Watches and Wonders Geneva 2026 – the city becomes the stage

Watches and Wonders Geneva returns 14 to 20 April 2026 with a wider footprint and a clearer intent to draw the whole city into the conversation. Eleven additional brands join the Salon, while an expanded In The City program pulls activity onto the streets and lakeside. Online ticket sales open 10 February 2026 on the official site. The scale is meaningful – more than 6,000 retailers, 1,600 international journalists and around 15,000 guests are expected, with last year bringing nearly 55,000 visitors from 125 nationalities.

Music takes an unusually prominent role. A new venue on Quai Général-Guisan will run in partnership with the Montreux Jazz Festival, inspired by its Jazz Club format. Open 5 to 11 pm, the 600 sq.m space will host live concerts, close artist interactions and DJ sets by registration. Thursday night shifts to the lake for a public performance, while Geneva’s Flower Clock in the Jardin Anglais will adopt Watches and Wonders colors. Brands will also animate their city-center boutiques throughout the week.

Hands-on engagement sits at the Pont de la Machine. The Watchmaking Village will offer introductory workshops, professional opportunities and career paths organized by the Swiss Watchmaking Industry Employers’ Association, plus other horological initiatives. It will serve as the hub and departure point for guided tours across the city.

Inside the Salon, the LAB enters a new phase with a redesigned space dedicated to innovation and emerging technology. Around fifteen start-up projects have been selected from 60 applications on criteria including innovation, relevance to watchmaking, sustainability and social impact. ECAL returns, with Master’s students presenting immersive installations that reconsider how we feel and measure time. At the entrance, Le Cadran becomes the rendezvous – eight benches and four tables arranged around a central clock tower, a calm dial for meetings and breathers.

History gets a clear voice too. The Wake Up! exhibition traces the alarm’s journey from the Middle Ages to today, with more than 50 pieces from the Musée d’Art et d’Histoire de Genève – collective timekeepers, public bells, and personal wake-up instruments from watches to bedside clocks. It invites a sober reflection on our relationship to time and to the act of being called back to it.

It is an ambitious program. The hope is simple – that the expansion serves substance, letting the craft speak without shouting. If the city listens, and the Salon keeps faith with mechanical honesty, this could be a week that rewards curiosity as much as headlines. Tickets go live 10 February. Be on time.

Watches and Wonders Geneva 2026 – the city becomes the stage

Exhibiting Brands

Watches and Wonders Geneva 2026 – the city becomes the stage

Exhibiting Brands

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