Two days before Watches and Wonders, I landed in Geneva, buzzing with excitement. Stories were prepped, photos ready, and embargoes mostly met. My main concerns? Adjusting to GMT+1 and making sure my data plan could handle a week of Instagram updates for Hodinkee. Despite months of prep, nothing could have truly prepared me for the real experience.
As I put down these thoughts while soaring over the Atlantic, there’s a list of descriptors that come to my mind for my past week of work, and I must say, it was one of the most unforgettable, hectic, yet fascinating weeks of my life. Having been previously on the other end of the coin as a reader of Hodinkee and not an employee, I think it is interesting that many people, just like myself, are interested in these kinds of experiences, mainly because it’s so recent.
I was recently not in the watch world for the last three months. During the latest New Year’s Eve, I went to Chicago with my girlfriend, and we both wondered what else was left to explore. While we were having a martini at Gibson’s, which happens to be our favorite place in the town, both of us felt Toronto needed to be optimistic and prepared for the year 2025. The last thing I could have wanted was to be in Geneva three months later on a sun-shining and beautiful spring day where the rest of the watch world was present.
The day before the show, I was busy shooting an exhilarating video with the crew, and out of nowhere, I found myself drinking champagne with some of my colleagues at Hodinkee just as it appeared on my screen that Rolex and Patek Philippe, two brands that rarely allow any kind of previews, had moved their embargoes from 8 a.m. to midnight. We appreciated the last sips because we were not working around the clock, much as champagne tastes better near the drink’s finish.
“Jim, a friend I saw recently, once told me, ‘I just love to be around people working.’ It stuck with me and made sense as we stepped into the hotel conference room that summer evening, watching the sunset before settling into a long night in the Hodinkee bullpen.
We arrived around 7 p.m., buzzing with energy, cracking jokes, and speculating about upcoming releases. Stories were shared, and schedules were set. As midnight approached, the room fell quiet. At 12:01 a.m., we refreshed our screens, and there it was: the big reveal teased by Federer just a day before. The Land-Dweller. Rich dove in, crafting a story on what would become one of Rolex’s most iconic drops in years.”
The other stories were picked up immediately, and everyone was in their element. Ben introduced the new Patek Philippe Calatrava 8 Day, TanTan tackled the new Patek Philippe Cubitus in 40mm, and Malaika wrote an article about the Rolex Perpetual 1908. Rich also presented the Patek Philippe Calatrava Ref. 6196P, ‘the best Calatrava Patek had released in the past 17 years,’ according to Ben’s hands-on article two days later. Mark also spun up a story on the new Rolex GMT-Master II. These were just a handful of the articles roughly completed after midnight that night.
While this was happening, James, Andy, and I were engaged in editing, image resizing, social media publication, and many additional tasks. By 1 am, we had compiled hundreds of articles, adding to the two dozen prewritten stories. Then, we grabbed the cameras for the Hodinkee Instagram account. Head of Video, Dave Aujero, and editor Joe Wyatt were in the room, while editor Vic Ottomanelli sprung into action from New York City.
All of this happened while Jim’s quote was ringing in my brain – the quote that made me love being in a room where everyone was working hard.
The excitement of my first Red Bull in ten years kept me going. I remember closing my laptop at 4 am on the first day and thinking I could work nonstop for almost twenty-four hours. In a way, I was incredibly fatigued, but all at once, I was filled with adrenaline. I was buzzing about the project we had just finished and felt ready to take on the world in the show.
We had to tackle the Tudor embargo drop at 8 am a few hours later. Jalas spent some time posting the new releases with James on the new Pelagos Ultra Mark on the Black Bay 68 and Malaika on the Black Bay Pro, to name some. After several hours spent finishing up all the social media, we finally set off to Palexpo for the show. My next four days consisted of attending new meetings, exploring all the latest watch releases, writing, recording podcasts, and team support, all during the show. I could feel the excitement and adrenaline from all the prepared work that had yet to be done.
I got 4 hours of sleep for the first time that week, and although it was a little bit, I was ready to see things from a new angle. Everything that we were working on as a team was coming together. Things were going great, and it was surreal to be in the center.
Each new day promised a new surprise for us, with breaking news serving as the cherry on top, and there was simply no way to prepare for that. As Wednesday ended and the tariff news broke, it was evident that everything needed a last-minute change. During the hectic period, Andy kept his cool; he managed to write two different stories. His first story came out late on Wednesday, and the second story came out Thursday after he had conversations with many big players in the sector.
Nothing could prepare me for the scale of the show in the last preparation. In the past, I had listened to, read, and consumed countless coverage over the years, and I heard numerous stories and saw various images, but it’s still hard to understand the magnitude of it all until you are there. Most booths were at least two stories tall and matched the size of my apartment building back in Brooklyn, which has four stories and six units. I was gobsmacked with the level of detail and hospitality.
I recommend listening to our daily Watches and Wonders podcasts if you haven’t already. On the second day, we had an opportunity to interview the CEO of Watches and Wonders Geneva Foundation, Matthieu Humair; he brought us up to speed with everything behind the scenes at the event. Regrettably, we did not have the opportunity to ask him about the number of bottles of Veuve Cliquot consumed in the week, which I estimate to be countless thousands. Perhaps next year we will have that chance. Either way, the conversation is great.
Any writing, editing, or podcast recording had to be done in the morning, late at night, or sporadically throughout the week. “The meeting is ending fifteen minutes early? Awesome, time for me to post a few Instagram updates.” Or “Can someone cover this meeting for me? I need to get a few quotes for a timely article.” “Sure, no problem, I’ve got you.” “Who has pictures of this specific watch? The hands-on is ready to go.” This was our flow. We understood the endpoints but often took a different route to get there. The days morphed into an improvised dance, and I was at home.
After a long week, my laptop finally shut at 9 p.m. Friday. Despite a few lingering Instagram edits, it was time to breathe. Dave and I grabbed a doner kebab and a Kronenbourg The James Stacey Special and unwound under the cool night sky on Rue de Lausanne. Tired but fulfilled, we reflected on the week’s highs and made mental notes for next year. Plans for a nightcap faded fast we crashed instead.
With a few glasses of wine in my system and two thousand words written, my plane lands at JFK. My lack of sleep, fatigue, and the buzz from the espresso are replaced by the memories of an extraordinary week. The work was extremely challenging: the intense, never-ending nights with relentless content creation, deadlines, and the overflowing rush of work. As difficult as it was, the challenge is what made it fulfilling.
As journalists, these moments with collective achievement and shared purpose are cherished. They claim that time skips when you’re having fun, but time is the only thing that never loses focus in the world of watches. Despite all the exhaustion etched in my bones, I can’t wait for the following year’s show. Now, I admire Geneva for more than just its beauty this time of year; it’s the center of the watches and wonders universe, and it’s clear that I have found my new favorite destination.
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