The world epidemic of coronavirus has got the better of the most famous international watch trade show which was to be held in Switzerland, in Geneva, from April 25 to 29.
By Luxus Plus
We could fear it : the Fondation de la haute horlogerie, organizer of the Watches & Wonders Geneva fair, this morning announced the cancellation of the 2020 edition initially scheduled for April 25 to 29, as well as the cancellation of the “In the City” linked to the show. Thirty major brands and independent designers were to present their latest new products to distributors, the press and the general public.
The coronavirus epidemic and the principle of sanitary precaution led its president and general manager, Fabienne Lupo, to take the decision to turn to the future 2021 edition : “Taking into account the latest developments concerning the worldwide spread of Covid-19, it is the FHH’s responsibility to anticipate the risks that travel and major international groupings could generate in the weeks and months to come”.
For the Haute Horlogerie Foundation, this is “the most responsible decision in the current context of health risks, in order to protect customers, the media, partners and teams”.
It will therefore be necessary to wait until next year to discover the new face of this redesigned and renamed SIHH, which represented the culmination of a three-year project designed to bring to the show “a new, more glamorous spirit, less business connotations, designed to leave more room for the marvellous, the imaginary and emotion”, Fabienne Lupo explained to us a few weeks ago.
It remains to be seen what will be the decision made by the organizers of another major watch event, the Basel fair, taking place from April 30 to May 5, 2020.
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