Baselworld

Baselworld Watch and Jewellery Show is a trade show of the international watch and jewellery industry, organized each spring in the city of Basel, Switzerland, at Messe Basel.

Baselworld outside view
The building of Messe Basel, designed by Herzog & de Meuron

It comprises about 2,100 exhibitors from over 45 countries, including the leading watch and jewellery brands, as well as companies specializing in precious gems. The show attracts over 94,000 visitors.

The latest Baselworld was held March 21–26, 2019.[1] The 2020 event was disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Baselworld belongs to the MCH Group, which also organizes Art Basel in Basel, Miami Beach and Hong Kong.

History

The show dates back to 1917 with the opening of the first Schweizer Mustermesse Basel (muba), of which a section was devoted to watches and jewellery.[2] In 1925, muba invited several watch manufacturers to participate. In 1931, the Schweizer Uhrenmesse (Swiss Watch Show) was first held in a dedicated pavilion. After 1972's Europe's meeting place exhibition, companies from France, Italy, Germany, and the United Kingdom were also invited. In 1983, the show changed its name to BASEL with two numerals denoting the exhibition year, e.g., BASEL 83. In 1986, companies from outside Europe were included for the first time, reflecting the increased number of visitors from outside Europe. In 1995, the show was renamed to BASEL 95 - The World Watch, Clock and Jewellery Show In 1999, a new hall with 36,000 sq m of exhibition space was added. The year 2000 saw an increase of 6% in trade visitors. In 2003 the show was again renamed to Baselworld, The Watch and Jewellery Show. In 2004, with the introduction of a new hall complex, the exhibition area extended to 160,000 square meters, and attracted more than 89,000 visitors. In 2018, Baselworld saw a significant drop in exhibitors to 650, and the duration of the exhibition was shortened by two days, although attendance remained stable.[3] In addition, Baselworld announced that it and SIHH will coordinate their dates from 2020 until 2024.[4] In 2019, with the withdrawal of Swatch Group (they had announced in 2018 that they would no longer attend Baselworld 2019 with any of their brands), the show has been reduced by one day.[5] In 2019, the show management announced a new concept for Baselworld. The show is to be developed from a classic trade fair to an experience platform and will also address consumers.[6][7] In April 2020 Rolex, Patek Philippe, Chopard, Chanel and Tudor announced that they would be pulling out of Baselworld and host their own fair in April 2021.[8]

See also

References
  1. Official page
  2. 1917-2017: A Brief Retrospective Of 100 Years Of Baselworld
  3. Baselworld Press Release
  4. Baselworld News
  5. Naas, Roberta. "Swatch Group Brands Quit Baselworld And What It Means For The Watch Industry". Forbes.
  6. "Baselworld Becomes The Story: Baselworld 2020 And Beyond Will See Big (And Positive) Changes". Quill & Pad. 2019-03-26. Retrieved 2019-12-17.
  7. network, The unique live marketing. "Future of Baselworld: from a trade fair to an experience platform". www.mch-group.com. Retrieved 2019-12-17.
  8. HOW BASELWORLD SCREWED ITSELF INTO OBLIVION: How the world’s mightiest and most powerful watch fair made precisely the right moves to guarantee its self-destruction WEI KOH, The Rake, April 2020

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