The Geneva Watch Fair, the watchmaking industry's biggest annual showcase, opened on April 14 with the impact of the Middle East war throwing up challenges for the luxury goods sector.
The Watches and Wonders salon, which runs until April 20, sees 65 major watch brands, including Rolex, Patek Philippe and Cartier display their latest creations.
Organizers are expecting around 60,000 visitors during the week — up from 55,000 last year — despite the Middle East war casting doubts on the travel plans of retailers from the Gulf states and East Asia.
The sector already had a lot on its plate, including the U.S. tariffs blitz, China emerging from a long real estate crisis, the strength of the Swiss franc and the price of gold, he said.
Jean-Philippe Bertschy, an analyst at Swiss investment managers Vontobel, was forecasting four percent growth at the start of the year but is now leaning "more towards stagnation."
Bertschy said he would revise his estimates for 2026 after gauging the mood at Watches and Wonders.
The Middle East accounts for just under 10 percent of the watch market.
That "is not insignificant," Bertschy said, especially since the region has witnessed "strong growth in recent years," with particular enthusiasm for top-end watches.
With the demise of the Baselworld salon following the Covid-19 pandemic, Watches and Wonders in Geneva has established itself as the chief display event for watchmaking in Switzerland.
Within less than five years, the number of exhibitors has almost doubled, with 2026 welcoming 11 new brands, including Audemars Piguet, a leading name in Swiss watchmaking.
While the first four days are for the industry only, the weekend and Monday are open to the public, with organizers seeking to seduce a new generation of younger buyers.
