The 19th Edition of Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie (SIHH), held for the first time in January (19 to 23 January 2009) at the Geneva Palexpo on the Grand-Saconnex, concluded successfully for the 17 participating brands, according to a press communiqué issued by the organizers. While visitor numbers were down by approximately 20 %, it appears the appeal of fine watches globally has not diminished, and brands reported positive sales results consistent with expectations.
Around 1,200 specialized trade and general media journalists reported from the exhibition, dubbed winter wonderland, reflecting intense media interest in the landmark exhibition. MPParabia was among the media organizations that attended the event and a detailed report will appear in the February—March 2009 Edition of Arabian Watches & Jewellery (AWJ) Magazine.
The 17 participating brands were A. Lange & Sohne, Alfred Dunhill, Audemars Piguet, Baume & Mercier, Cartier, Girard-Perregaux, IWC, Jaeger-LeCoultre, JeanRichard, Montblanc, Officine Panerai, Parmigiani Fleurier, Piaget, Polo Ralph Lauren, Roger Dubuis, Vacheron Constantin and Van Cleef & Arpels.
The exhibitors were content with the volume of business done and the rescheduling of the event in January was welcomed by attendees for the ability of exhibitors to spend more time with their global retail partners and by the brand themselves that can better plan production and delivery of their new models.
The dates of SIHH 2010 will be announced after the next meeting of the Exhibitor Committee.