for Swiss watch industry trade shows, with a central common area in Geneva’s Rotonde du Mont-Blanc connecting a series of venues across the city over the course of the show, while participating brands have pledged the return of after-hours celebrations and festive events for media and brand customers (following all associated social distancing and masking guidelines). That said, the rise of online release events due to the pandemic will likely shape the landscape of trade shows both in the watch industry and beyond for many years to come, and the event will continue to provide real-time digital launches for new products with global video conferencing.

Geneva Watch Days 2021 has already confirmed a robust slate of brands for its event, including Bulgari, Breitling, De Bethune, Gerald Genta, Girard-Perregaux, H. Moser & Cie, MB&F, Ulysse Nardin, Urwerk, Arnold & Son, Czapek & Cie, Doxa, Ferdinand Berthoud, Frederique Constant Group, Maurice Lacroix, Oris, and Reuge. More companies are expected to join the roster before the event, and aBlogtoWatch will offer coverage of major new releases from the show as they happen here on this website.