The 44th HKTDC Hong Kong Watch & Clock Fair and 13th Salon de TIME concluded successfully after attracting approximately 16,000 trade buyers from 95 countries and regions, highlighting Hong Kong's role as a global hub for watch commerce. The physical fairs, held over five days, featured significant participation from Mainland China, Taiwan, India, Japan, the US, and ASEAN countries including Indonesia, the Philippines, Singapore, and Thailand.
A survey conducted during the exhibition, which interviewed 920 exhibitors and buyers, revealed that 59% of respondents expect overall sales growth in the next 12 to 24 months, while 36% anticipate stable sales. Key target markets viewed as promising or very promising include the Middle East (82%), Taiwan (79%), Korea (78%), Latin America (76%), Australia (76%), and ASEAN countries (73%). In terms of product trends, 47% of respondents identified smart watches as having the most significant growth potential, followed by fashion watches (30%) and casual watches (26%).
The exhibitions featured over 650 exhibitors from 15 countries and regions, including pavilions from Guangzhou, Taiwan, the Swiss Independent Watchmakers Pavilion (SIWP), and the French pavilion by Francéclat. Notable business outcomes included Saat ve Saat from Turkiye procuring automatic mechanical watches from Hong Kong exhibitor Dailywin Watch Products Mfg Ltd with an expected annual order value of US$1 million, facilitated through the Click2Match AI-driven business matching platform. Su & Co Trading Company from Myanmar purchased US$600,000 worth of branded watches and secured a sole distributor agreement with Mathey Tissot from the SIWP.
Innovations were a highlight, with Hong Kong exhibitor Dayton Industrial launching the Watch2Care TCM smart watch, which attracted potential distributors from Germany, Mainland China, Singapore, and the US. German brand Lilienthal Berlin introduced an eco-friendly watch with a dial made from recycled tea leaves, drawing global buyer interest. Salon de TIME, open free to the public for the second consecutive year, alongside CENTRESTAGE, attracted over 19,000 public visits and featured around 400 watch and fashion brands, including Guochao series watches from Mainland China.
The events underscored Hong Kong's vitality as a commerce and creativity hub, with the hybrid EXHIBITION+ model extending business discussions online until 13 September. The successful fair demonstrates the watch industry's resilience and growth trajectory, particularly in smart watch technology and emerging markets, positioning Hong Kong as a critical gateway for international trade and innovation in the timepiece sector.
