Happenings Switzerland's First Trade Show Dedicated To Pre-Owned Luxury Goods Kicks Off Next Weekend

Well, word came down from Geneva a while back (in 2020, to be exact) that Lupo had resigned from her position as president and CEO of the FHH – and ever since, we've all been wondering where she'd wind up. Now we know: Lupo is helping set up a brand-new event with an even larger thematic scope than her previous gig, focused on the huge world of pre-owned luxury goods. The four-day exhibition is appropriately named ReLuxury, and the inaugural show is set to take place next weekend (November 4-7, 2022), inside Geneva's Hotel President Wilson. When I caught up with her earlier this week, Lupo described it as the first major event solely "dedicated to recommerce and the circular economy surrounding luxury goods."

ReLuxury is about more than just watches and watchmaking, but given Lupo's background and connections – not to mention the location of the debut show – it's no surprise that watches will be at the center of the action. Richard Mille and WatchBox are both positioned as Main Partners of the event. Watch brands like Chronoswiss and Zenith will be exhibiting certified pre-owned (CPO) and vintage models on the showroom floor. Even auction houses like Monaco Legend Group will be present. And of course, eBay looms large as ReLuxury's Founding Partner for the entire event. (In the spirit of full disclosure: Hodinkee is an official ReLuxury media partner.)

But Lupo and her team have done an admirable job of bringing together all sorts of different segments of the luxury collectibles market. If you peruse through the full list of exhibitors, you'll find all sorts of different players in the world of pre-owned goods – there are furniture restorers and cordwainers galore, vintage fashion boutiques, and loupe-in-the-eye jewelry experts. There's even a Swiss electric bike company named Motosacoche that I'm entirely too curious about. Lupo hints that ReLuxury plans to continue to grow the represented categories in future years, with her eyes already set on collectible car dealers, the art market, and contemporary design.

I'll admit – when I first heard about ReLuxury, I assumed it would be primarily a B2B operation, but Lupo stressed to me that that is not the case. In actuality, the show is split into four separate parts to bring in end consumers of all types and backgrounds.

• ReSell: A physical marketplace will take shape on the showroom floor of the President Wilson, and exhibiting brands and companies are encouraged to actively buy and sell with any and all visitors.
• ReThink: A series of panels and discussions with key individuals from a wide variety of luxury industries.
• ReInvent: A so-called "Lab" that is set to showcase a selection of up-and-coming organizations that are prioritizing sustainable luxury.
• ReStore: A "Clinic" where restorers and skilled artisans will host demonstrations that focus on repair and best practices in ownership.

So, just to recap, you can sell a watch you no longer wear at ReLuxury, then buy a different one, all within the same show, plus hit up some panels and check out some pretty cool activations, such as live guilloché demonstrations by the Chronoswiss team.

Lupo decided to host the maiden edition of ReLuxury during the first weekend of November in order to perfectly align it with this fall's Swiss Auction Week, when live sales will be hosted at Antiquorum, Christie's, Phillips, and Sotheby's. At the same time, an international gemstone exhibition known as Gem Genève will be taking place at the Palexpo.

ReLuxury has more than 30 different exhibitors in its first year, and Lupo is confident that the show will continue to grow. And if there's anyone you can trust, it's her. After all, Lupo helped guide the FHH's annual watch-industry trade show from near infancy as SIHH to its dominant presence today as Watches & Wonders, the largest and most influential watch event of the calendar year. Most importantly, this feels like the perfect time to introduce a major event that's focused on the secondary market.

Just consider Deloitte's most recent watch-business report: It reads that the pre-owned luxury watch market is expected to grow up to 75 percent by the end of the 2020s, growing from approximately 20 billion Swiss francs to a total of 35 billion Swiss francs, by the end of 2030. 

With all that interest and potential capital floating around, it makes complete sense that a large-scale exhibition should exist to bring pre-owned vendors and potential clients together.