Twin HKTDC fairs, 40th Hong Kong Watch & Clock Fair and the ninth Salon de TE, attracted around 4,900 industry buyers and over 23,600 visitors. They were jointly organized by the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC), Hong Kong Watch Manufacturers Assocation and Federation of Hong Kong Watch Trades and Industries.

Launched for the first time this year, the online version of the watch fairs will run until September 19. So far, it has arranged 1,100 online business meetings and recorded more than 2,400 buyers browsing products and conducting business discussions online.

HKTDC also conducted an on-site survey during the fairs, interviewing more than 540 exhibitors and buyers. The survey showed, majority of respondents considered recovering purchasing power of customers and e-tailing as the biggest opportunities for their businesses. Additionally, 41 per cent of the exhibitors said, they were already engaged in e-tailing, while 47 per cent said they intend to develop an e-tailing business in the next two years to capture more orders.

In addition, 50 per cent of respondents said, they expect their overall sales to increase. In terms of different markets, 68 per cent of respondents viewed the Mainland China market most favorably, followed by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) region and India As for product trends, smart watches were expected to be the most popular watch category in 2022, followed by mechanical watches and digital analogue watches.