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The SalonQP watch fair returns to London's Saatchi Gallery
James Gurney, founder of QP magazine and its annual exhibition, on how the event has grown and what to expect this year
SalonQP sprang out of QP magazine [an abbreviation of "quantieme perpetuel", the French term for perpetual calendar], which is all about insight and spending time with the people who design and make watches. The event was launched in 2009 so collectors and buyers could meet the people who make the watches in a way that wasn't previously possible unless you went to Switzerland.
The first two SalonQP events were held at One Marylebone, in London, with 1,500 to 2,000 people coming through the doors to see 16 brands. We've since moved to the Saatchi Gallery in Chelsea and more than 80 brands will be exhibiting this year, with close to 10,000 visitors expected to attend.
A key SalonQP strength is that it gives a platform to independent watch brands, as well as new and emerging British watchmakers who are making their debut. We're proud to be able to give a significant boost to emerging brands by putting them in front of collectors, media and retailers in a way that's very effective.
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The event is all about the brands and the people behind them, so we try to put the watch world in context in various ways with a carefully planned programme of events and masterclasses encompassing design, craft and history. There is an exhibition on the history of diving watches and one on world-timer watches that gives an insight into where they came from, what the design and technical issues were and the key players. It's educational but interesting.
London is hugely important for the watch industry and it's not just the number of people living or visiting here who are buying watches – London is a city the world looks to because it's at the forefront of many different industries, from art and design to fashion and finance.
JAMES GURNEY founded QP magazine in 2003, subsequently launching the annual fine watch fair, SalonQP. It takes place from 3 to 5 November at the Saatchi Gallery, Duke Of York's HQ, King's Road, London SW3 4RY, with tickets from £20; salonqp.com
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