Geneva, January 20^th 2012 – After an outstanding year for Swiss watchmaking, culminating in a new record for exports, the Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie (SIHH) took place in an atmosphere of calm confidence. While the global economic climate remains on an unsteady footing, suggesting little room for optimism, the Fine Watch segment sailed through 2011 and there is every reason to believe that the coming months will bring the profession more good news. This was confirmed by the 22^nd SIHH, a trade fair exclusively for invited retailers, distributors and the press. Attendance increased by 10% this year, with more than 13 000 visitors from every continent, including 1 200 journalists. An increase of 6% was observed for Asian visitors.

The eighteen exhibiting brands took this opportunity to show what 2012 will be made of. Pride of place went to grandes complications, the métiers d’art, new interpretations of iconic watches, special anniversary editions, and timepieces whose exclusiveness is equalled only by the complexity of their movement. Such a wealth of invention was, as always, matched by the quality of the welcome extended to guests. As the "City of Fine Watchmaking," the SIHH remains the ideal environment for the age-old guardians of time and all those who take this unique culture out into the world. These five days in January, which set the tone for the year to come, confirmed the extraordinary vitality of recent months; a prelude to the markets’ positive response to this very special approach to the measurement of time, steeped in tradition and innovation, creativity and unfailing respect for ancestral savoir-faire.

This expertise was particularly evident in the exhibition of clocks from the sixteenth to the twentieth centuries, curated by the Musée d’Art et d’Histoire de Genève. These historically important pieces made a striking contrast with the marvels of miniaturisation shown at the SIHH, yet all demonstrate the same desire for excellence and the indispensable tour de force of the craftsman’s hand. The result is an infinite capacity to spark dreams, and the endless fascination that mechanical timekeeping exerts in its ability to master the smallest increments of time as easily as it transcends time. In this respect, the SIHH 2012 kept its promises, and these eighteen Fine Watch companies demonstrated vitality on a par with their expertise.

• A.Lange & Söhne
  
• Audemars Piguet
  
• Baume & Mercier
  
• Cartier
  
• JeanRichard
  
• Girard Perregaux
  
• Greubel Forsey
  
• IWC
  
• Jaeger LeCoultre
  
• Montblanc
  
• Officine Panerai
  
• Parmigiani Fleurier
  
• Piaget
  
• Ralph Lauren
  
• Richard Mille
  
• Roger Dubuis
  
• Vacheron Constantin
  
• Van Cleef & Arpels