Having successfully pulled off the first large-scale watch fair in Switzerland since the pandemic started – and the first expanded event that included Baselworld transplants like Rolex and Patek Philippe – the organisers of Watches & Wonder will be doing it again next year. Watches & Wonders 2023 will take place in Geneva from March 27 to April 2, 2023 – though those are “provisional dates” according to the organisers.

But before that the event will take place in two cities in China. First on the tropical resort island of Hainan from October to December 2022 where it will happen simultaneously in Haikou and Sanya.

The CDF Mall in Sanya

Last year’s W&W at the West Bund Art Centre in Shanghai

Each of these respective events will be taking place in a shopping mall operated by one of the country’s two primary duty-free retailers, China Tourism Group (CTG) in Haikou and China Duty Free Group (CDF) in Sanya.

And then from November 23 to 27, W&W will move to the West Bund Art Center in Shanghai, where it took place in previous years.

Intriguingly, the announcement the 2023 event in Geneva begins with “Watches and Wonders announces… its first provisional dates for 2023”. And it omits the list of exhibiting brands.

That is perhaps a hint that next year’s event will not have the same exhibitors as this year, reflecting widely discussed tensions between the various exhibiting brands and groups.