You've no doubt seen many reports on the wonders from last week's industry showcase in Geneva. We were delighted to host Club Members from around the world, catch up with friends in the industry, and of course try on loads of fantastic watches. You don't need any more run downs of what's new or what there was to see, so we thought we'd simply give you our highlights.

Highlights from Geneva in Spring

The Best Strawberries I've ever tasted

We hosted two groups on our trip this year and one focussed on High Horology and the more expensive end of the watch market. Seven people from around the world joined us and we thought it would be fun to eat at one of Geneva's finest restaurants on our first night. Le Micheline more than delivered, and the dessert was something called First Strawberries from Gariguette. Silence descended as we polished off the last dish of a fabulous meal.

Visiting Andersen Geneve's Atelier

We've always admired Andersen Geneve's fine timepieces and it was an honour to see where they are made. At this private space in the heart of Geneva three watchmakers make components, polish parts, and assemble the complicated movements. They can heat-blue gold, 3D print prototypes, and show clients pieces from the archive all from one spot. CEO Alex pulling open drawers to show parts and prototypes from earlier projects really brought things to life. It's the workshop where Svend Andersen and Frank Muller worked together in the 1980s, and it's a beautiful space to visit to understand the steady growth of a successful High Horology brand.

A taxi to Mullerland

High Horology brand Frank Muller stands apart from the rest of the industry as they present their novelties to the press at their campus on the outskirts of the city. As a result, few members of the media or influencers visit. The company kindly sent taxis to pick us up, gave us a tour of the novelties and explained how vertically integrated they are; making their own dials and cases themselves across Switzerland helps them produce their wide range of case shapes and finishes. We were particularly surprised by their customisation options and a client promise of never waiting more than three months for a watch. After a fabulous lunch we took a limo back to town, delighted by an invitation to return later this year.

Ginger Shots with Hermes

We love to visit Hermes and see their High Horology up close and we were not disappointed this year. Our Platinum Experience group had an appointment at the beautiful Hermes stand at Watches and Wonders early on our second day. It's a fantastic feeling to be led through to the exquisite back room, offered drinks and sat comfortably as we awaited the presentation of the watch novelties. Javier Coronado is their Head of Client Relations for Watchmaking and is warm, friendly and knowledgeable. He insisted we all get revved up with a shot of ginger, typical of this real force of nature! The new skeletonised Slim in Titanium sat on the wrist beautifully, and was one of the best but least mentioned watches of the show.

Getting bumped for an F1 Driver

We were assembling for our appointment with Bianchet when the CEO emerged from the booth to politely apologise that we couldn't have it as they were expecting brand ambassador Esteban Ocon and his family at the same time! Clearly we were disappointed, but before he left CEO Emmanuel let me try on his personal Tourbillon model. It felt fantastic on the wrist.

Meeting friends at the Chronopolis Fair

A new show debuted in Geneva last week - Chronopolis. It was a great chance to see brands we have a great relationship with such as Formex, Baltic, Studio Underdog, and Farer and catch up with their founders. In a well lit venue by the river in the City Centre, the care and detail they'd gone to were distinctive; custom exhibition stands, trendy cocktails and a happy hour each day. It was awesome to see this get off the ground. We enjoyed their party on the Thursday night, and if this year was anything to go by, it's going to be the hippest happening of the week!

Seeing the "hit" pieces of the week

Every year there are hundreds of new watches released, and every year there are some big hits with the attendees. This year it was the turn of Jaeger LeCoultre, who launched a new series of their Master Control range on integrated gold or steel bracelets. Everyone who saw it early in the week was full of praise. We have a long-standing relationship with the brand and both our groups this year enjoyed our appointment early on the Saturday at Watches and Wonders. Following an excellent tour of the busy booth, we headed to the private area and quickly got hands on with the new collection. They were indeed fantastic; interesting, well-proportioned, and the bracelet feels great. One of our groups got to see the new Minute Repeaters that only JLC's top collectors will get to see after this week.

Making deeper connections with our fellow Enthusiasts

We arrange dinners for our groups in Central Geneva to get to know each other better, share our highlights from the day, and explore the watches we brought with us. One of our Members who's come over from California three times now told me about his years in the military, and another Member who loves the Club was telling us about his new business in New York. He's doing so well he placed an order for the fantastic new Pulse60 watch from Dominique Renaud - a serious piece of watchmaking.

Surprising Moments with brands

While we work hard on the schedule during our time in Geneva, filling each day with carefully balanced itineraries, sometimes it's the unexpected moments that are most memorable. We were with Chronoswiss as one of our Members is a big collector. Their Head of Sales started the process of explaining their latest release, which includes a special enamel technique on the dial. He stopped and suddenly said "come with me". He took us out of the booth, down a corridor and outside the show! We stood in a yard where people were loading food and drink for the cafes as he showed us the fantastic enamel dial in the sunlight. It was a fun departure from the rest of the appointments and made his case very well. Heading back inside we were all really engaged to see the rest of the new pieces and even a delightful box of their Certified Pre-owned watches. One of the group saw one he'd been looking for for ages, and might just make it his.

Enjoying all that Geneva has to offer

As well as the five separately organised watch shows taking place last week - Watches and Wonders, Time to Watches, Chronopolis, AHCI, and the newly branded Art of Horology at the Beau Rivage hotel, there is even more going on around the city. We were able to help our groups make the most of it, including an appointment at the Patek Philippe Rare Handicrafts exhibition for the Gold Experience group. We visited the Universale Geneve popup and the M.A.D Gallery. At Lunch next to the lake at the Breitling café or the beers on the Quai Des Bergues with live music, it's relaxing to take a break and just soak up the buzz.

Conclusion

We were delighted to host our Members for third year in a row. For us as Club Founders, nothing beats helping get hands on with a fantastic new timepiece they might want to own. These Experiences are one of the best things we do at The Watch Collectors' Club, meeting new collectors from around the world and helping them make the best of a very busy time in Geneva. Whether it's comparing Daniel Roth case sizes at dinner or or exploring the oil-filled watches at the Sinn booth, we can't wait for you to join us on our next Experience.