What to Do During Watches and Wonders Week in Geneva?

One week, two stages

The salon is the centre of gravity of the week, but not its only address. At Palexpo, the houses present their new creations; in the centre, In The City extends the salon for everyone. The table below sets out the key points; the detailed 2027 programme is published by the organiser over the months.

At the salon: new creations and the crafts

At Palexpo, each house presents the year's creations in its own space. Beyond the showcases, the salon brings the crafts into view: artisans' demonstrations, spaces devoted to innovation and to passing on skills, workshops for younger visitors. Half a day is not too much for the crafts alone.

During the public weekend, the salon is often very busy: arriving at opening time, or keeping the Sunday, lets you return to a showcase without hurrying. We compose this rhythm with you, breaks included.

In The City: watchmaking in the streets of Geneva

With In The City, the salon comes into town. In 2026 the programme brought together the houses' boutiques, which held presentations and events; a village of the watchmaking crafts beside the Rhône, with demonstrations and introductory workshops; guided tours of the city's watchmaking heritage; talks devoted to time; and, every evening, concerts on the quays with a Swiss jazz festival. Much of it was free and open to all.

For 2027, the organiser announces a programme expanded to seven days, combining artistic crafts, training, demonstrations and workshops. It is often the heart of the week for those without a professional invitation: here you meet the gestures before the objects.

Geneva, a city of watchmaking

Watchmaking has been part of Geneva's history for several centuries, and the city still bears its traces: old workshops, artisans' districts, museums and collections. The guided tours of the watchmaking heritage offered during the week give a lively reading of it; the city's museums, including the Musée d'art et d'histoire, extend it, cited for illustration. Their exhibitions and opening hours are checked for each edition.

Some houses and collections organise visits or presentations reserved for their guests during the week. We request private visits where possible, subject to availability, without guarantee.

Dinners, receptions, evenings

In the evening, the week takes on another face: dinners given by the houses for their clients and retailers, private receptions in the hotels on the quays, concerts by the water. Dinners and receptions are generally held by invitation. We pass on requests where possible, after reviewing the client's profile, without any guarantee, and tell you early what is realistic.

When no invitation comes, we create the evening: a private salon, a house rented beside the lake for entertaining, a table held facing the harbour, a chef and a sommelier, discreet security. The fine tables of Geneva and the shores of Lake Geneva are booked early for the week.

A typical week, day by day

An indicative example, to be adapted to your dates and your type of access: arrival on Wednesday 7 April, In The City and boutiques in the afternoon; on the Thursday, a watchmaking heritage tour, lunch beside the lake, a private dinner; the salon on Friday 9, as the public weekend opens; workshops and museums on the Saturday, with a last dinner; departure on the Sunday. If a house has invited you during the professional days, we bring the week forward accordingly. Each day keeps a quiet moment: beside the lake, at the hotel spa, or on foot in the old town.

Our guide How to Attend Watches and Wonders in Geneva? clarifies what each type of access allows, and our guide Where to Stay During Watches and Wonders in Geneva? helps you choose the address that makes this week flow.