Q&A: JCK bullish about its watch offering in Vegas

Ever since its inception in 1992, JCK Las Vegas has been a staple part of the jewelry and watch calendar in North America each year. From its relatively small roots, the trade show today is on a truly enormous scale, with literally thousands of exhibitors and tens of thousands of visitors. Set in the Venetian on the Vegas strip, this year sees the event put a large emphasis on its timepiece offering, under its ‘Timepieces at Luxury & JCK’ umbrella. Watch Insider caught up with Sarin Bachmann, Senior Vice President, to discuss why watches are coming to the fore this year, and how this strategic pivot has come about.

Watch Insider: ‘Timepieces at Luxury & JCK’ seems to be a key focus this year. How big can this side of the show get in the coming years?

Sarin Bachmann: Timepieces at Luxury & JCK represent a long-term strategic focus on the watch category. We are not simply adding more watch brands to the Luxury and JCK experience at The Venetian. We are building a true destination for watch brands and retail, as well as education in that sector, within the most important jewelry trade event globally. 

The 2026 launch is an important milestone. We have an impressive roster of committed brands including Citizen Watch US, Frederique Constant, Alpina Watches, Accutron, Bulova, Movado Group, Victorinox, Shinola, G-Shock, Casio, and Fossil Group, among others. All of the brands have chosen JCK and Luxury as their exclusive Las Vegas showcase, which speaks volumes about the opportunity they see here. 

What truly elevates this initiative is our collaboration with leading organizations such as the Fondation Haute Horlogerie and RedBar Group. We are creating an ecosystem that blends commerce, education, and community. The Fondation Haute Horlogerie will deliver the highest-level global watch education tailored to North American retailers. 

The American Watchmakers-Clockmakers Institute will return with its Mobile Classroom to provide hands-on technical training, while RedBar will activate the collector and executive communities in meaningful ways. 

We do see this area of the show growing even further in the coming years. 2026 is just the beginning. We have secured additional ballrooms in the Venetian and are building this thoughtfully. We will continue to scale strategically, growing with the right additional brands and partners into 2027 and beyond. Having a North American trade show presence makes a lot of business sense for the industry, watch brands included, and where better to do that than the largest gathering of retailers in the US. 

WI: Independent watch brands are really enjoying their time in the sun at the moment, but they’re largely not relevant to the retailers that form the majority of your show’s visitors. Is there ever a temptation to diversify to accommodate these types of brands, or do you worry that this would dilute the point behind JCK? And what about the secondary market?

SB: JCK has always been about serving our audiences, including our core retail audience and exhibiting brands and designers that are both anchors and up-and-coming names. Our strength lies in the diversity of our audience and our exhibitors. That diversity gives us flexibility, and showcases the true nature of what JCK does for the businesses it serves. Many in our audience come to JCK to discover what is new and next, not to only buy more of what they already have.

JCK is a B2B trade event built around conducting business safely and securely for the trade industry. Every category we introduce is intended to create meaningful commercial opportunities for both exhibitors and buyers of all company sizes from small and emerging to very large and established. As one of the industry’s largest and most comprehensive marketplaces, JCK also serves as a powerful launchpad for brands looking to expand their reach, build retail partnerships, and establish credibility at scale. 

A testament to this success can be seen in our Design Collective neighborhood at JCK and the Design at Luxury area. These curated areas became this homebase for new emerging designers, while also becoming their own oasis amongst the vastness of the entire show. We have some new exciting designer additions each year, including a partnership with NouvelleBox in Luxury, and Out of the Jewel Box (OBJ) in JCK Design Collective for 2026. These communities have a personalized approach to their show planning and unique exhibiting packages that are built to bring them success with retailers, the media and beyond. 

The same is true for our watch community at Timepieces at Luxury & JCK. We welcome a curated selection of independent watch brands who are looking to open new opportunities of business with retail stores, those who are looking to earn more brand recognition, or perhaps just simply to find which audience works for them. It’s all possible here, and the opportunities for true success are moldable to fit every unique goal.

WI: How ‘American-centric’ is JCK as a show? Do you have a rough idea of the percentage of visitors that are domestic versus international? And how would you like this balance to change (if at all) in the coming years?

SB: JCK is a truly global event. Each year, we welcome more than 30,000 jewelry and watch industry professionals from over 100 countries. While North America represents a significant portion of our audience, the international presence is substantial and growing. International attendance measures over 25% of the attending visitor audience, with the remaining coming to Las Vegas from all states.  

Las Vegas provides an accessible global hub. Brands use JCK as their North American launchpad, and international buyers attend because they can source across every major category in one location. 

As the watch category expands, we anticipate even stronger international engagement, particularly from Europe and Asia, where watch culture runs deep.

WI: What can visitors expect from JCK outside of show hours? Will there be any events or activations that they might be interested in attending, or is this side of things very much up to individual exhibitors?

SB: JCK is more than a trade show, it’s considered a truly anticipated “can’t-wait-to-attend” event every year. It is the annual gathering point for the global jewelry and watch industry, bringing together the community for imperative networking, conversations and moments that build long-lasting relationships. The well-known favorite, JCK Rocks, will once again close the show on Sunday, May 31 with a major live performance at TAO Beach and TAO Nightclub (headlining artist to be announced soon).  We will also host the JCK Keynote on Saturday morning before the show floor opens, setting the tone for the days ahead.

In addition, there are important partner celebrations and industry events throughout the week, including a welcome watch cocktail event in the watch ballrooms on Friday afternoon, as well as fundraising events such as the Diamonds Do Good Awards, Facets, an evening benefiting Jewelers for Children, the Le Vian Red Carpet Revue, the annual invitation-only gala hosted by The Plumb Club, and more.

For the watch community, RedBar Group will host a global meet-up for collectors. These curated gatherings foster authentic connections between brands, retailers, media, and enthusiasts.

Beyond the headline events, the magic often happens during the in-between moments. Dinners, spontaneous meetings, product previews, and unexpected collaborations are part of what makes JCK so dynamic. The scale of the event creates opportunity at every turn.

WI: To what extent do JCK and COUTURE complement each other, and to what extent are you direct competitors? When I think of New York Watch Week, and how naturally WindUp and WatchTime sit side by side, it makes me wonder how you view the equivalent dynamic in Vegas.

SB: JCK is the anchor event in Las Vegas. With more than 1,900 exhibitors spanning every sector of the business, we represent the full spectrum of the jewelry industry, from sourcing and manufacturing to branded collections, technology and tools, along with a rapidly expanding watch sector. Our scale and diversity are unmatched, and that breadth is exactly what draws the global trade community to Las Vegas each year.

In addition, Luxury begins two days before JCK as an exclusive, invitation-only experience in the Venetian Ballrooms, and then opens to the entire JCK audience for the remainder of the show. It’s a premier destination for elite retailers, designer brands, and manufacturers to conduct business in a secure, highly curated environment. Exclusive for the first two days and designed for high-end retailers and brands, Luxury is intentional at every touchpoint, featuring curated networking, elevated amenities, personalized experiences, and morning breakfast keynote sessions that inform and inspire.

Education is also central to our value proposition. The JCK Talks program returns with a robust schedule led by industry experts, covering business management, AI and analytics, trends, regulations, and more. Buyers can also upgrade their badge to access the new JCK Talks Signature Series (included with JCK PRO), a dedicated track offering deeper dives into AI, business strategy, experience marketing, and economic forecasting for those looking to gain a competitive edge. In the watch category, the Fondation Haute Horlogerie (FHH) will bring educational resources and expertise to the event. This collaboration aligns with FHH’s focus on expanding its reach in the North American market, particularly by providing high-level watch education for retailers, and with JCK’s mission to offer a comprehensive experience for watch buyers in Las Vegas.

Other events serve smaller, unique segments of the jewelry market, while JCK remains the foundation and the true industry authority.  As the industry’s most comprehensive global show, we unite professionals to buy, sell, network, learn, and discover. That breadth, energy, and accessibility are what define us, and make us the one destination where retailers spend the majority of their time and their budgets, and the one that you can’t afford to miss.