Watch Week Aspen 2026 Wraps Its Biggest Edition Yet
A weekend of watches in the Rockies
Watch Week Aspen returned to Colorado last weekend for its third and largest edition yet, bringing more than 300 attendees to downtown Aspen for four days of new watches, collector gatherings, educational programming, and outdoor events.
Co-founded by Oliver Smith Jeweler, Watch Week Aspen takes a different approach from the traditional watch fair, spreading its programming across boutiques, galleries, hotels, and public spaces rather than concentrating everything under one roof. This year's edition included 40 events and a record 19 participating watch brands, retailers, and industry partners.
WatchTime joined this year as an official event partner. At Oliver Smith Jeweler, WatchTime moderated "In Conversation: The Independent Revolution," featuring Moritz Grossmann Founder and CEO Christine Hutter, George Reid, Director of Fine Timepieces, and Cyrus Watches' Mirko Bertolucci. The panel looked at the growing collector interest around independent watchmaking and where the category goes next.
WatchTime also took part in the closing Collector's Dinner at W Aspen, joining guests for watch trivia and a friendly collector competition.
New Watches and Brand Highlights
Several brands used the weekend to unveil new pieces. Norqain debuted its Independence Skeleton Titanium DLC at Oliver Smith Jeweler, while Glashütte Original and L. Leroy each introduced new watches during their respective events.
Elsewhere, A. Lange & Söhne brought its "Lumen" collection, Hermès offered a closer look at the mechanics and thinking behind Le temps suspendu, and Meridian Jewelers presented new and rare pieces from IWC. Omega focused on the Speedmaster, Buccellati showed watches from its Macri and Tulle collections, and Avi & Co. brought a selection of new and rare pieces.
Arnold & Son, Blancpain, Cyrus Watches, Gerald Charles, and Moritz Grossmann were among the other participating brands, while Avi & Co., Betteridge, Meridian Jewelers, M.S. Rau, and Oliver Smith Jeweler joined as retail partners.
Beyond the Boutique
As in previous editions, plenty of the weekend happened outside the usual watch-show setting. Norqain hosted the first Watch Week Aspen 3K Run, led by U.S. Brand President Emmanuel Bütler, before following it with the brand's "Enjoy Life" ice cream truck activation. Gerald Charles hosted a three-day collector lounge at Oliver Smith Jeweler, then took guests to the courts for tennis and pickleball.
Analog:Shift and Betteridge debuted VintageFest, giving collectors a place to bring out favorite vintage watches and spend some time around historic pieces. The social side of the weekend included the Golden Hour Welcome Party from Blancpain and Betteridge, SYYNCH's "State of the Market" gathering, and an evening of watches, cocktails, and canapés hosted by Avi & Co.
There was plenty of more traditional watchmaking programming, too. L. Leroy CEO Hugo Lesizza presented the Maison's latest creations alongside a tasting from Accendo Estate, Christine Hutter hosted an afternoon focused on German watchmaking, and Arnold & Son closed the weekend with its latest collection. M.S. Rau also hosted a four-part series covering complications, unconventional design, fine watchmaking, and vintage and pre-owned watches.
Three years in, Watch Week Aspen is starting to feel less like a regional watch gathering and more like a destination event, with serious collector access wrapped into a weekend that could only really happen in Aspen.
