China Duty Free Group, a subsidiary of China Tourism Group, will host a series of elegant events over the ensuing three months, featuring 14 luxury watch brands.
Watches & Wonders will feature new product launches; insightful lectures from watchmaking professionals; workshop experiences and a watch appreciation salon open to the public.
Pop-up stores from 12 of the brands will be featured in a dedicated exhibition area at the Sanya International Duty Free Shopping Complex – the world’s largest single duty free shopping arena – providing visitors with a “complete and immersive experience”, CDFG pledged. Additionally, Cartier and Hermès will welcome visitors to their boutiques located within the duty free shopping complex.
The exhibition is open to consumers, collectors, watchmakers and watch enthusiasts. The personalised area will be set up for the participating brands within two giant tents facing the main entrance to the shopping complex. The bright and open exhibition space will facilitate communication and interaction between participating brands and the public, CDFG said.
[Click on the YouTube icon to watch a short film on the last year’s Watches and Wonders Sanya]
“We are very happy to hold this new edition of Watches and Wonders taking place in Sanya under the aegis of the Fondation de la Haute Horlogerie,” said CDFG President Charles Chen. “I would like to thank the province of Hainan and the city of Sanya for their unfailing support for China Duty Free Group. This new collaboration between the China Duty Free Group and Watches and Wonders reflects the vitality of the market in Hainan.
“To meet the specific requirements of VIP and specialist customers, extremely rare, exceptional products plus a large number of mid-range products will be exhibited to offer visitors a marvellous visual impression and an impressive experience this year.
“The event enhances the opening of the China Duty Free Group and the Hainan Free Trade Port to the international market. It also signals a new outlook for the duty free retail market in terms of the ‘three synchronisations’ of brands, categories and prices, ensuring we stay in sync with international markets,” Chen added. “Finally, it helps to confirm Hainan’s reputation as a major international tourism and shopping destination.”
Fondation de la Haute Horlogerie President Emmanuel Perrin said: “We are greatly honoured to renew this initiative with China Duty Free Group, which enables us to showcase our expertise through the presentation of exceptional timepieces and watchmaking knowhow for the second consecutive year. More than an event, it is also a real immersive journey for all amateurs and those with a passion for fine watchmaking.”
A three-month immersive experience into the fine watchmaking world
Consumers, domestic media and industry representatives will take the lead in enjoying the new watches and exceptional timepieces from the participating brands during the VIP visiting period from 28 to 30 September.
Watches and Wonders Sanya Fine Watch Exhibition will then be officially opened to the public during the National Day Golden Week (1-7 October), a peak Chinese holiday period. They will be able to explore fine watch masterpieces, communicate face-to-face with the brands, and enjoy the elegance and craft of fine watchmaking. This programme will continue until 31 December.
During the exhibition, visitors can experience a variety of activities, including learning about the art of fine watchmaking through a series of skilled demonstrations by watchmakers. Consumers will be able to discover the latest trends in the timepiece industry and discover the history of classic watches and the complex functions of some of the world’s most famous models.
The participating brands will also organise a range of spectacular activities to highlight their new editions. Baume & Mercier brings two Clifton series works to the exhibition, which will be launched firstly in Asia and China, respectively. Cartier will be paying tribute to its watchmaking heritage, expertise and creativity through some dazzling animations. Hermès will unveil the all-new Slim d’Hermès Squelette Lune as well as jewellery pieces from the Arceau line.
IWC, as part of its partnership with the world’s first racing series for flying electric cars, will be exhibiting the famous Airspeeder model in the middle of the Esplanade. Roger Dubuis plans to thrill visitors with a Lamborghini car on display.
Ulysse Nardin, with its Vertical Odyssey, will take visitors on a unique voyage where sea meets sky and Jaeger-Lecoultre will guide people back to the past and celebrate the 90th anniversary of the release of the Reverso series with its specific decorative art style.
Moser & Cie. will be presenting its Streamliner Perpetual Calendar model as a world premiere. And Panerai will offer centre stage to its timepieces built to cope with the most extreme situations.
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