The fair comes at a pivotal moment for Switzerland, as midway through its run the country’s lawmakers voted to preserve neutrality amid bubbling tensions between the West and Russia over Ukraine. Meanwhile Swiss banks will henceforth face tighter regulation in the wake of UBS’s takeover of Credit Suisse, after the latter’s collapse last year.

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“When we see the traffic, we don’t feel a slowdown at Watches and Wonders,” Humair observed, noting a 20 per cent increase in first-day visitors compared to last year. “Each brand has its own strategy but it’s exciting in terms of creativity. It’s very dynamic – especially when there is a difficult period, events like Watches and Wonders Geneva are really necessary.”

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It is, of course, brands showcasing creativity that is the main draw for the fair. Intricacies abounded as houses like Jaeger-LeCoultre, IWC Schaffhausen and Vacheron Constantin made complications a key theme for their releases this year. Still other maisons, like Cartier, Chanel and Van Cleef & Arpels, released stunning jewellery pieces as well as métiers d’arts masterpieces.

It seems with every passing year, expectations are pushed ever-higher for the craftsmanship that brands can showcase. “Our clients and watch enthusiasts are deeply fascinated by the world of fine watchmaking and the rich history of horology,” said a representative from Jaeger-LeCoultre, as the brand revisited the double gear-train Duometre with a moonphase, chronograph and the show-stopping Heliotourbillon Perpetual. “We take great joy in sharing our extensive expertise with our valued patrons.”

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Rolex updated their Sky-Dweller collection with precious metals, and added new dial varieties to the celebrated Day-Date 36 and 40. It also issued the Deepsea, a gold dive watch rated to no less than 3,900 metres, and added a platinum piece with ice-blue guilloche dial to the 1908 collection, that was launched in 2023.

In this vein, we saw Tudor listen to its fans in releasing the Black Bay 58 GMT with a cola-coloured gilt bezel variant. A. Lange & Söhne revisited its Datograph line with a new perpetual calendar. Panerai dived back into the Submersible line alongside sailing team Luna Rossa to give the Tourbillon GMT Luna Rossa Experience Edition in carbon fibre, limited to just 20 pieces. Grand Seiko cast fresh light on the previously night-inspired dial of its 2022 hit the Kodo Constant-Force Tourbillon.

Patek Philippe’s most notable release may just be its reference 5330G, a world timer launched as a limited edition at the brand’s “Watch Art” exhibition in Tokyo last year. For easy time-setting across cities, the pushers synchronise the date with the hours across time zones, especially useful if the wearer has crossed the International Date Line. For those craving something more intricate, the brand has revived the Retrograde Perpetual Calendar Rare Handcrafts reference 5160/500R-001, also featuring a moonphase and elaborate engraving on the dial and rose gold case.

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Every year, there is an overwhelming amount of creativity and innovation to take in at Watches and Wonders, and thankfully fairgoers continue to show they are here for it, which bodes well for the industry this year. “The energy is here,” Humair concluded, “and we can be confident for the watchmaking industry in the year to come.”