My First Watches and Wonders: A Fever Dream of Horology

Last Saturday evening, I caught up with a friend over coffee after a long time. Having seen the barrage of watch photos on my Instagram stories, she was curious about my trip to Switzerland for Watches and Wonders 2025. I tried to provide her with a detailed day-by-day rundown, but as I sifted through the rush of meetings, interviews, and an overdose of horology, the days just blurred in my mind. The entire experience felt like a fever dream, fuelled by copious amounts of Coke Zero and caffeine. In fact, I even coined the term 'coffee and croissant lag' to describe my withdrawal from the endless rounds of coffee and croissants in Geneva. Call it an unusual post-European holiday symptom that, so far, doesn’t seem to have a listing online! 

After our conversation, I felt compelled to share my experience for those who missed the frenzy of the fair. Attending Watches and Wonders in Geneva for the first time was everything I had hoped for, and more. After a 14-hour journey from Mumbai, fuelled by adrenaline, caffeine, and Charli XCX’s Brat on repeat, Switzerland’s picturesque landscape kept me wide awake on the drive to the hotel.

Stepping into Palexpo, I was overcome by a surge of emotions so intense that it bordered on nausea. But, as my colleague Sukriti and I made our way inside, a sense of calm settled in. There’s something hypnotic about Palexpo’s atmosphere. Even after hours of walking, conversations, and touch-and-feel sessions, I couldn’t get enough! Months of preparation — appointments, interviews, and planning — had gone into these five days at the gala. Yet, no amount of pre-event strategy could have prepared me for the sheer excitement of the fair. The massive scale of the venue itself was something to admire — individual booths mirrored expansive flagship boutiques, with some even covering multiple floors.The visual overload was dizzying, yet oddly grounding. 

Our first presentation was with H. Moser & Cie., and from the moment it began, I knew the next few days would be defined by this singular, elusive feeling — one that, even as a writer, I struggle to articulate. Holding the first of the 18 new references from the Moser Pop Collection, the sensation was almost tangible, yet impossible to pin down. It is like watching warm butter melt into hot toast or experiencing the final dream sequence from La La Land, where you start to believe Sebastian and Mia might end up together.

Granted, these are deeply personal references, ones only my closest friends would truly understand. But isn’t that the essence of watch collecting? A love for horology is profoundly personal, shaped by specific emotions and memories. Over the next few days, I found myself chasing these emotions, again and again, through every booth, every presentation, and every interview.

From the frenetic days of covering Watches and Wonders for GMT India, a few moments emerge with remarkable clarity. Take the much-anticipated Cartier presentation, where we were able to experience the dazzling Baignoires, the compact Santos iterations, and the spectacular Tank à Guichets. Not to mention the dainty Tank that Paul Mescal wore to the Academy Museum Gala last year. 

I vaguely remember rushing to our presentation at Van Cleef & Arpels, and to call the novelties stunning would be an understatement. As a former Literature major, I completely understand why the Maison named the collection Poetry of Time; each piece possesses an ineffable charm, reminiscent of 18th-century sonnets in its artistry and elegance.

Chanel’s take on horology has always fascinated me, but this year, the brand exceeded expectations. Blending elements of fashion and beauty, it crafted extraordinary timepieces, including a watch discreetly nestled inside a pendant shaped like a Chanel lipstick. Impossible, right? Yet there it was!

I also recall carrying a bottle of Coke Zero in my bag, sipping it instead of water. Perhaps that’s why the entire experience now feels like a fever dream…

Rolex and TAG Heuer presentations offered us a particularly exhilarating experience. My personal favourites from Rolex were the OPs in pastel colours — trust me when I say this, they look even more breathtaking up close. As for TAG Heuer, I’ve come to love the brand, mostly because of Ryan Gosling. But the recent launches have stood out because of the brand’s unwavering focus on heritage. Sporting a contemporary look and feel, the new Formula 1 Solargraph models pay homage to the original 1986 collection. This launch marked a refreshing shift from the brand’s recent focus on premium luxury and high jewellery timepieces, such as the diamond-studded Carreras unveiled at the LVMH Watch Week earlier this year. 

What’s more, the F1-themed booth added a playful twist to the whole experience. It had a cocktail hour during which people were testing out the F1 simulator. My driving skills, or lack of them, were on full display (you can see why I don’t have a driving licence yet). For me, the real fun wasn’t in precision driving; it was in gleefully crashing the car.

At the Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso Discovery Workshop, Sukriti and I delved into the technical aspects of the model; we were also shown how to assemble the movement of a Reverso. This was a surreal experience, especially for someone as obsessed with the Reverso as I am. Now, with a certificate proving I can assemble its movement, I feel ready to take on the horological world.

Visiting La Fabrique du Temps, Louis Vuitton’s watch Manufacture, was part of our schedule too. ​​It all started with the Les Cabinotiers, where the cases and components of movements are produced for Louis Vuitton, Gerald Genta, and Daniel Roth timepieces. La Fabrique du Temps is where the final assembly of watch components takes place. After touring both facilities, I got an opportunity to interact with La Fabrique du Temps' Artistic Director Matthieu Hegi and Master Watchmaker Michel Navas, and talk about their inspirations, challenges, and vision for the future of all three brands.

I also had the privilege of interviewing some of the industry’s most influential figures, each bringing a distinct perspective to watchmaking. IWC’s dynamic CEO Christoph Grainger-Herr offered insights into the brand’s innovative direction; Arnaud Chastaingt, Director of the Chanel Watchmaking Studio, left me speechless with his creative vision; and Fabrizio Buonamassa Stigliani, Bvlgari’s Product Creation Executive Director, made the art of designing record-breaking watches seem almost effortless.

Needless to say, Watches and Wonders is more than just a showcase; it’s an immersive experience where horology meets artistry. It’s like walking through the Louvre and not only admiring the masterpieces but actually sitting down with Michelangelo, Vermeer, and da Vinci to understand their craft. The fair has that same surreal magic; it offers watch journalists the chance to engage with the visionaries behind extraordinary timepieces.

On the gala sidelines, I met Brynn Wallner, aka Dimepiece, and Danar Widanarto or Chronondo as well. Wallner is just as cool and amazing in person as she is online. Delightfully witty, Chronodo showed us how to mix horology with humour. 

Reuniting with my colleague Rajrupa, who started this journey with me back in 2022, provided me with a moment of reflection. We reminisced about our naiveté at that time, neither of us could have imagined that a few years later, we’d be in Geneva together, casually using ‘tourbillon’ in everyday conversations. This made me realise a crucial fact about W&W ― while the watches are undoubtedly the stars of the show, it’s the people who make the experience truly special.

By Day 4, the rush of the fair had settled into a familiar rhythm. Therefore, we decided to step away for a quiet evening in the city. Strolling along Quai du Mont-Blanc, we found ourselves at a lakeside café opposite the Beau-Rivage Hotel. Over paninis, pizza, crêpes, and some good ol’ Coca-Cola, the exhaustion finally caught up with us. However, our conversations revolving around horology didn’t stop. 

As a journalist covering horology from a distance, I’ve often felt like a spectator, watching from the sidelines. At Watches and Wonders, something shifted. I wasn’t just observing, I was living the story. The fair has a way of making you feel like an active participant in the industry.

While I search for a cure for my ‘croissant lag’ in the days ahead, I know nothing will quite match the adrenaline of my first Watches and Wonders experience. It was a fever dream; I wouldn’t mind reliving it every year!

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