Baselworld Watch and Jewellery Show is a global

trade show A trade fair, also known as trade show, trade exhibition, or trade exposition, is an exhibition organized so that companies in a specific industry can showcase and demonstrate their latest products and services, meet with industry partners and cu ...

of the international

watch A watch is a portable timepiece intended to be carried or worn by a person. It is designed to keep a consistent movement despite the motions caused by the person's activities. A wristwatch is designed to be worn around the wrist, attached by ...

jewellery Jewellery ( UK) or jewelry (U.S.) consists of decorative items worn for personal adornment, such as brooches, rings, necklaces, earrings, pendants, bracelets, and cufflinks. Jewellery may be attached to the body or the clothes. From a wester ...

and

gem A gemstone (also called a fine gem, jewel, precious stone, or semiprecious stone) is a piece of mineral crystal which, in cut and polished form, is used to make jewelry or other adornments. However, certain rocks (such as lapis lazuli, opal, a ...

industry, organized each spring in the city of

Basel , french: link=no, Bâlois(e), it, Basilese , neighboring_municipalities= Allschwil (BL), Hégenheim (FR-68), Binningen (BL), Birsfelden (BL), Bottmingen (BL), Huningue (FR-68), Münchenstein (BL), Muttenz (BL), Reinach (BL), Riehen (BS ...

, Switzerland, at the Messeplatz. The last Baselworld was held March 21–26, 2019. In 2020 and 2021 the event was not held due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...

, and the 2022 event has been cancelled as well. Baselworld is part of

MCH Group MCH Group AG is an international live marketing company headquartered in Basel, Switzerland. It takes in several exhibition companies in Switzerland and organizes and hosts about 90 exhibitions, including the Art Basel shows in Basel, Miami Be ...

, which organizes around 30 live marketing platforms in

Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...

and abroad, including

Art Basel Art Basel is a for-profit, privately owned and managed, international art fair staged annually in Basel, Switzerland; Miami Beach; Hong Kong and from 2022, Paris. Art Basel works in collaboration with the host city's local institutions to help ...

Miami Beach Miami Beach is a coastal resort city in Miami-Dade County, Florida. It was incorporated on March 26, 1915. The municipality is located on natural and man-made barrier islands between the Atlantic Ocean and Biscayne Bay, the latter of which sep ...

and

Hong Kong Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China ( abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China on the eastern Pearl River Delt ...

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. 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, for instance ''BASEL 83''. In 1986, companies from outside Europe were included for the first time, reflecting the increased number of visitors from the old continent. 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. However, the

Swatch Group The Swatch Group Ltd is a Swiss manufacturer of watches and jewellery. The company was founded in 1983 by the merger of ASUAG and SSIH to move to manufacturing quartz-crystal watches to resolve the quartz crisis threatening the traditional Sw ...

communicated that they would no longer attend the next Baselworld with any of their brands in that year as well. In the following year (2019) Baselworld announced that they would coordinate their dates from 2020 until 2024 with

SIHH Watches and Wonders (formerly Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie, SIHH) is a trade show of the international watch and jewelry industry. It is organized by the Fondation de la Haute Horlogerie (FHH) and takes place at Palexpo in Geneva, Sw ...

, and the management presented a new concept for Baselworld. The show will evolve from a classic trade fair to an experience platform and will also address consumers. In April 2020

Rolex Rolex SA () is a British-founded Swiss watch designer and manufacturer based in Geneva, Switzerland. Founded in 1905 as ''Wilsdorf and Davis'' by Hans Wilsdorf and Alfred Davis in London, the company registered ''Rolex'' as the brand name of ...

Patek Philippe Patek Philippe SA is a Swiss luxury watch and clock manufacturer, located in the Canton of Geneva and the Vallée de Joux. Established in 1839, it is named after two of its founders, Antoni Patek and Adrien Philippe. Since 1932, the company ha ...

Chopard Le Petit-Fils de L.-U. Chopard & Cie S.A., commonly known as Chopard, is a Swiss manufacturer and retailer of luxury watches, jewellery and accessories. Founded in 1860 by Louis-Ulysse Chopard in Sonvilier, Switzerland, Chopard has been owned by ...

Chanel Chanel ( , ) is a French high-end luxury fashion house founded in 1910 by Coco Chanel in Paris. Chanel specializes in women's ready-to-wear, luxury goods, and accessories and licenses its name and branding to Luxottica for eyewear. Chanel is ...

and Tudor announced that they would be pulling out of Baselworld and host their own fair in April 2021.

The new Baselworld

The management of Baselworld used the involuntary break, due to the

Covid-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...

, to rethink the concept and enhance the experience for the entire community online and on-site. The new concept focuses on providing primarily a B2B platform in the mid-luxury segment. The Baselworld 2.0 shall be a platform where mid- and high-end

and

companies can present their products. Moreover,

retail Retail is the sale of goods and services to consumers, in contrast to wholesaling, which is sale to business or institutional customers. A retailer purchases goods in large quantities from manufacturers, directly or through a wholesaler, and t ...

ers shall get an easy and efficient access to the industry. Besides the main physical event in spring (the next one will take place from the 31st of March until the 4th of April 2022) in Basel, the new Baselworld will be a digital platform „supplemented by live events, which will be available to the

and

industry around the clock, 356 days a year, worldwide”. For instance, there will be a Baselworld pop up event from August 30 to September 3, 2021, in

Geneva Geneva ( ; french: Genève ) frp, Genèva ; german: link=no, Genf ; it, Ginevra ; rm, Genevra is the List of cities in Switzerland, second-most populous city in Switzerland (after Zürich) and the most populous city of Romandy, the French-speaki ...

. The digital platform will provide a networking hub, which interconnects all players, so everyone will meet on our platform. The

brand A brand is a name, term, design, symbol or any other feature that distinguishes one seller's good or service from those of other sellers. Brands are used in business, marketing, and advertising for recognition and, importantly, to create an ...

s, the manufacturers, the

ers, the fans and the media, explained Michel Loris Melikoff the

managing director A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a central executive officer (CEO), chief administrator officer (CAO) or just chief executive (CE), is one of a number of corporate executives charged with the management of an organization especially ...

of Baselworld. As a result of the release in fall, Baselworld will be the first independent platform which combines digital and live events.

References

External links

Baselworld official websiteBaselworld Event Coverage on DreamChrono Watch BlogBaselworld Event Coverage on WorldTempusThe Instagram account of BaselworldThe YouTube channel of Baselworld
{{Coord missing, Switzerland 1917 establishments in Switzerland Economy of Switzerland Trade fairs in Switzerland Horological organizations Tourist attractions in Basel

History

The new Baselworld

See also

References

External links