Each spring, Watches and Wonders Geneva becomes the epicentre of the fine watchmaking world — gathering the most prestigious maisons under one roof at Palexpo to unveil their latest creations. But Geneva’s horological heartbeat doesn’t stop there. Alongside the main fair, other salons open their doors, offering complementary perspectives on craftsmanship, creativity, and innovation.
More focused in scale, Time to Watches and Haute Jewels showcased brands that champion creative design, traditional craftsmanship, and mechanical innovation. Together, they revealed another side of Geneva’s watchmaking week — one where individuality and artistry took centre stage.
At the InterContinental Hotel, Haute Jewels offered a glittering alternative to the technical dominance of Palexpo. Traditionally centred on exceptional jewellery, the event has increasingly welcomed horological creations where gem-setting and mechanical craft intertwine.
Renowned for its invisible gemstone settings and poetic interpretations of nature, Stenzhorn — founded in Germany in 1979 — captivated visitors with a refined creation: a mechanical clock disguised as a dreamlike sculpture. The Butterfly Clock is a dazzling piece where delicate rose-gold branches, quartz flowers, and multicoloured butterflies in rubies, pink sapphires, and diamonds frame a subtle time display. A pear-shaped diamond glides around a mother-of-pearl ring, marking the hours without the formality of traditional hands. Resting on an onyx base, the piece merges the fantasy of jewellery with discreet, almost hidden, timekeeping.
Dolce & Gabbana also drew attention with its move into fine watchmaking through its Manifattura Italiana project. At Haute Jewels Geneva, the brand presented the Roma watch, an elegant tribute to Italy’s historic piazza clocks, interpreted through the lens of contemporary luxury. Crafted in 18K pink gold, the watch features a mother-of-pearl dial crowned with a fantasy-cut gemstone, while a black diamond crowns the winding stem — a bold decorative signature. Powered by the DG 01.01 calibre, developed entirely in-house, the Roma favours classical simplicity, offering small seconds at six o’clock and a 58-hour power reserve. It embodies a Roman spirit of design: rich, structured, and timeless.
At Villa Sarasin, Time to Watches gathered independent voices under one roof, celebrating new ideas and métiers d’art with a different energy. Here, creativity was measured not by complication alone, but by originality of vision.
Among the highlights was Geneva-based TAOS, founded in 2019 by master artisan Olivier Vaucher. Before establishing his brand, Vaucher spent decades crafting exceptional dials for names such as Patek Philippe, Cartier, and Hermès through his independent Geneva atelier. At Time to Watches, TAOS highlighted its dedication to decorative storytelling with two standout pieces: Savile Row and Dentelle. Savile Row mimics the precision of London’s famous tailoring district, its dial created through more than 20 successive layers of transparent enamel fired over a finely hand-engraved gold base. The result is astonishing — a living, luminous surface where every piece is unique. Dentelle, inspired by Switzerland’s lace-making traditions, reveals a fine silver mesh hidden beneath translucent enamel, evoking the ethereal beauty of Saint-Gall lace.
Both watches are powered by the VOP318 automatic calibre — developed in collaboration with Télôs Watch, a Swiss specialist known for crafting bespoke mechanical architectures for independents. The movement’s hand-engraving mirrors the artistry of the dial, reinforcing the holistic craftsmanship at the heart of the brand.
From Montreal, Alexandre Beauregard offered another vision of horology where jewellery and mechanical excellence coexist naturally. Although the brand's creative roots are in Canada, its watches are produced in Switzerland, with movements crafted in La Chaux-de-Fonds and final assembly and inspection conducted in the Swiss Jura region. Before founding his brand in 2018, Beauregard built a career in high-end jewellery, bringing a deep understanding of ornamental stones to his designs.
His debut at Time to Watches this year introduced Ulysse, the brand’s first men’s watch — created in partnership with master watchmaker Vianney Halter. The dial, composed of 68 hand-cut aquamarine stones set within an 18K rose gold lattice, shimmers and shifts with every movement of the wrist. Beneath the mosaic, Halter’s automatic movement — equipped with an invisible rotor and hand-finished bridges — anchors the artistic vision with serious mechanical prowess. Limited to just 10 pieces, Ulysse feels less like a conventional timepiece and more like a kinetic work of art — a reminder that technical sophistication and high jewellery savoir-faire can coexist in perfect harmony.
Beauregard also presented new interpretations of the Dalia, the brand’s debut collection introduced in 2018. These latest iterations continue to celebrate floral artistry, featuring dials adorned with 48 sculpted gemstone petals — including opal, turquoise, and coral — each meticulously hand-carved and assembled to create a vibrant, dimensional flower. Housed in a 38.8mm white gold case set with diamonds, the Dalia is powered by a central flying tourbillon movement developed in collaboration with Télôs Watch SA. Each piece is a unique creation, blending Swiss horological precision with the delicate beauty of haute joaillerie.
Geneva may revolve around Palexpo during Watches and Wonders, but look beyond the spotlight and you'll find the future of watchmaking quietly — and brilliantly — unfolding elsewhere. For jewellery lovers, this same week offers its own riches, with Haute Jewels Geneva and the Jewellery Geneva Show shining a light on exceptional craftsmanship in precious form.
