The second Siam Paragon Bangkok Watch Week took place in Bangkok from September 22 to 27, undeterred by torrential rainfall that inundated and partially flooded the Thai capital. The fair had 45 brands (up 50% from last year) and free entry. Siam Paragon expected 40,000+ visitors (including 400+ international collectors) and billed the event as elevating Bangkok as Southeast Asia's watch culture capital. The Fondation Haute Horlogerie (FHH) was prominently represented with a large stall in the heart of the fair.
On the afternoon of September 25, footfall was moderate, and brand representatives had time to chat with collectors, colleagues and media. Patcharee Arunpu, manager of the Siam Paragon boutique of A. Lange & Söhne, the high-end German watch brand, was extremely positive about the event. "This year's event is much larger than last year's. We feel very much part of the community. Our clients made friends with collectors of other brands like Vacheron Constantin, Jaeger-LeCoultre and Panerai. It's amazing that brand CEOs and actual watchmakers are here this year, and there are watchmaking classes. We are sharing art and history, we are not just talking about investments. A. Lange & Söhne is very niche, with very limited production, so we are here to make friends with collectors. For some of our models, customers have to wait three years."
Photo: Siam Paragon Bangkok Watch Week
Photo: Siam Paragon Bangkok Watch Week
Bremont, a British brand that produces around 10,000 timepieces a year (one of its models is shortly traveling to the moon on a rover), attended the Bangkok fair for the first time. "We have a boutique in central Hong Kong. We are here to make contacts and to find a distributor for our watches in Thailand. We hope to have a few more people, but the weather isn't helping at the moment," brand manager Anthony Gouriou said.
Aurélie Streit, Vice President of the Fondation Haute Horlogerie, said in a statement: "The Fondation Haute Horlogerie (FHH) is delighted to be represented at Bangkok Watch Week, actively pursuing our mission to promote watchmaking culture to the widest possible audience. This collaboration is a testament to our shared ambition to make horological education more accessible, engaging, and meaningful. We believe that education and the transmission of knowledge are paramount, and through this partnership, we are creating unique opportunities to share expertise and enrich the understanding of fine watchmaking."
Crown & Caliber spoke to Pavaris Eam-ekpattana, Director, Strategic Luxury Experience Management, Supremo Co., Ltd. (a member of Siam Piwat Group), who is responsible for the programming, activations and overall visitor experience.
Photo: Siam Paragon Bangkok Watch Week
Photo: Siam Paragon Bangkok Watch Week
Crown & Caliber: What is the connection between the Siam Paragon Watch Fair and Bangkok Watch Week? How do the two differ? Do they serve the same or different audiences, and why are there now two events if there used to be one?
Pavaris Eam-ekpattana: Siam Paragon Watch Fair and Siam Paragon Bangkok Watch Week are two totally separate events. Siam Paragon Bangkok Watch Week is under Siam Piwat Group. It is more of an international platform, giving the audience and the people in the watch industry a community, and allowing them to understand watchmaking culture better. Siam Paragon Watch Fair is more focused on the commercial side.
C&C: There is an FHH limited certification offered as part of the experience. How did that partnership come about?
PE: FHH is a worldwide organization for watchmaking and we have known them for a very long time. We think the objectives of Bangkok Watch Week and FHH are quite similar — to connect people, and to educate people more about watchmaking culture. To collaborate with FHH is the beginning of our journey for Bangkok to become a global hub for watchmaking culture.
Photo: Siam Paragon Bangkok Watch Week
C&C: This event is organized by Siam Piwat and very heavily sponsored by Thailand: Siam Kempinski Hotel Bangkok, Chatrium Grand Bangkok, UOB Thailand and the Tourism Authority of Thailand. Who is the audience for this event?
PE: Bangkok Watch Week is an international event to attract visitors from around the world, not merely from the Asian region, but also from the EU, the Middle East and the United States. As I mentioned earlier, it's a global platform for all; it is not designed just for Asian consumers.
C&C: 45 brands is a lot, especially for the second year. Is the goal to keep growing and make this a kind of Watches & Wonders but for Asia, like Dubai Watch Week is for the Middle East?
PE: It is not our goal to compete with other watch fairs around the world. We're here to complement the industry. Bangkok Watch Week is about providing knowledge and experience for consumers. So it is quite a different event from Watches & Wonders, which is more focused on trade, while Bangkok Watch Week is focused on the consumer journey. As for growing further, with more brands participating, we are focused on the quality of the brand mix. As you might have noticed, we have different groups — for example the Richemont Group, the Swatch Group and the LVMH Group — alongside independent brands. That's a good mix and a rare opportunity for brands from the big groups to join the same event as smaller independent watchmakers. So it's not about the number of brands; it is about the quality of the mix.
C&C: Much of what shows at Bangkok watch events is a global limited edition with a Thai allocation rather than a piece created for this market. Have you asked any maison to create a Thailand or Southeast Asia exclusive for Watch Week?
PE: Last year we had brands like Chopard that did a 15-piece limited edition for Thailand, which sold within a month. This year we have Oris presenting a limited edition of 50 pieces, and they sold out in the first three days of the fair. It's great that there are brands represented at Bangkok Watch Week that do something special for the customers visiting the fair.
Photo: Siam Paragon Bangkok Watch Week
C&C: Bangkok is being described as Asia's emerging watch capital. Emerging relative to which cities, and on which measures are you ahead of them or behind them today?
PE: As I said, we are not here to compete with other watch events anywhere. We are here to complement the industry. We see ourselves as a hub, particularly for the Asian consumer. It's worth remembering that Bangkok and Thailand offer more than just luxury goods. We have great travel destinations and great food. We have other things that people who visit Bangkok can enjoy. I see a future where watch weeks become a network for people in the industry as well as for consumers and watch collectors. We can do something together — Bangkok Watch Week, Tokyo Watch Week, Milan Watch Week. Perhaps within a few years, we will have a World Watch Week in Bangkok.
