Luxury watchmakers go experiential to woo Gen Z

Even amid global economic uncertainty, the luxury watch sector demonstrates remarkable resilience. Data from Fortune Business Insights shows the luxury watch segment reached $53.69 billion in 2024, projected to rise to $59.97 billion in 2025 and surpass $134.5 billion by 2032 — a compound annual growth rate of 12.23%. Asia-Pacific drives this trajectory, commanding 41.72% of global market share in 2024. Mainland China remains the critical battleground. While high-net-worth individuals (HNWIs) maintain strong purchasing power, younger consumers present a more complex challenge. For established collectors, luxury timepieces remain unambiguous status markers. For China’s emerging affluent — millennials and Gen Z consumers raised on digital experiences and sustainability values — the emotional connection to mechanical watches remains more tentative. The strategic imperative is clear: retain loyalty among traditional clientele while building authentic resonance with the next generation of Chinese luxury consumers. Here are seven case studies from 2025, tracing how leading watch brands are deploying cultural engagement and experiential marketing to deepen consumer connections and extend their influence beyond traditional collecting circles. Jaeger-LeCoultre Jaeger-LeCoultre’s pop-up experiential space, The Dream Shaper, in Shanghai (September 10-26) goes beyond a showcase of watchmaking skill, presenting a century-spanning narrative of women — tracing their journey from tradition to freedom, self-liberation, and ultimately, leadership — while signaling the brand’s strategy to deepen its presence in the women’s watch market. Organized around four themes, the exhibition offers an immersive exploration of Jaeger-LeCoultre’s haute horology and artistic heritage, highlighting the core techniques behind its women’s timepieces. Visitors can witness key steps in the watchmaking process, view iconic mid-20th-century pieces, and experience the brand’s century-long craftsmanship through behind-the-scenes short films. The exhibition underscores Jaeger-LeCoultre’s intent to strengthen its foothold in the female luxury watch market. By linking the evolution of women’s timepieces with broader cultural shifts, the brand seeks to reshape perceptions: women’s complicated watches are not merely jewelry, but high watchmaking works of mechanical depth. Rolex Rolex’s GMT-Master exhibition tour of Hangzhou, Hong Kong, and Macau was a masterclass in narrative consistency across diverse markets. The tour reinforced the GMT-Master’s core proposition since its 1955 debut: crossing time zones and connecting the world through travel. The tour opened in March at MixC Mall in Hangzhou. Picking a tier-two city demonstrated the brand’s expansion beyond traditional Beijing-Shanghai corridors. By framing the GMT-Master's history through commercial aviation — rather than luxury lifestyle — Rolex positioned the watch as a tool of achievement rather than mere decoration. The Hong Kong iteration in May, titled “Time Zone to Time Zone,” evolved the narrative with oversized dials and space-inspired models that spoke to younger consumers’ fascination with technology and exploration. The final Macau stop (July 3-27) juxtaposed vintage references with contemporary GMT-Master II models, creating generational dialogue between heritage collectors and younger enthusiasts. Across each city, the exhibition layered visuals and interactive experiences, inviting audiences to engage with both the design language and the spirit of exploration that define the GMT-Master line. Audemars Piguet The 150th-anniversary “House of Imagination” exhibition in Shanghai (opened May 24) exemplifies how ultra-luxury brands can make traditionally exclusive content accessible without diluting brand prestige. Featuring nearly 200 rare Audemars Piguet timepieces, the exhibition transformed potentially intimidating horological complexity into digestible, social media-friendly experiences. The environment design — from “Winter in Vallée de Joux” ice landscapes to the “Stargazing Observatory” telescope installation — created multiple entry points for different consumer segments. Traditional collectors could appreciate historical pieces, while younger visitors engaged through VR watchmaking experiences and the “Audemars Piguet Café.” The exhibition’s success lies in translating Switzerland’s watchmaking heritage into urban Chinese cultural language. Hublot Hublot celebrated the 20th anniversary of its Big Bang collection with the Big Bang Night in Beijing on May 27. The event, centered on the brand’s ethos of “Art of Fusion,” transformed the venue into a futuristic immersive space. Four interactive zones combined tactile installations, dynamic visuals, and precision displays to showcase the brand’s innovation and craftsmanship. The evening drew an array of luminaries, including pianist Lang Lang, short-track speed skating world champion Lim Hyo-jun. This celebrity association reinforced Hublot’s positioning among creative achievers. On June 18, Hublot resumed its annual watchmaking masterclass in Shanghai, this time themed around “gold.” The brand’s R&D director guided visitors through innovations in precious metals and technical details, offering close-up access to material breakthroughs and hands-on interaction with watchmakers, bridging the gap between young enthusiasts and high-end horology. Van Cleef & Arpels The “Poem of Time” haute horology exhibition (July 1-August 11) at Shanghai’s West Bund Dome addressed a critical challenge: establishing Van Cleef & Arpels as a serious watchmaker, not merely a jewelry brand that also makes timepieces. The show transformed the art space into a flowing temporal tunnel, with four thematic realms — ballet, astronomy, love, and nature — creating a multi-sensory narrative that intertwined aesthetics and mechanics. French and Swiss artisans demonstrated movement finishing and gem-setting techniques, allowing visitors to witness the intricacies of craftsmanship up close. Static displays featured antique pocket watches from 1895 and mechanical astronomical instruments, lending the exhibition a cross-century sense of history. Interactive installations and themed beverage corners offered younger audiences playful engagement and photo opportunities, making the brand story more tangible. The cross-century historical narrative positioned the brand within established horological tradition while maintaining its distinctive aesthetic identity. Vacheron Constantin Vacheron Constantin’s “Les Chemins du Temps” experience in Shanghai’s historic Zhangyuan (opened July 7-20) exemplifies how heritage brands can make centuries of tradition personally relevant to contemporary Chinese consumers. The exhibition focused on two key installations. One showcased the Berkley pocket watch, with 63 complications and China’s first perpetual lunar calendar, presenting mechanical mastery as a narrative of “cosmic time” that sparked curiosity. The second, a dome-themed interactive zone, allowed visitors to enter their birthdays to generate personalized star charts, turning abstract time into tangible, individualized memories. Inspired by motifs from the Forbidden City and works in The Louvre, the displays positioned watches as cultural mediums rather than mere instruments. By bridging traditional craft and contemporary experiences, the exhibition enabled visitors — regardless of their watchmaking knowledge — to form an emotional connection through sensory engagement and cultural resonance. Beyond the exhibition, the narrative extended to the Swiss Embassy in China on August 6, with a forum titled “Legends of Time, Since 1755,” where the Swiss ambassador and horology experts reflected on 270 years of cultural exchanges, linking mechanical artistry with a broader historical dialogue. Omega Omega launched its “Whispers of Time” show on July 29 at Chengdu’s Taikoo Li, where it presented 12 new Aqua Terra 30mm watches. This marked the first release of the series equipped with the Master Chronometer movement in the 30mm size, combining slim, agile design with diverse dials designed to appeal to contemporary women. Through these innovations, Omega is engaging a younger female audience attuned to high-end watch culture. The exhibition’s six interactive zones transformed abstract watchmaking into tactile, shareable experiences, including portrait photography and light-and-shadow installations. The opening drew a constellation of influential women artists — Liu Shishi, Zhou Dongyu, Nazha, Guan Xiaotong, and Ouyang Nana — who showcased the collection through their varied personal styles.

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Luxury watchmakers go experiential to woo Gen Z