Watch Journalist Yasuhito Shibuya's Useful Watch Industry Chat
The Geneva, Switzerland, watch fair "Watches & Wonders Geneva 2022" finally took place in person for the first time in three years, absorbing the big brands from Baselworld. As someone who managed to cover the fair, I'd like to share with you what it was like.
This time, I'll start with the chaos that ensued before I got into the venue... This first and second on-site report were written in April while I was reporting on the event. Two months have passed, but I'll try to present them as unedited as possible.
(Article published on October 9, 2022)
Conflicting travel information for Switzerland
Would I actually make it to the Geneva venue? Would I be able to return safely? These were the biggest problems I had while covering "Watches & Wonders Geneva 2022," even more than the actual reporting itself. And the hurdles were unexpectedly high.
The cause is, of course, the COVID-19 pandemic. But can you even enter Switzerland? What exactly do you need to know to board a plane to Switzerland? Even when you look at the websites of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare, and other related sources, the official information is so confusing that it's hard to understand.
According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' website, Switzerland is one of 45 countries and regions that have imposed entry restrictions on travelers from Japan and Japanese people. However, according to the Swiss Embassy's website, the Swiss government has lifted health measures for people entering Switzerland as of February 17, 2022. This means that when entering the country, it is no longer necessary to submit proof of vaccination, recovery from COVID-2, or a negative test result, or to fill out entry documents.
However, if you are not flying directly to Switzerland and are transiting through a country, you will have to follow the policies of that country. In the case of Emirates, which I flew with, you should not need any certificate unless the country of your final destination requires it.
Proof of vaccination and negative PCR test result
However, the reality was different. At the Emirates check-in counter at Narita Airport, proof of a negative PCR test was not required, but a vaccination certificate was. I presented the "vaccination certificate" in English that I had obtained by mailing a request to the ward office. The vaccine was administered three times. This should be enough to ensure safety.
However, it seems that things were not perfect. The staff member looked at the documents, checked them, and returned them to me, and when I tried to put them away, the staff member hastily asked me to show them again. It turns out that the problem was the interval between the second and third vaccinations, and if the interval was too long, it would not be approved. It seems that I had somehow managed to pass, but if the third shot had been administered too late, I might have been out. In fact, I still don't know whether this standard applies to Japan or to Swiss regulations.
When I was transiting through Dubai, I was nervous about whether I would be able to board the plane at the boarding gate. It's not mandatory, but if I was asked to provide proof of a negative PCR test before boarding, I'd be in trouble. I'd actually booked a PCR test at a Ministry of Foreign Affairs-designated medical institution just before my trip, intending to "take out insurance," but then I got a call from the medical institution right beforehand saying, "We don't process the form designated by Dubai (UAE) so why don't you cancel?" So I gave up on the PCR test.
However, at the boarding gate for my flight to Geneva, I was not asked to show proof of a negative PCR test, and the plane took off safely to Geneva, landing almost as scheduled at the familiar Geneva International Airport. I went through immigration and headed to the baggage carousel. There was no lost baggage and everything went smoothly. I went through customs and emerged into the arrival lobby. It had been three years and two months since my last visit to Geneva.
The first thing that surprised me when I stood in the arrival lobby at Geneva Airport was that no one was wearing a mask.
Wearing a mask was mandatory on the plane, so everyone was wearing one. Almost everyone in Dubai airport, where we transited, was also wearing a mask.
However, no one in the arrivals hall was wearing a mask. If you look around, you can find people wearing masks. However, in Switzerland, as in the UK and elsewhere, wearing a mask is no longer compulsory.
Shortly after arriving, Breitling held a talk show at a restaurant in the airport, where only a few people were wearing masks. At the party afterward, attendees were seen chatting and having fun without masks. In Switzerland, wearing masks is now only mandatory in limited places, such as on public transport like buses and trains, and in nursing homes.
The next day, March 30th, was the first day of Watches & Wonders Geneva (W&WG) 2022. On the shuttle bus from the hotel to the venue, almost everyone was wearing a mask. However, once we arrived at the venue, everyone took them off. Even the people serving drinks and snacks in the press center were not wearing masks at all. "Is there really any point in wearing a mask in this situation?" I wondered.
In Japan, I was determined to wear a mask whenever possible at fairs, even if no one around me was wearing one. However, that determination gradually gave way.
After all, you have to remove your mask from the moment you enter the W&WG venue. At the first security gate where you pass through by touching your admission pass, an attendant visually checks each visitor's face to make sure it matches the photo displayed on the screen behind the gate. That's why you're told to "remove your mask!"
Moreover, on April 1st, the Swiss Federal Office of Public Health completely abolished the requirement to wear masks. There is no longer any quarantine requirement for those infected or showing symptoms, and no restrictions on movement. T-MAX, a photographer based in Milan, Italy, who I met for the first time in a while and who is a familiar face in Japanese magazine interviews, also said, "Corona is over now." Local people also say, "The COVID-4 problem is over." There is hardly a hint of anxiety in their words.
The COVID-19 pandemic is ultimately a problem with the medical system
However, the number of infected people reported by the Swiss Federal Office of Public Health is by no means low, and wearing masks is mandatory in some areas, such as nursing homes. It is clear that the COVID-19 pandemic is not yet under control. And yet, there are no voices of concern about COVID-19 on the streets or at fairs.
Why is this the case? It is because the country has a medical system in place that allows people to be tested and hospitalized immediately if their condition worsens, and receive appropriate care. This is because the situation in Japan, where people cannot be tested or hospitalized and end up becoming seriously ill and dying because they are left to wait at home (which is what they call neglect), does not occur.
Even in Switzerland, there is some anxiety about COVID-19, and of course there are people who question the government's response. However, there is no confusion like in Japan. After all, the government's announcements are based on scientific knowledge. This difference is significant.
There was a PCR testing center in one corner of the fair venue, and it seemed that people associated with brands were required to undergo testing every few days, but there was no requirement for buyers or journalists like me to be tested.
And so, I somehow managed to make it to "mask-free" Switzerland, and my first time covering a watch fair in three years began.
What has changed? In the next issue, I would like to talk about the layout of the fair venue, the characteristics of the new fair, and future prospects.
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