Watch fairs tend to be based in Switzerland. Wait a minute… If you look for watch events, you will find three in Munich. Anyway, there are three big events. Firstly, there is the Uhren Technik Börse in Munich Unterschleißheim, which is an exchange for trading watches and dealers. The Inhorgenta is a real trade fair that is more aimed at jewellery and mass-produced goods for buyers.
Munichtime can be described as an exclusive watch fair or exhibition. I visited it again this year and noticed that it is also shrinking, like Baselworld. Now I don’t want to take another swipe at this notch, but rather reflect on my experiences and impressions.

The venue fits well: the Hotel Bayerischer Hof Munich

The Munichtime watch fair takes place once a year in October at the Hotel Bayerischer Hof in Munich and is not actually a watch fair but an exhibition that you can visit free of charge and in the great ambience of the Bayerischer Hof. There are worse places. I think the location really suits the theme and the exhibitors very well. After all, this is the luxury segment of watch manufacturers. The Rolex bargain tables in Unterschleißheim don’t seem appropriate. I think good watches deserve a suitable ambience.
After entering the hotel, you come into a hall with a glass dome. This is where things really get going. You immediately see a lot of watch manufacturers showing their exhibits.

The exhibitors are all of high quality

There are both well-known brands and smaller ones, and that’s what interests me personally. The main hall is more colourful than the entrance, where the better-known names are.

Here you can buy clock kits (!) for grandfather clocks. A great idea, I think. You find Guinand, the licensing company of the watches that Sinn produced under licence under their own name, later bought themselves and now produce again under their own name. So the similarity with the Sinn Pilot’s Watches is nothing unusual.

Coarse or fine, what will it be?

There are big lumps and fine watches. Independent watchmakers and big brands.

Personally, I like Mühle Glashütte, I also find the chronometer from Formex interesting, as well as the nice people from Formex. Marco Lang from Lang & Heyne, whom I met at Baselworld, was also represented, as was Jochen Benzinger. Between unique pieces, large watches and large series like Stowa, everything was represented that a watch lover’s pocket money could desire.

Munichtime 2018 I’ll be back!
The lectures or discussion panels around the three days of the fair are also exciting. The 2018 programme was really top-class. Unfortunately, I didn’t have time to attend any of these lectures this year. I hope to have a little more time in 2019. Here are the 2018 topics: https://www.munichtime.de/de_DE/programm/ I look forward to the next edition!

Spannend sind auch die Vorträge oder Diskussionsrunden rund um die drei Tage der Messe. Das Programm von 2018 war wirklich hochkarätig. Leider hatte ich dieses Jahr keine Zeit einen dieser Vorträge zu besuchen.
https://www.watchtime.net/thema/munichtime/