FROM THE EDITORS Letters + Events
Bulgari’s Divas’ Dream Minute
Repeater, shown at Watches &
Wonders in Miami.
WONDERFUL MIAMI
atches & Wonders was held for the first time on American soil in February of this year, in the
Miami Design District—the famed upscale retail and entertainment neighborhood where art,
like a fine watch, is a way of life. Watches & Wonders was originally conceived (and launched
in Hong Kong in Fall 2013) as an annual event and the first timepiece exhibition of its kind in Asia. The
exhibitors, initially all participants in Geneva’s SIHH, intended to emphasize the importance of the
Asian market to Swiss watchmaking, So this year’s four-day Miami show was particularly momentous,
highlighting the role the U.S. plays in this global industry.
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ORGANIZED BY THE FONDATION DE LA HAUTE HORLOGERIE in conjunction with the Miami Design District,
the four-day affair comprised a variety of watch brands and independent watchmakers, all gathered to display
their latest timepieces for more than 20,000 visitors during the course of the long weekend.
Apparently watch sales were brisk. The twenty-one brands participating included A. Lange & Söhne, Audemars
Piguet, Bulgari, Cartier, Hermès, Hublot, IWC, Jaeger-LeCoultre, Louis Vuitton, Panerai, Parmigiani Fleurier, Piaget,
TAG Heuer, Vacheron Constantin and Van Cleef & Arpels, as well as pop-up boutiques by Armin Strom, F. P. Journe,
Kari Voutilainen, Ralph Lauren, RJ-Romain Jerome and Romain Gauthier
Watchmaking lectures and exhibits were also available on site, as were virtual reality timekeeping experiences,
a cultural exhibition about time crafted by contemporary artists and designers, and much more. There was even
a workshop for kids, developed with the International Museum of Horology in Switzerland, in which a group of
“watch-collectors-in-training” learned how to make a rudimentary time-measuring tool.
And as with all things in life—and particularly watches—timing is everything. The Watches & Wonders Miami
12 | INTERNATIONAL WATCH | SPRING 2018
event coincided with the annual Miami Yacht show and
the Miami Design District Concours, which brought an
overflow of high-end consumers to the area. Luxury
watches, yachts and cars—a weekend to remember.
Have fun reading,
Nancy Olson
Managing Editor | [email protected]
iWMAGAZINE .COM