Last weekend and this week were the time to be in Geneva if you are in the watch industry, a watch collector, interested in watches, or a potential buyer. With watch auctions, car auctions, and the Grand Prix d'Horlogerie de Genève (GPHG), the watch industry’s biggest award show, this is one of the biggest weeks in the watch industry.
This week is always fun - it’s fun to look back at another year worth of auctions, another year of innovation, or a lack thereof, across the brands, and see what happens. This is the time of year when the market quiets down after the auctions, and brands take time to recharge and prepare for 2023 launches. The week was also a time for reflection for watch fans and the watch market. There was definitely a feeling of a softer market amidst an auction week packed with all-star watches. Rolex, F.P. Journe, and Richard Mille were big winners this week at auction, as were the auction houses. Independent watchmakers were big winners at the GPHG this week.
It was a hell of a week, capped off by the GPHG. Formula 1 is also racing this weekend in Brazil, we have Sprint Qualifying, and with two races left in the season, drivers are going to be pushing the limits on track. It’s been a great week and can only get better with some great racing in São Paulo. Join me this week to talk about big winners from the Geneva auctions, the GPHG, and the overwhelming sentiments in the watch market following the auctions.
Correction: I made a mistake in discussing the Artistic Craft prize. I said that Kari Voutilainen’s Ji-Ku watch that won had over 10,000 hours of hand work in the dial, I meant to say over 1,000 hours.
