The prospect of a 'normal' autumn is spreading a special energy. There is a desire in the air and a new confidence in the interest that watchmaking has in an ever-widening public.
The stop due to Covid-19 has called into question the liturgy of the watchmaking world. The absence of trade fairs has led to a greater distribution of novelty launches throughout the year. With the result that new models arrive in shops almost at the same time as they are announced: a novelty that makes everyone happy, manufacturers and customers alike.
Another important fact is that the European market is regaining importance. Brands have rediscovered the local clientele and are beginning both to communicate in a way more congenial to ours and to design watches in line with European taste. And Italian.
The good news, in fact, is that the primacy of Italianness in watchmaking is returning to what it was thirty to forty years ago, thanks to collecting. The focus on vintage has led to the rediscovery of the many Italian names behind the most romantic stories in modern watchmaking and has brought the importance of our market to the fore. Watch collecting is speaking Italian again and a more refined taste is re-emerging, which prefers small dimensions and balanced, elegant dials even in the new, now chasing the success of collectors' watches.
Thus, events were also born that unite the two worlds, such as those in Vicenza in September (VO Vintage and VO'Clock), and appointments dedicated to niche watchmaking, including start-ups and independent artisans. The visibility of our world is expanding on the web, reaching new audiences. The fairs are preparing to return, with a corollary of off-site events that will perhaps provide the impetus to renew this sector too.
I would not like to venture a bold definition, but I have the feeling that we are beginning to experience a new renaissance in mechanical watchmaking.
Dody Giussani
