For the Swiss watch industry, physical events, like the Geneva watch fair, are of great importance after the coronavirus pandemic, despite growing digitalisation. +Get the most important news from Switzerland in your inbox Cyrille Vigneron, president of the Watches and Wonders Geneva Foundation (WWGF), said such fairs are special. + Swiss watchmakers feel pinch amid luxury slump Vigneron, who was head of the Richemont brand Cartier until September 2024, said at the opening of the Geneva watch fair Watches and Wonders that physical events are increasingly making a comeback in all areas of life and that society is longing for them. This is not only true for the watch industry. + Six things you should know about the watchmaking industry With 65 brands, a record number of exhibitors are also taking part in the most important gathering of the art of watchmaking. The desire for physical contact applies to the watch industry not only for trade fairs, but also in day-to-day business.