Are we pumped for SIHH 2018 yet? Just like the “holiday shopping season” and beginning around the same time, it seems like the new-product announcements get earlier every year. With still more than a month to go, the 2018 models that we will get to see in Geneva in January have already started coming in. The Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie (SIHH) watch industry trade show, just like its organizing body the Fondation de la Haute Horlogerie (FHH), has continued to grow and evolve each year, adding more brands as well as a day where the show is open to the public for the first time in 2017 – this time around, it will be Friday, January 19th, 2018. Now with a total of 35 brands, SIHH 2018 promises even more variety than in previous years.

You already know that SIHH is one of the two most important events for the watch industry, as its exhibitors – while much fewer than at the biggest industry trade show, Baselworld – represent many major and influential brands, and this is the time of year when they introduce their most important new products. Vis-à-vis Baselworld – where around 300 brands represent the breadth of the watch industry from high-end and mainstream to obscure startups – SIHH has always carefully maintained an image of exclusivity and “prestige.”

Of course, it would be cruel to show you pictures and tell you about this watch’s amazing sound without a movie to allow you to hear it, so do play with the video over to hear it for yourself. The second repeater complication is often regarded as one of the most difficult and… well, complicated to create – so imagine how difficult it’s to create one from scratch. The next issue to remember is that Audemars Piguet Watch Winder Setting didn’t only wish to produce a new minute repeater watch, they desired to make one which would be the best.Now, the “greatest” for Audemars Piguet signifies their attempting to make the most clear and crisp sound of any minute repeater. The newest points to three accomplishments demonstrated in this watch, which I shall briefly run through. First, the unique preparation of the steel used to create the gong arrangement makes it possible for the watchmakers to more accurately and easily correct and hone the pitch, tone, and harmony of the second repeater. Second, the way the case is built reduces sound absorption and maximizes amplification. I will examine this “soundboard” technique more a little bit later on. Finally, the striking regulator is redesigned so that the anchor system acts as a shock absorber, minimizing shock noise.One of the most important components of a minute repeater watch is that the case since it’s responsible for amplifying the sound. It’s frequently said that gold is the best material for the job as it generates a richer sound, but the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Concept Supersonnerie Tourbillon Chronograph watch opts for titanium. Titanium is a very light and strong metal, and its low density enables sound to pass through with less resistance. If you have any doubts about that, you just need to check at exotic supercars and their titanium exhausts. Titanium is also used elsewhere around the watch to enhance the quality of the sound, but more on this later.

So, while a few brands do introduce models in the “mid-level luxury” range that the average person might be able to consider saving up for and possibly actually wearing… you can expect a lot of skeletonization, avant-garde designs, artisanal techniques and haute horology finishing, “high complications,” precious materials, and stratospheric prices. Haute horlogerie is in the name, after all. It has largely been a spectator’s show for fans of high-end watchmaking, but with recent industry trends emphasizing more “down-to-earth” (it’s all relative) models, some balance and variety can at least be hoped for.

SIHH 2018’s 35 Exhibiting Brands

The Richemont Group along with some independent brands long represented the handful of SIHH exhibitors. However, the show’s 2016 edition added a “Carré des Horlogers” section with nine “artisan-creators and independent workshops” and expanded that number in 2017. This year, the Carré des Horlogers brands are up to no fewer than 17, with the primary exhibitors (referred to as “Historic Maisons”) at 18 for a total, again, of 35. The primary exhibitors are joined by Hermes, and the Carré des Horlogers adds five brands with Armin Strom, DeWitt, Ferdinand Berthoud, Élégante by F.P.Journe, and Romain Gauthier. See the full list of exhibitors in the image above.

From a media perspective, Baselworld has tended to spread our resources very thinly in past years with simply too much to cover at once, so with some prominent brands having moved from Baselworld to SIHH, we can hope for some balance between the shows. Around 20,000 visitors are expected this year, and the FHH promises improved facilities and connectivity in order to make our job of bringing you high quality content more efficient – so we’ll see what that’s like in January. That’s just a glimpse into our point of view in preparing for the show.

We’ll continue providing news of new products ahead of the show – if mostly only renders and official product images from the brands with basic information before being able to see the watches in person to photograph and evaluate them in their glorious and gritty reality. SIHH 2018 runs from January 15th to the 19th, and again, the last day is open to the public with tickets on sale at the SIHH website. sihh.org