From September 2nd to 6th, 2026, I covered the Geneva Watch Days in Geneva, Switzerland. Following my coverage of the new product fair in April, I will share my experiences of this late summer event, including both joy and sorrow (mostly sadness), in this diary format.
Photographs & Text by Chieko Tsuruoka (Chronos-Japan)
[Article published on January 7, 2026]
I covered Geneva Watch Days 2026!
When thinking of new watch trade shows, the first things that come to mind are probably the former Baselworld and SIHH, and now the industry's largest, Watches & Wonders Geneva (hereinafter W&W G). However, in recent years, the watch industry has seen an increase in trade shows in a wide variety of forms, locations, and exhibiting brands, such as Dubai Watch Week and "I AM WATCH" held in Singapore. Amidst this trend, Geneva Watch Days (hereinafter GWD) has been covered on-site by the Chronos Japan and webChronos editorial departments in conjunction with W&W G since 2024.
GWD started in 2020. Six brands—Breitling, Bulgari, de Bethune, Girard-Perregaux, H. Moser & Cie., and MB & F—led the launch, starting with seven brands. This year, the seventh edition, 71 brands participated, making it the largest ever. While not as numerous as W&W G, and partly due to most brands having already unveiled their new models for the year, the number of models presented and the size of the booths were not as large. However, compared to when I covered it in 2024, each booth was busier, and the number of staff from the exhibiting brands had also increased (incidentally, hotel prices in Geneva during this period, which were not so high two years ago, had soared). The fact that it takes place in the summer, when Geneva's scenic beauty can be best enjoyed, and that the distance between brands and visitors, including retailers, media, and individual watch enthusiasts, is significantly closer than at W&W G, with the possibility of spontaneously joining presentations or even having key figures like CEOs or marketing directors make surprise appearances for interviews, are major reasons why this trade fair is so appealing.
To cover GWD, editor Yuto Hosoda and author Chieko Tsuruoka flew to Geneva on August 31st.
After arriving in Geneva, we'll head to La Chaux-de-Fonds!
On the evening of August 31st, I headed to Haneda Airport. Since my flight was at night, I naturally worked at the office during the day. Already exhausted, I boarded the plane with a huge suitcase packed with a week's worth of belongings and some remaining work. This time I was flying with Turkish Airlines, via Istanbul. Turkey is one of my favorite countries, and in my twenties I occasionally visited the city of Izmir.
However, I didn't really get to take a vacation. I spent most of my time in Istanbul going through security checks and navigating the vast airport, and arrived in Geneva a little after 9am on September 1st. Although the seats weren't hard, the nearly 16-hour flight was quite tough, and my backside felt like it was splitting into four pieces (the usual thing I inherited from the watch professor).
Upon arrival, I immediately headed to La Chaux-de-Fonds. My purpose was to cover the MIH (International Museum of Clock & Watchmaking).
The Musée international d'horlogerie, or MIH for short, opened in 1974. According to the Swiss Tourism Board's official website, its predecessor was a museum established within a watchmaking school at the end of the 19th century (quoted from:https://www.myswitzerland.com/ja/experiences/international-clock-museum/The exhibition space, located underground, is extremely vast, and the museum houses a huge and wide range of clock-related exhibits, from historical pocket watches and marine chronometers to current wristwatches and even atomic clocks. Including paintings and prints, the collection numbers as many as 1 items.
Furthermore, MIH employs Masaki Kanazawa, a watchmaker who handles the restoration of the collection and is also close friends with our magazine's editor-in-chief, Masayuki Hirota.
"Since I'm going to Geneva anyway," I decided to go ahead and cover MIH this time.
According to the SBB (Swiss Federal Railways) app, the journey from Geneva Airport to La Chaux-de-Fonds takes about two and a half hours. I was scheduled to arrive in the early afternoon, so I decided to leave my suitcase in a coin locker at the airport (though coins weren't accepted, only credit card payment) and head straight to La Chaux-de-Fonds.
Next time, I'll spend a whole day on the interview, MIH
Where exactly is La Chaux-de-Fonds? Well, it's right here.
La Chaux-de-Fonds is a town located in the canton of Neuchâtel in northwestern Switzerland, and is a center of the watch industry, home to the headquarters and suppliers of watch brands such as Girard-Perregaux, TAG Heuer, and Ebel. The journey from Geneva Airport required two transfers, and I departed expecting to arrive at 2:13 PM.
However, I would soon realize how wrong my estimate was during the journey.
I had expected it to be similar to Japan's Shinkansen, but in reality, departures were often delayed, and even a delay of a few minutes meant that connections wouldn't wait, with the next train being 30 minutes later. As a result, things didn't go smoothly at all, and I ended up arriving after 14 PM.
After sending an apology email to Mr. Kanazawa, who had worked so hard to arrange the interview, I finally arrived at La Chaux-de-Fonds station after a bumpy train ride. From this station to MIH is less than a 10-minute walk (I ran, so I got there in 5 minutes).
The purpose of this visit was to introduce MIH, but upon arrival, we were greeted not only by Mr. Kanazawa but also by the deputy director (curator), Nathalie Marielloni. Despite our lateness, they expressed regret that they couldn't accompany us due to another appointment, and although there were unavoidable circumstances, we regretted being late.
Upon entering the museum, I was immediately struck by the sight of countless clocks (or perhaps just clocks!?) on display. Some were even displayed without any fixtures, and some were even open for visitors to operate. Mr. Kanazawa laughed, saying, "Sometimes these pieces are the result of pursuing precision, while others are the result of pursuing value as decorative items, but they aren't arranged chronologically; it's chaotic." This chaotic state seemed to implicitly represent the history of clocks, and it made me realize how narrow my own concept of "clocks" had been. A detailed video will be released later on webChronosTV, so this article will only offer a glimpse. I hope to convey at least a little of the profound depths of this chaotic world of clocks.
If I were to post all the photos I took, this Geneva diary would never end, so I'll stop here. To be honest, I was left speechless after seeing such a vast number of watches (and related materials) that I still haven't fully processed them all. The museum closes at 5 PM, so we only had about two and a half hours for the interview. Hosoda and I promised to dedicate a full day to a proper interview next time, and after saying goodbye to Mr. Kanazawa, we left the museum.
Arrived in Geneva. I can't go home or sleep yet, you know?
I arrived at Geneva Airport at 8:30 PM. After retrieving my luggage, I headed to Cornavin, also known as Geneva Station. The day wasn't over yet, as I made a brief appearance at a Bulgari cocktail party. Covering La Chaux-de-Fonds immediately after my flight from Japan was a grueling schedule, and I was exhausted. However, I managed to have a few drinks at the venue, greeted Fabrizio Bonamassa Stigliani, took some photos with Hosoda to send to the person who invited me to the cocktail party, ate at Hungky, a Chinese restaurant favored by Chronos, and checked into my hotel. By the time I took a shower, it was past 11 PM.
I worked on some unfinished tasks I'd brought from Japan, and went to bed a little after 1 AM. Little did I know at the time that I would have so much to do on this Geneva business trip that I would only get 1-3 hours of sleep each night, except for the night of the 5th... Incidentally, I exchanged 10,000 yen for 48 Swiss francs. In April it was 42 Swiss francs, so the yen has appreciated a bit.
