In a few days’ time and under its new motto ‘Bold and Confident’, trade fair Inhorgenta will reopen its doors at Messe München. From the 16 to 19 February, visitors can admire jewellery, precious stones, and timepieces while celebrating the 50th anniversary of the trade fair together with the exhibitors. To mark this special jubilee, a few new features have been implemented that watch fans in particular will appreciate. Alongside a very special guest, Swisswatches Magazine will also make an appearance at this year’s Inhorgenta.
Hall A1 with the Salon Suisse, the Watch Boutique, the Anniversary Exhibition and the Experience Hub
In 1974, Inhorgenta was launched as the ‘First International Trade Fair for Watches, Jewellery, Gemstones and Silverware’ in Munich. With its establishment, the jewellery and watchmaking industry finally received its own trade fair within Germany and Europe. Dr Gabriele Weishäupl, press spokeswoman at the time, gave the trade fair its name. It is derived from the Latin terms for gemstone (gemma), gold (aurum), silver (argento) and the hour (hora). Since 1998, the Inhorgenta has been held at the new Munich exhibition centre and attracts numerous visitors and exhibitors. Last year, for example, there were 24,000 visitors and 802 exhibitors from 38 countries. On the occasion of its 50th anniversary, director Stefanie Mändlein introduced several innovations: Mirko Borsche redesigned the Inhorgenta logo, a new motto was adopted, and many new formats were added.
Stefanie Mändlein, Exhibition Director
With six exhibition halls, there is a lot to discover. One entire hall alone is dedicated to timepieces. At the ‘Timepieces’ Hall A1, national and international exhibitors showcase watches of all kinds and watchmaking schools provide information about career opportunities. The Salon Suisse and the Watch Boutique are also located here.
Various Swiss brands will be exhibiting in the Salon Suisse. This includes the independent Swiss family business Aero and the Epos brand, which was established in 1983 and exclusively manufactures timepieces with in-house finished mechanical movements in the Vallée de Joux. What’s more, eight brands are presented in the Watch Boutique. These include MeisterSinger, known for its one-hand watches, and the Bavarian watch manufacture Alexander Shorokhoff with its colourful timepieces. Brands from Glashütte are also represented in this area. For example, the independent family business Mühle Glashütte with its nautical timepieces and Tutima, which released the Hommage in 2011, the first wristwatch with minute repeater designed and constructed entirely in Glashütte.
Moreover, other German brands such as Junghans and Porsche Design (as of this year) will also be present with large booths. The latter will be displaying its Chronograph 1 All Black Numbered Edition, limited to 1,000 pieces per year, and Chronograph 1 Utility Limited Edition made of patented titanium carbide.
Not only will the Inhorgenta feature numerous brands, but also panels, influencer masterclasses, six special exhibitions, and an awards ceremony as part of its large supporting programme.
In the ‘Timepieces’ hall, the retrospective anniversary exhibition ‘50 Years of Inhorgenta’ retraces the trade fair’s past using archive material. 30 companies, such as E. Wilhelm and Hermann Petry, which have been part of the fair for 50 years, are contributing further items to the exhibition. These include a historic staking tool, a watchmaker’s tool with punches and stumps, and a Game of Thrones Fabergé dragon egg. There is also the ‘Eternity Exhibition’ with installations focusing on the experience of time. For example, visitors can decode an XXL Fibonacci clock or interact with a thread installation.
At the new Experience Hub, the Watch Talks will be taking place with an extended programme. 20 industry experts will discuss topics such as ‘The next generation of watchmakers’ or ‘Independent Swiss watch brands and their opportunities’. On Friday 16 February at 14:00, our editor Joern Kengelbach will host a talk with Felipe Pikullik on ‘Beyond Craftsmanship: The Future of Fine watchmaking’. He is the founder of the independent Berlin watch manufacturer of the same name and was a semi-finalist for the Louis Vuitton Watch Prize for Independent Creatives.
On Saturday afternoon, the Experience Hub will also be honouring the winners of the German Watchmaking Championships. There will also be ‘Tutting Dance’ performances on both days of the weekend. It is a street dance where particular emphasis is put on the wrists and hands through movement. This type of dancing has recently become popular on social media and was also featured in a campaign for Audemars Piguet.
Another major highlight of this year’s jewellery fair is the Inhorgenta Awards ceremony on Saturday, 17 February, at the Showpalast in Munich. The 70s-style gala event will be hosted by TV personalities Rebecca Mir and Christian Düren. On this evening, the winners of nine categories will be chosen in front of 500 guests. A jury of industry experts has nominated three finalists in each category. Amongst the members of the selection committee were the Director of Special Projects Fabergé, Sarah Fabergé, Wempe’s manager Anja Heiden, and Swisswatches Magazine founder and CEO Zurab Zazashvili.
This year’s expert jury
One of the categories is ‘Watch Design of the Year’ with its three finalists: Garmin, a brand specialising in smart and tool watches (MARQ Golfer Carbon Edition), the 2023 revival of Löbner (Rocketman Edition 50), and Porsche Design (Chronograph 1 Utility Limited Edition).
Furthermore, there is the newly introduced ‘Luxury Watch of the Year’ category for mechanical wristwatches with a retail price of 5,000 euros or more. The three nominees are the Swiss watch manufacturer Baume & Mercier (Riviera Baumatic Perpetual Calendar 50th Anniversary Edition (M0A10742)), founded in 1830, the Dresden-based Maison Lang & Heyne (Anton Manufaktur Edition), and Tutima Glashütte (Tempostopp).
Inhorgenta tickets are available on the trade fair’s website and on site.
