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- [00:00]
Catherine Ebele
Foreign.
- [00:07]
Rob
Hello, watch fans, and welcome back to Geneva Watch Days. We are here outside the pavilion in the Glass Onion, joined by Catherine Ebele, the woman behind Geneva Watch Days, the organizer, the most glamorous guest we've had in our studio so far. Look at those sunglasses. Look at the sun. Look at a wonderful day. We're here with Scarlett Baker, who will be conducting this interview. Please, Scarlett, take it away.
- [00:28]
Scarlett Baker
Thank you very much, Rob. Katherine, thank you so much for being here. We're really, really excited to have you and we're very honored because we know that you have an incredibly busy schedule. You are literally helming this incredible event that we're having this year now in its sixth iteration. Now, before we get into it, I just want to ask you, how are you feeling? What's the vibe? Are you feeling good about this week?
- [00:49]
Catherine Ebele
Well, thank you, Scarlett. Hello. Hello, Rob. Hello, everyone. Thank you for having me. I feel privileged to be here. So no problem on that. I feel super good. Extremely nourished by all the energy that you can definitely feel in this place and further than that in Geneva in general. It's incredible. The level of energy is so high that I'm just fueled. So feeling good, happy with this sixth edition. So far we've had a very high attendance of all kind of publics, watch lovers, but also people who are just curious and willing to know more about watches, of course, press, influencers, retailers. So the whole community and the large community of the watches is here at the rendezvous of this right after summer event. And yeah, it's a big satisfaction. 6th edition means that we are getting into this age, that it's not so new anymore, not getting adult yet. So many things that we can imagine dream of for the future. And also feedbacks to take on how this growth has been and this journey has been since the beginning, happy, perfect.
- [02:34]
Scarlett Baker
And you know, we're in the middle of it right now. We've got one more day to go. But coming live and direct from the fair, I want to ask you, what observations have you noticed about this year's iteration of Geneva watch days?
- [02:45]
Catherine Ebele
More collectors.
- [02:46]
Scarlett Baker
Okay?
- [02:48]
Catherine Ebele
More collectors from all over the world. And probably it's because now they are feeling and understanding that this is a very fluid type of event and that they can get informations, they can get pleasure, they can get unique situation to share with other collectors and get to know new friends. But also the brands are super open to welcome them as walk in, not needed to take an appointment to have something extremely formal. This fluidity is unique and this is really for me, as an organizer of the event, a key point to maintain here in the pavilion where we are, you can meet CEOs, designers, people from the top management and the teams of the brands. And when you are a collector, it's incredible. Plus the variety of our portfolio of brands who trust us, 66 this year is just incredible and completely different from all the other panels that you can find in the other Rendezvous.
- [04:17]
Scarlett Baker
And we're going to come back to that number in a second talking about the brands. But I just want to go back to the word fluidity that you're using there. You know, was that the intention from the beginning of Geneva watch days? And you know, why do you think that people want that from a watch event? Because, you know, there are incredible watch events out there and you know, the watch calendars, you know, are growing and we love to see that for the industry. But there's something very special about what a Geneva watch days that feels very different. You know, why, why is it that we need and want that fluidity?
- [04:45]
Catherine Ebele
I think that there is a lot of freedom. You can really manage your agenda by yourself and you can manage it the way you would if yourself would organize a dinner, an afternoon, a night with your collector's friends. So everyone owns a little bit of those Geneva Watch day spirit and can make it like it was his or hers. Absolutely. So this creates, yeah, this notion or this nourishes this notion of I'm here like I am at home, I am welcome, I am really welcome as a collector and I have my friends, but I will also meet those guys that I had been in touch, that I've been in touch with when I was, I don't know, in Mexico City, in Singapore, in Munich, whatever. So it's their moment.
- [05:58]
Scarlett Baker
Perfect.
- [05:59]
Catherine Ebele
Creating a platform for them to make the brands taking also their share of visibility to keep going on their own strategy. So there is both pleasure hobby and I'm not in the business with the fair, but I am of course extremely aware that if the brand drive a good business, then the whole, in the whole it's healthy sector will, will benefit from it. Yeah.
- [06:34]
Scarlett Baker
And do you feel that the intentions of Geneva watch days have stayed the same since the beginning, you know, since 2020? Or do you feel like what, what's the growth looking like, you know, if we take outside the figures for a second is the intention and you know, the, I guess the principles behind it. Have they changed in any way as you go?
- [06:51]
Catherine Ebele
I hope so. But you tell me because you've, you've been There. Yeah. And so you are experience experimenting the fair itself as with your fresh eyes.
- [07:05]
Scarlett Baker
I mean, for me, I was looking at actually your piece in Revolution and there was a quote that you said that I really liked where you talk about how the watch industry is the sort of most community based luxury industry that there is. And it seems obvious to say that out loud at the same time, but I can't really think of another industry quite like it. And as you say, like we all love being together. And I think this for me, this year of Geneva watch days, just from the opening ceremony that we had as well, you know, the room was just filled and everyone was so happy to be there. You're constantly exchanging watches, you know, shouting down to so and so at the other side. And I don't know, there was just something like it's very familial, it's like a family vibe to it.
- [07:47]
Catherine Ebele
It's like the campus of your big university where you're happy to meet your friends. You, you have the bar in the center, you have the library. Not so far, you have now here with the bubble. And you always jump into someone that you know that you like. And it's four days, so you're happy to say, oh, I'm sorry, I'm in a rush, but let's catch up next afternoon or tomorrow. And then you have to go to your classrooms and go to the showrooms and you're also happy to see the brands, to discuss with them and then to share what you've seen and to analyze what you've seen. So yeah, it's like a big campus.
- [08:36]
Scarlett Baker
That's a really good way to put it. And going from again talking about 2020 when you know, this all kicked off 15 brands then and we're now looking at 66 this year, like that's like hugely exponential growth, you know. How have you navigated this?
- [08:52]
Catherine Ebele
Very carefully, because this could kill the whole thing. I think that we've reached a significant number, but also, and I'm not talking about the workload to organize that for 66 brands, but I'm really more thinking how a collector, how a journalist can manage more than that. He cannot or he would have to stay longer and he cannot. We all have our own lives. Journalists need to write, Collector needs to go back to his normal life. Yeah, I have to go back to my normal life. And so more than that, not possible. What is interesting is that you can make choices you don't need. We don't ask to the journalist or to anyone that is registered for the for the event to go through all the brands. So it's your own decision and your pick and choose. And same for the collectors. Okay. What we invite and encourage is to mix between brands that you know that you like and brands that you don't know, but that you will like, because we have nuggets.
- [10:16]
Scarlett Baker
And how is that working in terms of going from 15 to 66? Has it been a case of brands approaching you and saying, we want to be a part of it? Mostly. Although you.
- [10:24]
Catherine Ebele
Mostly.
- [10:25]
Scarlett Baker
Okay.
- [10:25]
Catherine Ebele
Mostly. Okay.
- [10:27]
Scarlett Baker
Interesting. And does that mean it's 66? You know, you're firmly capping it that for the future. Could we see a few more come in?
- [10:33]
Catherine Ebele
We will. So we have an executive committee and the normal flow is that after the Geneva Watch days, we do a big debrief with all the brands that have been participating in the edition. We analyze carefully these feedbacks, and then with my team, we will propose main concept to the executive committee from number of brands, number of events, dates, what should we do and what would be the big idea for next year? Discussion with them. And then we go. So in terms of applications, the first priority is to go to the 66 brands and say, okay, you've been happy, you've not been happy with the Geneva Watch days. Do you want to keep going for next year? Yes. No. And then it will leave us the free seats for other brands to come in. But I can tell you that I've been approached by several of them already. We had coffee, we had chat under the pavilion. Because I think that for them to understand if the event suits to them is the only way to really know that. And if they can commit, if they would like to commit to that. Because I can also tell you that it's not so easy for a brand to. To accept this kind of freedom and fluidity.
- [12:22]
Scarlett Baker
They find it like the challenge. Or is it?
- [12:24]
Catherine Ebele
Yeah.
- [12:25]
Scarlett Baker
Yeah.
- [12:25]
Catherine Ebele
Some are, I would say, born like that. Okay. And it's natural for them. Yeah. But other can be more in the protocol, in the process. And it's a little bit like, oh, wow, so much freedom. Oh, you're giving us so many options. I have to. I would like to do them all, but I cannot, so how should I do so? We also also accompany them in their choices in making sure that they keep the spirit of 2020. And every time we do meetings, so mainly zoom meetings. As you can imagine, I read the manifesto of the Geneva Watch days saying that it was based on agility, flex and decentralization in 2020, and that it is still it remains and that they have to keep that in mind. We will not rent their showroom for them. They manage with the hotels, with their boutique, with the spaces that they want and that they have identified in Geneva. They manage their own press agenda, retailers agenda, collector's agenda. We don't. We offer a platform that we try to do as strong as possible, the strongest possible, because then that will drive the profiles that we want to have that we think are interesting for all of us, and that will give them the visibility and also tools for them to conduct their strategy where they want to take it.
- [14:24]
Scarlett Baker
Okay.
- [14:25]
Rob
I would say that the organic nature of Geneva Watch Days is the main differentiator between it and something like Watches and Wonders, where brands who are more process driven, more business focused, directly maybe feel a little bit more naturally comfortable. Whereas here, because there is that freedom, that fluidity, that liveliness, you get a completely different vibe. From a journalistic perspective, this has always been my favorite event, ever since it started. It's just, it's. It's relaxed, it's comfortable, it's very easy to navigate. You know, all the brands are so close together. And then we have the pavilion, which Watches and Wonders doesn't have anything like the pavilion, this hub of activity where everybody congregates every day. We were talking to your former colleague, Antoine Pin.
- [15:10]
Catherine Ebele
Yes.
- [15:10]
Rob
Yesterday. Now, we should also mention to our listeners that may not know this. Catherine is not only the woman behind Geneva Watch Days, of the organization and everything, and the reason why we're here in this bubble, in fact.
- [15:21]
Catherine Ebele
True.
- [15:22]
Rob
But she is also the head of communications at Bulgari. And that's how you and Antoine know each other, because of course he was the managing director of Watches. Is that what we decided his job title used to be? We say the official one. Wasn't it the longest job title?
- [15:34]
Catherine Ebele
Yes, yes, correct.
- [15:36]
Rob
And he mentioned something very interesting, something I was extremely glad to hear that there's not a rebranding, but a slight repositioning of Geneva Watch Days as a cultural event, as a chance for people to experience watchmaking in a much more hands on way, to create further separation from more B2B fairs like watches and Wonders. And we've seen that with the competitions that have been held here, the chronometry competition and these creative initiatives, how do you see the future of that initiative? Do you see, like more things being added that will create further distinction from other fairs? Like what?
- [16:14]
Catherine Ebele
Should we continue in this way? Yeah, for sure. Two years ago, we created the Culture Hub. The Culture Hub. Sorry, I'm losing my voice, my words, my grammar. With all the main partners in the watch industry that drive this watch culture as far as possible, meaning Horological Society of New York City, GPhD, FHH, the Watch Library, Ecole d', Or, Luxury de Geneve. And this year there, I thought that it would be nice to have something like in France, we have Top Chef in for the cooking show and with candidates trying to do the best recipes as possible. I wanted to do something like that on a movement. And we initiated this regulation movement with Kosk, Sellita and Ecole d', Orlogerie, which is a way to show a job that nobody knows or very few know in the watch industry. That is how you regulate the precision of a movement, of mechanical movement. And I think it's even more important than assembling a movement. We are all here on precision. Precision. Yes, but do you know something about it? No. So let's try. Okay, give it a try. We have 40 candidates and with the COSC, that is the institution among all that will decide through a very strict process and tests if this is precise enough or not. So those movements will all go to cost and we'll see who is the best candidate, the closest one to the COSC criteria. And it's just insane and it's super fun, but at the same time, people realize how difficult this is and how important this is, the consequences on that. So this is this cultural part that we initiated again, I think it was two years ago, and the talks, the panels, the different types of discussion. I was just coming back from the Power Breakfast where we have three CEOs of the Geneva watch days and three CEOs of other industries discussing on transversal themes that are today super important. This morning it was about the basic DNA of a company, how important it is to draw your own strategy. Yesterday it was about innovation and next gen. And on the first day it was resilience. And we invite people to listen and to discuss with those CEOs. So this is something you do not see elsewhere. And yes, this is very cultural, but this is also affair where you need to use your brain. You really need to. We expect those people to think together, not just to speak. So I like to call it a festival. I think that Antoine likes to call it also a festival. We worked on the Geneva watch days together a lot and it was always very inspirational conversations. And this idea of a festival like the Festival d', Avignon, where you have an on and off and where you have shows, what you have in the showrooms, but that you Also have all those gatherings in the city. This part in the city is unique and is so cool because you have the hub federating pavilion with the flags, and you have all those spots in town and you can go there with those taxi bikes that feel so cool. And this is also a big joy for me to see people running from one bank to the other one. And I think that city of Geneva is also very happy with that. And we have their support since day one. And it creates something different. Like in Avignon in the summer, it creates something different.
- [21:04]
Scarlett Baker
I don't know about you, Rob, but my step count is always pretty good during Geneva watch days.
- [21:08]
Rob
I mean, it's a great way to stay fit.
- [21:10]
Scarlett Baker
Yeah.
- [21:10]
Rob
Especially, you know, sitting in here, you know, sweating out all of the sins of a night before and walking around town. It's wonderful. But those, those bikes, those little. They're like little rickshaws, aren't they?
- [21:19]
Scarlett Baker
Yeah, they're good.
- [21:19]
Rob
They're incredible. Absolutely incredible.
- [21:21]
Scarlett Baker
Makes for good content. It does. You mentioned the word resilience there from the power breakfast this morning, and I wanted to sort of segue into it being, you know, the biggest edition of Geneva watch days so far. Have there been challenges that have presented.
- [21:35]
Catherine Ebele
Themselves to you this year for the brands? The challenge to find a showroom, to find a place to exhibit and to conduct their appointments. Because Geneva is well loaded in terms of. Of hotels. But this year we have the Fairmont, who is closed from renovation for the next three years. We have some others, like Beaurivage, Berg Metropole, who are partially closed. And that creates a sense of scarcity. There is space enough, but it's just that it's not a routine. So we needed to help the brands to discuss with the hotels, to find the right spot for them. So we have east and west. That was an option for some brands. We have Borivage, who made a big effort at Ritz. We are a little bit more Oberge 4 season also. So that was this part, probably that was the most challenging, and that could be endangering the fair. Okay.
- [22:48]
Scarlett Baker
And, you know, zooming out now, looking at where we are with. We're still in the middle of the fair, but reflecting on it.
- [22:56]
Catherine Ebele
Is there.
- [22:56]
Scarlett Baker
Something that you're most proud of from this year's version, this year's iteration, the.
- [23:01]
Catherine Ebele
Calibership and the success of it? Because when I woke up. No, it's not. When I was woken up. People always say that. No, when I had this idea, I was like, okay, will I make it? Is it really worth it will people buy that and enjoy that. And now seeing people joining the sessions to watch the guys sweating on their movement, it drives me crazy. I'm so happy. I'm so thrilled. And the exhibition, it's the most important exhibition with contemporary watch pieces. Free. The entrance is free. You can come and just enjoy it or you can join a guided tour by the expert of Federation d' Autologie fhh. You have an app that you can play with that will tell you if you are more into this type or this type of watches. Are you more into design approach or into mechanical? The title of it is Prowess because all those timepieces are really pieces of art, but in their own way. So we curated it in a little bit different way than usually to make it becoming a real exhibition and that I'm super proud because the brands that are sending us treasures, we have an amazing piece from Ferdinand Berthoud, we have in incredible pieces from Grebel, we have the novelties of Zenith. We have a tag here that has a duo from the archives and the new one and I could name all of them. We have a stolen room with an incredible dial. And then this is just your eyes are in awe when you look at them, etc. Etc. So I can only encourage those who are in Geneva or those who have the opportunity to come to Geneva until now and tomorrow afternoon to visit it.
- [25:38]
Rob
We're going to wrap up there. What a wonderful way to end the show. Catherine, thank you for coming on and thank you for everything you've done for the whole of Geneva, the whole of watchmaking, and for us as well. We're really great for the opportunity. We'll have to get you back on the show for a full hour because I'm sure I could sit here and listen to this. This is the most relaxing.
- [25:54]
Scarlett Baker
I've got to add one thing. If it wasn't obvious to the listeners, we obviously have like the powerhouse of Geneva watch days here. The outfit matches your two Geneva watch days bracelets. It's blue and yellow. And it's blue and yellow on the wristband. That's so good.
- [26:09]
Catherine Ebele
Thank you so much. And scarlet. I love the squares, dots and stripes. There's a lot going on. No, no, it's perfect. I like this. Thank you. This way you match your stylings. Thank you so much. I like your styling too, but put a little bit more dots on it, probably.
- [26:28]
Rob
Yes. Okay. Okay.
- [26:29]
Catherine Ebele
Yeah.
- [26:29]
Rob
Well, thank you for saying that.
- [26:30]
Catherine Ebele
Thank you, both of you. Thank you, Alan. Thank you to all of the community. And Real Time show is a real show. Thanks.
- [26:41]
Rob
We can't get a better ending than that. So we're going to sign up. We'll be back in a few moments with our next guest outside the pavilion. Here live from Jean Watch Days 2025. Thanks for joining us. We'll see you again soon.
- [27:09]
Scarlett Baker
Sam.