Roundup: The Panels of Windup Watch Fair Chicago

One of the highlights of the Windup Watch Fair in Chicago last month was the plethora of amazing panels that took place throughout all three days of the event. Between our kick-off event with our friends at CD Peacock and a stellar panel and podcasting room at Venue West, we had no problem creating the kind of content that we’re fond of making here at Worn & Wound. Fortunately, we had a slew of incredible industry professionals on site to glean some great insights as well! Here’s a roundup of panels from the show.

Kick-off Event at CD Peacock

The festivities began with a kickoff party on the Thursday night before the show with our friends at CD Peacock. They were kind enough to open the doors and extend the hours of their stunning new retail environment located at the Oakbrook Center in Oakbrook, IL. Vice Chairman, Steven Holtzman joined Worn & Wound’s Co-founder Zach Weiss and Managing Editor, Zach Kazan for an in-depth discussion focused on watchmaking, the watch market landscape, and the importance of independent and niche brands in the marketplace.

Rewriting the Design Language of Watches with Brew

There are several tried-and-true watch designs that companies—new and old—draw from. This classic design language relies on very small alterations and nuances over time. The belief often is, do what sells. This panel, moderated by Zach Kazan, Managing Editor at Worn & Wound, featuring Jonathan Ferrer, Designer & Founder at Brew; Bradley Price, Owner at Autodromo; and Zach Weiss, Co-founder at Worn & Wound discussed the risks and rewards of rewriting the design language that we know so well.

Intriguing On-ramps into the World of Watches

Abingdon Mullin and Marc Frankel are entrepreneurs who have each carved unique businesses within the watch industry. In their own ways, their companies have opened the world of watches to nontraditional consumers and enthusiasts. Moderated by Zach Kazan, Managing Editor at Worn & Wound, he unpacks their personal on-ramps into the world of watches and how each of them in their own way are creating original on-ramps for more and more budding collectors.

The Future of the Sport Watch with Alpina

Moderator Kyle Snarr, Head of Partnerships at Worn & Wound, and our guest Oliver van Lanschot Hubrecht, Brand Director at Alpina dig into the legacy of Alpina, as well as the history of sport watches generally. They explore Alpina’s most successful sport watches to date. And most importantly, they look into what kinds of technology, materials, and innovations—blended with heritage—that Alpina is currently leveraging to create the future of the sport watch.

The Science, Innovation, and Technology of Watchmaking with Oris

On the heels of the recent updates to the Oris Aquis, Oris has spent decades carefully building its business through science, innovation, and technology. Moderated by Worn & Wound Managing Editor Zach Kazan, we catch up with V.J. Geronimo, CEO—The Americas at Oris and special guest Ipy Siegrist, Product Development Manager at Oris who brings a unique perspective on how Oris is bringing best-in-class technical knowhow to the world of  independent watchmaking.

Choosing to Live the Watch Professional Life with Christopher Ward

With several recent trend-setting designs and innovations, as well as their first showroom opening in North America, Christopher Ward is on a roll. Zach Kazan, Managing Editor at Worn & Wound, sat down with Michael Pearson, North American Brand Director at Christopher Ward to talk about his love of watches, and how choosing to live the professional watch life has shaped his career and the future of this thoroughly Anglo/Swiss brand in the US.

The Grey NATO x Worn & Wound Podcast LIVE!

For the third year in a row, Jason Heaton and James Stacey of The Grey Nato Podcast, joined forces with the Worn & Wound Podcast for a live recording. Moderated by Zach Kazan, Managing Editor at Worn & Wound, and Zach Weiss, Co-founder at Worn & Wound, they go over some of the latest news breaking in the world of watches and discuss some of the standout watches from the Windup Watch Fair Chicago.

Be sure to join us at Center415 right on 5th Avenue in Manhattan on October 18th-20th for 2024’s Windup Watch Fair NYC! We can’t wait to see you there.