It’s hard to believe, but Watches & Wonders 2023 is already a wrap. For us at WatchTime, that is an important moment in the year. We nearly collapse from exhaustion when we finally get home but also hate the fact that it is over again. It is usually after the fair that it sinks in how appropriate the name Watches & Wonders is. For an entire week, we have the privilege of seeing the most remarkable timepieces, each a small wonder by themselves. Some because of their extraordinary precision, others because of intricate complications or exotic finishes and crafts. However, the biggest wonder of all is that it is still here, both the watches and the fair.

WatchTime’s Roger Ruegger in his element, with the new titanium Rolex Yacht-Master 42 on his wrist.
With the demise of Baselworld, SIHH, the predecessor of Watches & Wonders, the current rendition could have had the same fate. Some voices in the industry said that big fairs were not of the time anymore. The outbreak of COVID-19 proved them almost right in a different way, but as a counter effect, the industry very much feels the need to come together when we have an opportunity to do so.

Watches & Wonders 2023 meant meeting people again, like legendary race car driver Jacky Ickx (right).

The watch industry is, by the way, one of the strangest in the world, as the mechanical wristwatch has to be the most successful, totally obsolete product in the world. It could have easily gone the wa...