Luxury watchmakers are adapting to attract tech-savvy Gen Zs and millennials: from virtual try-on Cartier timepieces on Snapchat and selfie-inspired Hermès designs to bitcoin sales and the Apple Watch

Apr 16 , 2023

A woman visits the Watches and Wonders Geneva 2023 at the Palexpo in Geneva, Switzerland, on March 27. Photo: Xinhua

Generation Z and millennials are expected to be the next big consumer market, as both generations are already showing an early interest in luxury goods, according to a study by Bain & Co.

At the Watches and Wonders trade fair in Geneva, brands like Rolex, Cartier and Patek Philippe showed off their new collections, with Swiss timepiece labels proving that they are aware of the trend

Luxury watchmakers are using Snapchat and bitcoin to woo Generation Z, unused to wearing something on the wrist, believing younger buyers could become a powerful driver of sales growth for top-end timepieces.

A watchmaker demonstrates watch craftsmanship during the Watches and Wonders Geneva 2023 at the Palexpo in Geneva, Switzerland, on March 27. Photo: Xinhua

Millennials (born between 1980 and the late 1990s) and Generation Z (born between 1997 and 2010) are taking an early interest in luxury goods, according to a study by management consultants Bain & Company and the Italian luxury brands association Altagamma Foundation.

Their spending is expected to increase three times faster than that of other generations by 2030, it said.

A man takes photos of exhibits during the Watches and Wonders Geneva 2023 at the Palexpo in Geneva, Switzerland, on March 27. Photo: Xinhua

At last week’s Watches and Wonders trade fair in Geneva, where 48 brands such as Rolex, Cartier and Patek Philippe showed off their latest creations, Swiss watchmakers were well aware of the trend.

“It is very important that once a year we showcase that wearing a watch is trendy, and even something for the youngest generation which is not used to wearing watches,” Rolex chief executive Jean-Frederic Dufour said during the annual fair.

The sector needs to reach out to a generation “used to seeing everything on a screen”, he said.

On a stand dedicated to innovation, representatives from the Snapchat instant messaging app showed off an application that lets people try on watches virtually, via a smartphone or tablet.

QReal | Virtually try on #MichaelKors gold tone #watches with QReal's new Snapchat lens!

It adapts to the user’s wrist to try on, for example, Cartier’s flagship models, and even allows them to customise the colours of Hublot watches.

In a nod to this generation, Hermès presented a collection with designs inspired by its silk scarves, including one representing a princess on horseback taking a selfie photo.