Overview
For four days in October, from the 22nd to the 24th 2004 (co-inciding with the auspicious occasion of Dusserah) Time ‘N Style along with the Grand Hyatt played host to the most first ever watch exhibition in India - the India International Watch Show. Twelve premier, international luxury watch brands participated making the event an exclusive showcase of only the best the international watch making world has to offer.

Day 1
The participating brands set up displays in professionally constructed, unique stalls. Former Miss India and Miss Asia Pacific, now a leading model and Bollywood actress, Ms Diya Mirza inaugurated the IIWS exhibition. Touring the premises, she expressed delight at the variety of brands and the quality of the merchandise and its presentation.

Day 2
As the exhibition progressed there was contact between the brand managers, the media and the public. Potential partners, consumers and trade analysts met at the IIWS show discussing the future of branded luxury watch retail in the country as well as educating and exposing the public to the variety of brands and time pieces on display.

Day 3
The highlight of Day 3 was a glittering after party at the luxurious drawing room at the Grand Hyatt, Mumbai. The participants and chosen invitees enjoyed an evening of fine wine, live music and a lavish 5 star buffet.

Day 4
Being a Sunday, day 4 of IIWS drew the maximum crowd. Of course the last day was attracted a lot of serious buyers. Interaction with the visitors continued and the show couldn’t have ended without the promise of another such exhibition in the following year!

FAIR OVERVIEW

• The fair had 760 exhibitors from 17 countries.
• It attracted more than 15000 visitors.
• This is the 23rd year for the exhibition.
• It served as a platform to show off the winning entries of the Hong Kong. Watch & Clock Design Competition, both in the open and student categories.
• The fair had special group pavilions from the Chinese mainland, Korea and Taiwan.

TREND FASHIONABLY ON TIME!

The fair was a success owing to a culmination of various factors. Clearly the show stealer turned out to be the fast growing, exciting and vibrant segment of fashion watches. Finding itself a huge market in the Middle East, Russia, South East Asia and U.S.A., both the exhibitors and the visitors unanimously voted fashion watches as the big trend of the moment and a segment with tremendous potential for growth. For those still in the dark, this segment includes a mid-priced range of watches that are trendy, vibrant and punctuate style beautifully.

1. White and bright : Freelook
2. Yellow Fever : NICE
3. Sensory and sensibility : Latitude
4. Sporty Chic : FUBU
5. Colour Crazy : RITMO MVNDO
6. Pleasant Surprise : Voila
7. shop Talk

Five days of showcasing wares, establishing new contacts and mastering networking, the Hong Kong Watch and Clock Fair turned out to be a sophisticated marketplace for manufacturers, distributors and retailers. Meet some of the more impressive brands that caught our attention.

CYRIL RATEL
Situated in the heart of Geneva, Cyril Ratel is a 30-year-old label that offers a collection of solid stainless steel. These Swiss made watches combine elegance and sophistication. A first timer at the exhibition, the brands’ biggest market is Russia alongside Hong Kong, China and Saudi Arabia amongst others.

LAURA BIAGIOTTI, CHRONOTECH, MILA SCHON AND BLUMARINE
Produced and distributed by the Global Watch Industries Srl, Laura Biagiotti is an extension of the world famous Italian fashion label and offers an eclectic range of leather and metal watches. Its largest market is the Middle East. All the watches are manufactured in Italy. Chronotech and Mila Schon are their own brands. The company is also a licensee for Gianfranco Ferre though they do not produce them.

ELITE
An offshoot of the Elite Modelling Agency, this first timers’ range is as eye-catching as it is unconventional. Priced between 29-75 Euros, the label is targeted at watch lovers between the age group of 16-30 years and finds a huge following in Taiwan amongst other countries.

GIOVINE, KRIZIA, LANCASTER
Three diverse yet interesting brands all distributed and produced by Alvea SRL, this is the 8th year for the brands at the fair. Giovine was officially launched at Basel World 2004. It is a new name in luxury watches targeted at people who want something exclusive which is why only 1000 pieces are created per model. Krizia of course, is an offshoot of the world famous fashion label. Lancaster offering its collections with natural diamonds shows both the vitality and dynamism of a young brand that shortly has become one of the main medium-high range manufacturers of Italian Fashion.

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