Next weekend, September 27-29, 2024, Toronto will host its first watch fair. In fact, I believe The Toronto Timepiece Show will be the first major watch event in Canada since the 2019 Salon de Montreal.
Jason Hutton is the man responsible. He founded his own microbrand, Zenea Watches, five years ago. I met him in late 2023 while we were preparing for our respective watch shows and found that his motivations for hosting such an event were very similar to mine; he enjoyed watch fairs and appreciated their value to small brands, but he was frustrated that no one was hosting one nearby, or in Jason’s case, in his country.
Toronto is the most populous city in Canada, with a bustling economy fueled by the finance, tech, and life science industries. As such, it is home to a large watch enthusiast community. The event will take place at the Courtyard Marriott on 475 Yonge Street in downtown Toronto. It starts with an invitation-only Creators Evening on Friday night for press, influences, and special guests. Public hours are Saturday and Sunday and will feature shopping, interaction, and giveaways, and a series of industry experts will present throughout the day on Saturday.
Christopher Ward, Oris, and StrapsCo are the event’s Platinum Sponsors, and forty-seven other watch brands, strap makers, and authorized dealers from across Canada and around the globe will fill the 5,500-square-foot exhibition space.
You can check out the full roster at torontotimepieceshow.com; however, if you have not already registered, that’s about as far as you can go. The response for this year’s event was overwhelming, and ticket reservations for both days were booked solid weeks ago. If you didn’t snag your reservation, don’t worry; Jason is already busy planning his next two events. You can sign up for updates at the Toronto Timepiece website.
