Watches and Wonders Geneva has released details of its April 2026 edition, and the message is clear: the event continues its evolution from an industry trade fair to a cultural phenomenon in Switzerland and around the world. Scheduled for April 14-20, this year's program reveals an organization increasingly confident in its dual identity as both professional platform and public spectacle.

Eleven new brands join the exhibitor roster—although a brand like Bell & Ross pulled out this year—building on a previous edition that drew 55,000 visitors from 125 countries. These figures position Watches and Wonders as the uncontested centerpiece of the watchmaking calendar. This year's expansion of the "In The City" program demonstrates the organizers' understanding that a salon, however grand, can amplify its impact by extending into the city itself.

A Festival Atmosphere

The most striking addition is the partnership with the Montreux Jazz Festival, which will program evening concerts at a new 600 m² venue on Quai Général-Guisan. Open 5 to 11 pm throughout the week, the space promises live performances and DJ sets in an atmosphere modeled after Montreux's intimate Jazz Club concept. It's an inspired choice—luxury watchmaking and jazz share certain aesthetic affinities, both celebrating craft, improvisation, and the careful measurement of time. The gesture acknowledges that Geneva in April should offer cultural richness beyond the salon floor.

The In The City program expands further with the Watchmaking Village at Pont de la Machine, offering introductory workshops and career programming organized by the Swiss Watchmaking Industry Employers' Association. Brand boutiques throughout the city center will host their own presentations and installations. Even the Jardin Anglais flower clock—that eternally photographed horological tourist attraction—receives Watches and Wonders branding for the week.

Innovation and Institution

Inside the Palexpo halls, the LAB returns in redesigned form, showcasing 15 startups selected from 60 applications. The criteria: innovation, watchmaking relevance, sustainability, social impact, reflect the industry's evolving priorities and offer a window into where watchmaking technology may be heading.

Particularly intriguing is the "Wake Up!" exhibition, which promises a historical survey of alarm mechanisms from the Middle Ages to the present day. Drawn from the Musée d'Art et d'Histoire de Genève collections, the exhibition's fifty-plus timepieces trace the evolution of wake-up technology from public bells to bedside clocks. For those seeking depth beyond new releases, this represents a valuable opportunity to consider horology through a functional rather than purely aspirational lens—the alarm as social technology, mediating between biological rhythms and industrial demands.

The ECAL partnership continues for a third year, with design students presenting installations exploring temporal experience. These conceptual pieces offer a welcome counterpoint to the commercial energy that animates the salon floor.

Navigating the Abundance

The steady growth of Watches and Wonders—in exhibitors, attendance, and geographic footprint—reflects genuine industry vitality. As the event spans Geneva, encompassing music festivals, design installations, and watch launches, attendees will benefit from thoughtful planning. The In The City program opens watchmaking culture to broader audiences, while serious collectors and retailers will want to prioritize concentrated time with new products and manufacture representatives.

The organizers have created an event that serves multiple audiences simultaneously: the 6,000 retailers conducting business, the 1,600 journalists covering the event, and the thousands of enthusiasts seeking access to the world of watchmaking. The expanded platform offers something for everyone; the key is for attendees to identify their priorities and map their week accordingly.

Online ticket sales open February 10 at watchesandwonders.com for those planning to attend. For those following from afar, the week of April 14-20 promises the industry's most concentrated release cycle of the year, with coverage that will shape collecting conversations for months to come.

The vision is ambitious, the execution increasingly sophisticated, and the energy unmistakable. April in Geneva remains the essential date on the watchmaking calendar. And of course, our nights at Leopard Room will always be part of the program.

More info on Watches & Wonders Geneva 2026 here.