This year I attended the Genève Watch Days, now in its fourth edition, as a passionate watch enthusiast. Not being a journalist, blogger, or influencer — just someone who takes a few photos when the opportunity arises — I felt a strong need to reconnect with the world of watchmaking, which I had been missing.
So, I signed up for the event and set off to one of my favorite cities with all my bags in tow. In addition to the Geneva Watch Days other visits and reports awaited me, making it clear that renting a room was the best option for a longer stay in Switzerland. This aspect of the GWD began to win me over even before the event commenced. Enjoying the city while enjoying the event.
On Thursday, August 29th, I left my room in the Eaux-Vives, walked down to the train station area and entered the beautiful Parc La Grange, gifted to the city of Geneva by William Favre in 1918. I exited through the gate by Lake Geneva and caught the boat to the other side. For nearly 40 years, I’ve started my days by crossing a river and now I was beginning another one by crossing a lake.
The familiar sensation of the cool morning breeze, accompanied by the gentle rippling of the water under a sun that threatened to reach 30ºC, brought me a tranquility that sharply contrasted with the constant slight tension caused by other events often on a hotel/bus to place/hotel kind of routine. Enjoying the city this way was simply wonderful. For the first time I was in control of my own pace and schedule.
With that in mind it was still too early to dive into activities. I hadn’t yet consumed the necessary amount of caffeine — an issue not unrelated to the fact that each ristretto in Geneva costs 4.5€, compared to just 80 cents in Lisbon! It was time to head to the Watch Box space, located across the street from the Beau Rivage hotel, in hopes of finding a coffee. The setup for the exhibition space was still underway which reassured me that I wasn’t the only one still waking up.
I managed to get my coffee, which I savored in the outdoor area facing the lake, along with a cigarette. I glanced inside the nearly empty Watch Box space, where only the excellent Jean-Christophe Babin, CEO of Bulgari, was giving a morning interview.
Feeling more alert and focused, I was introduced to Martine Depresle, co-founder of the Watch Library Foundation.
At this point, I’d like to pause my account of the Genève Watch Days 2024
SERGE MAILLARD, MARTINE DEPRESLE AND JOËL A. GRANDJEAN DURING THE WATCH LIBRARY PROJECT PRESENTATION.
All of us who love watches — or, more broadly, appreciate watchmaking — understand the importance of memory, tradition, and the preservation of centuries-old savoir-faire. This is precisely the mission of the Watch Library Foundation. It is a monumental project aimed at preserving watchmaking history through the digitization and online availability of extensive information gathered from museums, brands, institutions, retailers, the press and more.
It made perfect sense that a few days later, in the Glass Box space, a conference was held featuring Serge Maillard, editor of Europa Star and Chair of the Foundation Board of the Watch Library; Joël A. Grandjean, editor of the Journal Suisse d'Horlogerie; and Martine Depresle herself.
Both Europa Star, since 1927, and the Journal Suisse d'Horlogerie, since 1828, are true bastions of watch information and culture, with vast historical archives. They were among the institutions that immediately made their archives available for digitalisation and free consultation through the Watch Library platform.
I wanted to emphasise this point because, as my adventure companion says, “we need to gain a little altitude sometimes.” The work being done by the Watch Library team, with the continuous expansion of available information, is an invaluable resource for free access to the watchmaking community.
I highly recommend visiting the Foundation’s website and, as Martine Depresle suggested, start by searching for the year of your birth. It's a good first dive into the 600.000 items from the partners archives.
Hats off to this wonderful project.
