But with support from the Swiss-based Fondation Haute Horlogerie (FHH), more traditional, independent, and high-end watch brands are making the trip to Munich and the Messe München exhibit space. Executives from Swiss brands Piaget, Oris, Armin Strom, and the head of the timepieces division at Richemont’s Montblanc Minerva made appearances at Inhorgenta this year. Swiss companies and brands, including Doxa, Ebel, Favre Leuba, and Maurice Lacroix, as well as U.K.-based Fears and high-end German marques Tutima Glasshütte and Junghans, were peppered among the fashion brand watches from Adidas, Guess, Emporio Armani, and Fossil on the trade show floor.
While watch brands are feeling the pinch of a general downturn in demand, there’s also been a shift in how pricey timepieces are being sold. Many of the biggest maisons, Audemars Piguet is a prime example, have been shifting retail sales to their own in-house store boutiques. That’s leaving a product gap for many traditional jewelry retailers looking to sell watches to clients to complement their jewelry offerings.
