World Watch Day: the watch world celebrates craft as living heritage on 10/10
The second World Watch Day brought more than 55 events worldwide. In Sainte-Croix, the talk was about how watchmaking skills are passed on.
Photo: Hadi / Wikimedia Commons, CC0 (cropped and resized)
Video: YouTube · Association Mec-Art · youtube.com
World Watch Day was held for the second time on 10 October – a nod to the 10:10 position of a watch's hands. This year's theme was "Time as Living Heritage". According to watch journalist Roberta Naas (A Timely Perspective), more than 55 events and initiatives took place worldwide, including exhibitions, workshops and digital activities. The first edition in 2025 reached more than six million people, she writes; enthusiasts were invited to share a wrist shot at 10:10.
In the Swiss watchmaking village of Sainte-Croix, according to SJX, the focus was a round-table on preserving and passing on watchmaking and mechanical-art skills, organised by Association Mec-Art and the local museum MuMAPS. Speakers included De Bethune co-founder Denis Flageollet, automaton maker François Junod and watchmaker Vianney Halter, with Pierre Maillard of Europa Star moderating. Association Mec-Art has published a video of the day on YouTube.
Brands marked the date too: Raymond Weil commemorated its founder, who would have turned 100 on 10 October 2026. The Geneva brand, which is also celebrating its 50th anniversary, introduced the Freelancer World-Traveller, limited to 260 pieces – a 40mm watch with a GMT hand, a rotating 24-city ring and a relief world map on the dial, as Time+Tide and Hodinkee report.