Miami might just be America’s new hub for watches. At least, that’s what Craig Robins, CEO of Dacra Development and developer of the Miami Design District, wants to happen. “We recognized that in the United States, there was a pretty significant void,” he explains. “There wasn’t a major, international-caliber watch and fine jewelry event that was open to the public and available to consumers.” Robins’ realization led to Watches & Wonders, an event that highlighted high-end watchmakers like Cartier, IWC, Tag Heuer, Piaget, and Audemars Piguet and others. The first iteration was put on in collaboration with Swiss outfit Foundation Haute Horlogerie (FHH), which seeks to promote fine watchmaking around the world. It was held in Miami earlier this month and hosted the U.S. debut of super-luxurious, highly collectible timepieces that had previously been unveiled at Geneva’s Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie only a month before. “It was the best-attended weekend we’ve ever had in the Design District,” Robins told Esquire. More than 200,000 people attended Watches & Wonders, along with many more who came to the city for the yacht show, classic cars show, and vintage Italian motorcycle showcase that took place simultaneously. Why Miami? “We chose Miami because it is a hub between North America and South America,” FHH chairwoman and managing director Fabienne Lupo told The New York Times before the event, according to Esquire. “Nothing had been done in Miami in terms of a fine watchmaking event, and we really wanted to put it on the map.”
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