Watches and Wonders Geneva 2026: Montreux Jazz Sets the Tempo in the City

The 2026 edition of Watches and Wonders Geneva will kick off on April 14. More than 6,000 retailers, 1,600 international journalists, and some 1,500 guests from around the world are expected to attend this major watchmaking event. As every year, Watches and Wonders Geneva, which will open its ticket office on February 10 on its website, promises a total immersion in the innovation and expertise of watch brands, both at Palexpo and in the city center. For the occasion, Geneva's famous flower clock will be decked out in the colors of the show.

Among the major new features is the unprecedented participation of the Montreux Jazz Festival with a brand new 600-square-meter space in the heart of the city, Quai Général-Guisan. Just like the bustling streets of Milan during the Salone del Mobile, the Montreux Jazz Festival will bring the city on the lake to life in the evenings with a music program from 5 p.m. to 11 p.m., including DJ sets and live performances. The closing night on Thursday evening will still take place, but no names have been announced yet.

Another eagerly awaited event is the grand return of Audemars Piguet, announced on September 23, which, after leaving the show in September 2018, will regain its place in the aisles of Palexpo. Led for the past two years by Ilaria Resta, the famous Le Brassus-based manufacturer invited the press to a pre-show event on Tuesday, February 3, as part of the “AP Social Club,” to present its new watches for 2026. The brand has announced its intention to open its space to all watch enthusiasts and allow Watches and Wonders visitors free access to its stand.

At the same time, ten new brands will join the space dedicated to independent artisan-creators (between the Carré des Horlogers and the Mezzanine): Behrens, Bianchet, B.R.M, Chronographes, Charles Girardier, Corum, Credor, Favre Leuba, March LA.B, and Sinn Spezialuhren will bring the total number of exhibiting brands to 66. H. Moser & Cie. and Frédérique Constant will be moving to larger stands.

“The 2026 edition of Watches and Wonders Geneva marks a turning point in our desire to set Geneva as a leading destination. Our ambition is to offer a genuine city-wide cultural program that goes beyond the Salon. We want to provide visitors of all generations with a rewarding, entertaining, and diverse experience”, said Matthieu Humair, CEO of the Watches and Wonders Geneva Foundation, in a press release on September 23.

This year, the In The City program will also be expanded: the Watchmaking Village will be located in the Pont de la Machine building, where introductory watchmaking workshops, presentations of watchmaking professions and industries, and other watchmaking initiatives will be available to discover on site. It will be the starting point for various guided tours of the city. In addition, the tent will move to the left bank to take on a new dimension.

Finally, the cultural dimension will be complemented by the Wake Up! exhibition, offering an immersion into the history and uses of the alarm clock, from the Middle Ages to the present day, through clockmaking objects, watches, clocks, and graphic works from the collections of the Geneva Museum of Art and History (MAH). More than fifty pieces will be on display.