Fall Watch Exhibits, Auctions Promise Excitement And Rarity

Last week we wrote about the upcoming WatchTime New York show, beginning this Firayd the 22nd of October at Gotham Hall and running throughout the weekend. At this year’s edition, dozens of watch brands are participating in person and a host of panel discussions will take place. In fact, I will be speaking on one of those panels, as it pertains to “women’s” watches. Beyond that show, though, there are a host of other big events, exhibits and auctions all on the horizon. Here we do a recap so you are sure not to miss anything.

Grand Prix d’ Horlogerie de Geneve 2021

Just a about two weeks late, Geneva steals all the action with a four-day long calendar chocked with important events. It kicks off on  November 4, 2021, at Theater d’ Luman where the industry’s biggest awards event, Grand Prix d’Horologerie de Geneve (GPHG) goes live. The in-person event has always  been a highlight for watch lovers around the globe, but in 2020, this event also went fully digital. This year, organizers are creating an in-person event with limited seating and social distance requirements in place.

This year marks the 20^th anniversary of what some in the watch industry call the Watch Academy Awards. A jury, together with an academy of industry personnel, vote on the best timepiece in each of a series of  approximately a dozen categories that include best men’s complication, best women’s complication, and so much more. In total, this year 84 watches are nominated by the GPHG Academy. Because judging tallies are calculated by an outside source, the announcement of the winner in each category comes as a surprise to all who attend the award ceremony – or watch it online.

Only Watch and Phillips Auction 2021

Beginning on Saturday the 6^th of November, two auction events take place. The first happens only once every-other-year and is a charity auction held to aid in research against Duchenne muscular dystrophy. For this “Only Watch”  auction, watch brands create and donate a unique, one-off timepieces with all proceeds going to benefit the cause. Under the High Patronage of HSH Prince Albert II, the 9^th edition of the auction witnesses 54 participating brands. The watches are superb works of arts sometimes truly original works of art and other times the pieces boast unique color combinations and materials never before executed by the brand. Bidding will take place either in person at the event, or online.

Also starting with the opening evening event on November 5^th and running through November 7^th is the Phillips in Association with Bacs & Russo Geneva Watch Auction: XIV. This is a highly anticipated annual auction that typically breaks records for prices and categories. This year, a few highlights include a Patek Philippe Ref. 2499 First Series watch that had been sold by Serpico y Laino and that was previously unknown. It is estimated to fetch between $2 million and $4 million. Also, up for bids are four extraordinary Philippe Dufour watches and five F.P. Journe #1 Souscription watches. Each of these men is considered a legendary watchmaker. This auction will likely witness many thrilling bids to the finish.

Dubai Watch Week 2021

After a short two-week breather, the fifth edition of the Dubai Watch Week, along with the seventh edition of its Horology Forum will also take place in person from November 24-28, 2021. With a theme “Reunited for a moment in time,” the event is a great gathering of brands, watch industry luminaries and global attendees. The Horology Forum that occurs concurrent with the Dubai Watch Week (DWW) is an informative platform that consists of a host of panel discussions of important industry topics as well as educational talks about what’s next in the watch world.

Held under the patronage of Her Highness Sheikha Latifa bint Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum was founded by Ahmed Seddiqi & Sons in 2015. It is considered the largest and most prominent non-commercial watch event in the Middle East. This year, approximately 45 top watch brands will exhibit, including Rolex, Tudor, Hublot, Piaget and Chopard with stand-alone interactive boutiques. This represents the largest number of participating brands to date for DWW.

In addition to these events, auctions and shows, there are also a host of smaller watch-related exhibits planned around the world. So, if you are a watch lover, there is no shortage of events this fall to attend either in person or digitally.