Oris sets the right tone during Watches and Wonders

Grand Seiko focused on two models this year — the Tentagraph and the special Majestic White Birch — but also had other watches to show (more soon on Fratello). The Tentagraph is the brand’s first fully in-house-developed all-mechanical chronograph movement. Grand Seiko has established an impressive position within the (Swiss) watch industry, competing with different high-end brands on a very serious level. Although it’s tough to beat last year’s Kodo Constant-Force Tourbillon, this year, Grand Seiko showed that it has a strong collection around the €10K price point.

Far above that price point was the new Majestic White Birch, pictured above. This 38.5mm platinum watch has been engraved completely by hand in the Micro Artist Studio in Shiojiri, where Credor best swiss watches replica also come to life.

I could write another few hundred words covering other brands, but I’ll wrap it up with Oris as a prime example of positivity. The brand’s booth was incredibly welcoming, just as it was last year. All watches, including those under embargo for later this year, were accessible and visible to all visitors. The CEO Rolf Studer was walking around and was very talkative with everyone. I liked how he took the time to mingle and share thoughts and ideas. And this applied to almost all of the Oris representatives. They very evidently had a good time in the booth, talking about watches with the press, retailers, and collectors.

The ProPilot X Kermit was a talking piece for sure, but Oris also had enough other things to show. However, the point I am trying to make is not about the new collection but about how Oris approached the Watches and Wonders exhibition. The brand was very open and welcoming and was an example to some others who presented watches like they were working on a conveyor belt. I understand there’s a lot of stress, and we had our fair share too, but if a brand can be more relaxed during these presentations, the watches and the brand’s message will be better received. Luckily, “robotic” brands were in the minority this year, and the spirit was good overall.

A very hopeful 2023
Despite the critical notes, Watches and Wonders 2023 gave me a very positive feeling overall. This makes me quite hopeful for the rest of the year when it comes to replica luxury watches. We saw some really good things and have not been led by hype. Some of the most common questions I received during Watches and Wonders 2023, though, were whether Omega would do something as well and why the brand wasn’t taking part in the show.

To be honest, I think that Watches and Wonders would be very helpful for Omega, Glashütte Original, Blancpain, Breguet, and Jaquet Droz to get the news out. Or they could at least do something similar to Watches and Wonders themselves. Up to this point, the silence from some of these brands has been deafening. Let’s hope that this will change in the coming months. Breitling and Audemars Piguet, for example, did their own events on different dates and received their fair share of exposure before the Watches and Wonders exhibition.

I was very curious to see how retailers would respond to this year’s Watches and Wonders. It has not been easy in the last months for some of them, and with several countries in a state of crisis, consumers immediately respond by not spending their hard-earned money. Retailers know like no other what the status is since they are confronted with the hard facts every day. From what I’ve seen and heard, the retailers were very positive, and brands took many orders from them.