Women’s Wear Daily reported on the media impact of Watches and Wonders, and the results are not necessarily a good sign for all watchmakers.
From the title of the (paywalled) article, we can ascertain that, according to WWD, and based on Launchmetrics data, Rolex, Cartier, and IWC dominated the conversation at 2025 Watches and Wonders.
The subtitle states, “The fair generated $53.5 million in media impact value, up 6 percent compared to 2024. Celebrities including Kim Woo-bin and Simone Ashley contributed to the increase.”
Of the $53.5 million in so-called media impact, how much of that went to Rolex, Cartier, IWC, and other large watch brands?
Based on our internal data over the years, we suspect the majority of it went to Rolex.
Rolex is the dominant market leader that bolsters the entire show. But if you’re a small independent or even a mid-sized watchmaker, is the leftover media impact worth the investment? Conventional Swiss groupthink would say “yes,” especially after investing upwards of a million plus to exhibit at that show and host retailers, media, and consumers all week.
However, we have a counterpoint. When you think about who Watches and Wonders benefits most (Rolex), and who the cost of exhibiting at Watches and Wonders impacts the least (Rolex), it becomes clearer why some of the industry’s most desirable brands, such as Omega, Audemars Piguet, and FP Journe, don’t exhibit at Watches and Wonders.
The cost in terms of paying to exhibit, for travel, food, lodging, and transportation of staff, and any guests can logically be considered too costly unless you’re Rolex, which, as mentioned above, is the one brand that the cost of the show impacts the least (because they make the most revenue, by far).
Rolex is a proponent of the in-person Swiss show, which is certainly a benefit to Switzerland, in terms of bringing revenue to Geneva, as well as promoting Swiss prestige.
However, if the benefit is so great, why does Rolex require authorized retailers to send representatives to the show? No retailer we’ve spoken to questioned this practice, and everyone we’ve spoken to seems genuinely excited to go to Watches and Wonders every year.
I’m not suggesting the show should go away.
But those who question Omega, Audemars Piguet, or FP Journe, for not attending Watches and Wonders, should perhaps think twice about how much media impact brands can generate over an entire year, by investing the million(s) in other marketing initiatives that do not vanish in one week. For some brands, the budget spent on one week at Watches and Wonders could fund proper marketing for the entire year. And let’s be honest, many watch brands already invest far too little in real marketing. Especially if we’re talking about mid-sized or small independent brands, who, like Kim Woo-bin and Simone Ashley, most US customers have probably never heard of — and spending a mill or two at Watches and Wonders, is not likely going to change that. Yet spending on carefully executed marketing campaigns, 365 days a year, can likely increase value retention more than any one week-long watch show ever will.
