In a press release circulated earlier today, the Fondation de la Haute Horlogerie – Genève, confirmed the departure of Audemars Piguet and Richard Mille from the Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie (SIHH) as of 2020. The two non-Richemont owned brands will showcase at the SIHH 2019 next year, however, this will be their last appearance. The announcement comes a few weeks after The Swatch Group made its decision to leave Baselworld as of 2019, which really questions the future of tradeshows for high-end timepieces.
Moving forward, Audemars Piguet and Richard Mille will focus on establishing direct and personal relationships with consumers instead of solely relying on third-party retailers they would meet at the show. Sales through mono-brand boutiques will now be a priority reducing the brands’ reliance on the more traditional multi-brand stores.
Audemars Piguet is still one of the founding members of the FHH (Fondation de la Haute Horlogerie) and will continue to be active in this space.
The Exhibitors’ Committee, with the support of the Foundation of Haute Horlogerie’s Board, confirmed its firm intention to pursue the SIHH’s core purpose, which now extends beyond a trade salon with a distribution focus, to encompass a true culture and experience-led communications platform for all professionals and end customers of Haute Horlogerie.
Building on the success of its recent editions, the salon will in 2019, 2020 and beyond, continue to pursue its mission, closely aligned to the needs of exhibiting Maisons (currently numbering 35 brands) by building on and extending new services, new experiences, and expert content tailored to all audiences in the Haute Horlogerie community, who regard the Salon as a must attend event.
The Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie (SIHH) 2019 will be held at Palexpo – Geneva – Switzerland from January 14-17, 2019.
Historic Maisons 2019
A.Lange & Söhne, Audemars Piguet, Baume & Mercier, BOVET, Cartier, Girard-Perregaux, Greubel Forsey, Hermès, IWC, Jaeger-LeCoultre, Montblanc, Panerai, Parmigiani Fleurier, Piaget, Richard Mille, Roger Dubuis, Ulysse Nardin, Vacheron Constantin.
Carré des Horlogers 2019
Armin Strom, Christophe Claret, Chronométrie Ferdinand Berthoud, DeWitt, élégante by F.P.Journe, Grönefeld, H. Moser & Cie, Hautlence, HYT, Kari Voutilainen, Laurent Ferrier, MB&F, Ressence, Romain Gauthier, RJ, Speake-Marin, Urwerk.