As Geneva Watch Days returns from September 2 to 6, Revolution confirms the return of its annual Horological Symposiums.

Taking place across three afternoons, this year’s programme will examine three questions shaping contemporary watchmaking: how we define authorship and craft, whether watches still need to be designed specifically for women, and whether there remains a viable middle ground between the industry’s largest groups and its smallest independents.

Watchmakers vs Movement Constructors

The core debate: Is watchmaking now defined more by calibre construction than traditional craft?

Traditional watchmakers refine and reinterpret established mechanical systems, while movement constructors often begin with the architecture of the calibre itself. The panel will explore where the two disciplines overlap, where they diverge and how each contributes to our understanding of modern independent watchmaking.

Thursday, September 3, 2–3pm

Moderator: Constant Kwong

Panellists:

• Mathieu Cleguer — Watchmaking engineer, movement developer and founder of Cleguer Horology, which made its debut in 2026 with the Inspiration One.
• Bernhard Lederer — Independent master watchmaker and movement constructor known for his technically ambitious calibres and extensive research into escapements.
• Jack Forster — Global Editorial Director at The 1916 Company and one of the industry’s most experienced technical watch journalists, with particular expertise in movements, complications and watchmaking history.

Beyond Gender — Do Watchmakers Still Need to Design for Women?

The core debate: We may no longer need to gender watches, but is there still a need to design specifically for women?

For decades, mechanical watches were largely designed with men as the default customer, while women’s watches were often treated as a separate category defined by smaller cases, decorative detailing or jewellery-led design. That model is changing. Buyers increasingly choose watches according to proportion, style and personal taste rather than traditional gender labels. The panel will consider the difference between gendering a product, properly understanding a customer, and whether dedicated design can result in better proportions, greater comfort and more imaginative watchmaking.

Saturday, September 5, 1–2pm

Moderator: Tracey Llewellyn

Panellists:

• Jean-Christophe Babin — President and co-founder of Geneva Watch Days and former CEO of Bulgari and TAG Heuer, with decades of experience across both watchmaking and jewellery.
• Marie Lehnherr — Head of Communication, Subsidiaries Europe, at Frédérique Constant, a brand that continues to develop dedicated women’s collections alongside its broader mechanical offering.
• Ash Longet — Watch journalist and Communication & Project Manager at Watchonista, covering contemporary watch culture, changing consumer behaviour and the way brands communicate with different audiences.
• Alexandre Beauregard — Founder and creative force behind Beauregard, whose work brings high jewellery and mechanical watchmaking together.
• Suzanne Wong — Veteran watch journalist and co-founder of Watch Femme, a platform created to advance women’s voices and perspectives within the watch world.

The Great Polarisation — Is There Still Space Between Giants and Independents?

The core debate: Is the mid-tier Swiss watch brand structurally disappearing? Where is mainstream today?

The watch industry is increasingly being pulled towards two poles. At one end are global luxury groups with scale, distribution power, substantial marketing budgets and deep manufacturing resources. At the other are independent makers and smaller brands offering scarcity, distinctive products and closer relationships with collectors. The difficult territory lies in between. This panel will ask whether the middle of the market is genuinely shrinking or simply being reinvented.

Sunday, September 6, 2–3pm

Moderator: Constant Kwong

Panellists:

• Davide Cerrato — CEO of Bremont, bringing the perspective of an independent brand undergoing a significant repositioning in product, pricing and identity.
• Naoya Hida — Founder and CEO of Naoya Hida & Co., a small Japanese independent producing highly limited watches through a very different model of scale, distribution and collector engagement.
• Roy Davidoff — Geneva-based vintage watch dealer, collector and co-founder of Roy & Sacha Davidoff SA, bringing a secondary-market perspective and direct insight into the qualities that sustain long-term collectability and demand.