FHH Forum 2023: Horology Futurology – 8 November 2023

Geneva, 20 October, 2023 - The Fondation Haute Horlogerie will bring together industry professionals, speakers and panelists at its annual Forum to be held on 8 November in Geneva. After the question of sustainability in 2022, the theme of this edition will focus on the adaptability of the watch sector to its customers in a constantly changing world.

By way of its three pillars of activity - Watches and Culture by FHH, the FHH Academy and the FHH Forum - the Fondation Haute Horlogerie focuses now more than ever on the influence of watchmaking culture internationally and the industry’s staying power. The FHH Forum raises questions along those lines in order to provoke reflection. This platform for discussion, information and debate, designed for the industry by the industry, will come together again this year on 8 November at the Maison de la Paix in Geneva, for its 11th edition, around a central theme: “Horology Futurology: Grasping the complexities of a fast-changing customer reality”. The event will present an opportunity for brands, professionals, as well as scientists, researchers and public figures to come together.

Prospective sessions starting from a macro environment, followed by practical sessions, focused on the industry make up this year’s programme.

The first sessions lean towards aspirational topics, reporting on geopolitical, economic, social and ecological trends with long-term impact on both the world in general and indirectly on the watch industry. The question of interconnectivity between nature and man and the actions to be undertaken will also be addressed. Finally, to close this forward-looking half of the programme, a session on the management of long and short terms in business will unfold, to ensure better efficiency.

To address these questions, the Forum will bring together internationally renowned figures such as Ian Goldin - economist, author and professor of globalisation and development at the University of Oxford; Virginie Raisson – international relations analyst and President of the GIEC Pays de Loire; Bruno David – French naturalist specialising in palaeontology and former president of the National Museum of Natural History in Paris; and Inès Leonarduzzi, founder and director of the NGO “Digital for the Planet”, founder of C-Contemporaine and author of Réparer le futur. So many prolific minds brought together in the endeavour to provide solutions to these essential questions.

As for the industry-focused sessions, they will centre on the customer perspective, their behaviour and expectations, addressing the evolution customer engagement in a context of extreme trend polarization. Alongside behavioural scientists, retail experts and luxury industry representatives, Deloitte will also exclusively unveil the answers to four additional questions asked specifically for the FHH Forum to the 6,000 participants of its annual study on the industry. But questioning the future of customer engagement in a changing context cannot be done without the main players in the watch industry, who will all be present on 8 November, 2023 to address these very current questions.

An ambitious program, through which the FHH intends to demonstrate its desire to positively and enduringly support the industry as a whole.

About the Fondation Haute Horlogerie

Founded in 2005 by Audemars Piguet, Girard-Perregaux and the Richemont Group, the Fondation Haute Horlogerie (FHH) has since focused its mission on the international influence of watchmaking culture, and positions the watch as an object of art and culture. 

Point of reference and neutrality for all subjects relating to watchmaking, it relies for this on three complementary pillars intended for a wide audience, made up of industry professionals, individuals, insiders and of amateurs. 

The first, Watches and Culture by FHH, created in 2021, aims to bring watchmaking culture to life through the creation of original content, events and international meetings, intended jointly for the general public and professionals. 

As for the FHH Academy, it trains and certifies watchmaking knowledge for today's professionals and tomorrow's aficionados. Consisting of a rich and fun offering made up of training courses and certifications, its content is available in class or online in more than 20 countries, making watchmaking knowledge available to all. 

Finally, the FHH Forum, a discussion and debate platform designed by the industry for the industry, informs, questions and connects the leaders of the sector with the aim of shaping the ecosystem of the future. 

A circle of around forty watch brands is actively committed to the culture and heritage of watchmaking and offers unwavering support to the Foundation since its creation. Visionaries and the avant-garde actively encourage and support the missions and activities of the FHH.

About the FHH Forum

Created in 2008, the FHH Forum is the FHH's platform for discussion, information and debate, designed for the industry by the industry. Around five central themes of sustainability, heritage, innovation, experience and industry; the Forum aims to shape the industry of tomorrow by promoting synergies between players in the sector.

Through an unconventional approach, the Forumthinks outside the box to better elevate debates and share best practices, not only inside but also outside the watch industry. With this perspective, the Forum notably brings together scientists, economists, experts, NGOs as well as the management of the FHH's partner brands with one goal: to encourage exchanges that are promising for the future.

Each year sees the birth of its own theme. A guideline that is taken up on the Forum platform around thematic files and content in different formats: panels, interviews, podcasts and articles. But also during its annual Forum which alone brings together around thirty speakers and more than 200 guests.

Fondation Haute Horlogerie - Media Contact

Meera Anand

Senior Communications Consultant – Fondation Haute Horlogerie

E: meera.anand@hautehorlogerie.org

M: +41 79 420 7789