Watch Time New York is set for this weekend at Gotham Hall in midtown.
Watch collectors are making a pilgrimage to the big city this weekend for the sixth edition of Watch Time New York, a collectors’ event that puts 28 luxury brands in the room at Gotham Hall. There will be product launches, watchmaking demonstrations, panel discussions and a Friday night cocktail party (which is already sold out). Tickets cost just $30 for a Saturday or Sunday day pass.
Twenty-eight brands will be on hand to show the latest models.
Brands on the roster include A. Lange & Söhne, Carl F. Bucherer, Bell & Ross, Chopard, Grand Seiko, Montblanc, Blancpain, Bovet, MeisterSinger, Arnold and Son, Zenith and Oris. Short of spending a weekend trudging up and down Madison Avenue and across 57th Street in Manhattan, WTNY represents a rare opportunity for collectors to get up close and personal with some of the year’s best introductions, all in one room. They’ll get to see limited editions and new works by exhibitors, including celebrated independent watchmakers – Greubel Forsey, Laurent Ferrier and MB&F will be there. It’s also a chance to rub shoulders with the heads of those companies.
Actor and watch lover Aldis Hodge will be on hand to participate in panel discussions.
Saturday’s panel discussions include “Is this 2019 all over again, or have things changed?” moderated by noted collector Jeff Kingston, and “What is a woman’s watch in 2021?” moderated by Sara Orlando, publisher of Watch Time magazine, which hosts the event. Sunday’s panels include “Brand x brand: the power of collaborations,” moderated by Watch Time editor Roger Ruegger, and “Why is steel so hot and is this going to continue,” moderated by Jeff Kingston.
Watch Time New York will also feature independent brands, including F.P. Journe and MB&F.
There will be live watchmaking demonstrations offered by premier watchmakers Breguet and Grand Seiko, and for the first time, on-site timepiece authentications and evaluations by pre-owned watch purveyors eBay and WatchBox. Above all, the event serves as a venue for face-to-face connections among collectors – a place to gang together for wrist shots – that will be extra intense this year due to pent up desire after missing a year because of Covid. Speaking of which, like most events these days, you’ll have to show proof of vaccination to attend.