Watch Trends 2019-2020, a unique analysis from the FHH

What does your watch say about you? Pretty much everything, answers Franco Cologni, Chairman of the Fondation de la Haute Horlogerie Cultural Council. A watch reflects its owner’s personality. It speaks volumes about their dreams and ambitions, and how they live their life. The FHH has even put its theory to the test, or rather has you test it, future reader of Watch Trends 2019-2020, its latest publication. “Are you an Idealist or a Performer, Connoisseur or Extrovert?” asks Franco Cologni. “According to your tastes and preferences, we have different horological styles to suggest; watches that correspond to who you are, and worlds you can identify with. Working alongside trend forecasting agency NellyRodi, globally renowned for its insight and analyses, we have produced this trend book – designed to give you, the community of fans, a new perspective on the latest directions in watchmaking.”

For the general public

Extensively illustrated, Watch Trends looks at the year’s new releases from a lifestyle perspective so that readers can find the watch that corresponds to their tastes, convictions and aspirations. Each year since 2012, the FHH has published a comprehensive survey of the year’s new watches, compiled by a team of in-house experts. Originally designed as a resource for brands, this in-depth review is recognised by the profession as an authoritative source of information. Now, the foundation is extending its scope with this new publication, written with the general public in mind.

Accordingly, the FHH teamed up with Paris-based trends forecasting agency, NellyRodi. “We wanted to reach people who enjoy fine timepieces without necessarily wanting to know all the technical details,” says Fabienne Lupo, Chairwoman and Managing Director of the FHH. “It’s an approach that exactly corresponds to the foundation, as an observatory of the profession, and one that perfectly complements the expertise at NellyRodi.”

A unique publication

Watch Trends examines four profiles, each corresponding to a particular style and “type” of watch. Connoisseurs will identity with a love of iconic objects and heritage revisited, expertise and excellence, and status-defining, sustainable luxury that can be passed through generations. Performers will recognise their shared need for innovation and game-changing technology, industry foresight and pushing their own limits, as well as for nomadic designs and luxury products that adapt fast. Extroverts will own up to the irresistible attraction of objects that transgress rules, and are constantly drawn to luxury that is exuberant, opulent and different. Idealists, meanwhile, will find within the pages of Watch Trends 2019-2020 the ideal mood board for authentic, ethical, functional, discreet luxury.

For each one, the FHH has made a curated selection of timepieces that represents that profile’s core values, completed by the foundation’s insider analysis together with the portrait of a personality who shares that worldview. These four worlds – which, let’s not forget, can overlap – add up to a wealth of creativity which, seen through the NellyRodi prism of consumer archetypes, gives a truly original publication. In this respect, Watch Trends 2019-2020 is unique.