For the past few years, the Time to Watches show has been an important stop on our schedules while in Geneva for Watches & Wonders. Among the many, many events that take place parallel to the biggest trade show in the industry, Time to Watches, which features a variety of small, independent brands which tend to be on the more approachable side of the spectrum, feels like it’s really in our wheelhouse. This year’s Time to Watches event in Geneva was greatly expanded over previous years, and in a new location a stone’s throw from Palexpo, making it an easy and obvious stop for Watches & Wonders attendees.
This morning, news broke that Time to Watches is coming to the United States through a new partnership with Couture, the Las Vegas trade show held every year at the Wynn. Couture, these days, is primarily a jewelry focused event. There are still a number of watch brands that exhibit at Couture, but that figure seems to be decreasing year after year. It’s a huge event for the jewelry industry, but seems to be less critical for the watch world. It certainly has not had the media presence in recent years that it once did.
In a press release, the partnership was described as a move to bring a “curation of luxury timepieces” to the Couture event in Las Vegas. Time to Watches has secured exhibition space at the Wynn that promises easy access to all Couture attendees. Time to Watches Managing Director Christian Wipfli sees Couture as a natural partner in the United States after a string of successful events in Geneva. “The collaboration with Couture was an obvious choice,” Wipfli said in a press release, “as this high-end event was a perfect fit with what Time to Watches has achieved in Geneva.”
There is no word yet on which brands intend to exhibit at the inaugural Time to Watches event in the United States. The announcement this morning makes references to “luxury timepieces” and an interest in showcasing “quality craftsmanship and ingenuity of design” that would seem to align with the jewelry centered focus of Couture. That said, the breadth of brands that have exhibited at the Geneva version of Time to Watches has been truly impressive and varied. In 2025, brands like Laco, Ming, Sinn, Awake, Benrus, and many more had a presence at Time to Watches. The full roster of 2025 brands can be found here.
It’s also not certain if Couture mainstays like G-SHOCK, Citizen, and Shinola will be exhibiting under the banner of Time to Watches at the 2026 version of the show, or if they will continue to operate as part of Couture proper. A full list of watch brands that exhibited at this year’s Couture show can be found here.
Also worth noting is that Couture, historically, has been framed largely as a traditional B2B trade show, while Time to Watches, as counterprogramming to Watches & Wonders, has a reputation for being more enthusiast friendly, both in terms of the brands on display and, more importantly, access to the show itself. It will be interesting to see how these strategies, which on some level are diametrically opposed, resolve themselves as this partnership takes shape. The press release, in describing the nature of the Time to Watches exhibition in Las Vegas, notes that “the U.S. edition is held in Las Vegas in May. It is mainly attended by professionals from the North American market, particularly retailers and the media.”
The 2026 Couture event is scheduled to take place at Wynn Las Vegas beginning on May 27 and runs through May 31. We’ll keep you posted as brands are announced for this show and as more information is revealed.
Zach Kazan
2025-10-27 18:00:00