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Greetings fellow watch enthusiasts!
One of the biggest, if not the biggest, events of the year for any watch manufacturer, brand, enthusiast or collector is the annual Basel Watch Fair in Basel, Switzerland.
Having referenced it more than a few times on the show, it’s occurred to me that perhaps not every subscriber necessarily knows what it is, or the significance it carries within the watch industry.
With this event being only a few weeks away, I thought this would be a good time to talk a bit about the experience. s of Time: Basel – A Look at the World-Famous
Watch and Jewelry Show
Its full name is Baselworld: The Watch and Jewelry Show and simply put, it is the biggest, baddest gathering of watch enthusiasts in the world, bar none.
This show draws tens of thousands of fans who descend upon Basel, Switzerland, to see and be seen, marvel at the latest in design and innovation from thousands of exhibitors and to rub shoulders with the men and women who created them.
This is not just about watches as a finished product. Indeed, here you will also find exhibits from manufacturers of individual components, such as movement makers, dial-smiths, designers, clockmakers, strap makers, crystal producers and beyond.
There is an entire area dedicated to just the industrial machinery used in the creation of the components and the business written at this show will total hundreds of millions of dollars. As well, the decisions made during this important show will dictate the trends that will impact the industry for years to come.
The Baselworld show is held in a series of six buildings, grouped loosely together in an industrial part of Basel, very near the central train station. The place is a hive of activity all day, with vans and buses ferrying the throngs of people to and fro, though I find that the sites are actually well within walking distance of one another (weather permitting).
The buildings are termed “halls” and the hall that invariably attracts the most attention is the “Hall of Dreams.” This is where the faithful from around the world congregate to see the latest offerings from the likes of Patek Philippe, Rolex, Zenith, Nardin, Harry Winston and Gevril, among many others of the most sought-after luxury brands.
“Opulent” doesn’t even begin to adequately describe many of the displays, nor does the word “booth” apply. Many of the displays are quite literally buildings standing several stories high and crafted from materials ranging from marble to various woods and metals, all the way to Lalique crystal.
For example, the Breitling booth is modeled after an airplane hangar and stands four stories tall. Inside, it has a Bentley automobile suspended in mid-air as its centerpiece and it’s incredible, to say the least.
A second section of the Hall of Dreams showcases some of the world’s greatest connoisseur lines, such as Vincent Calabrese, Kiu Tai Yu and Thomas Prescher, just to name few.
Basically, if you’re looking for a handmade quadruple axis flying tourbillon, this is home. As a note of interest, Jean Marcel has exhibited in this section for the past few years with great success.
Hall 2 houses the latest in exquisite jewelry design and from there, the buildings fan out and house lesser-profile brands, accessories and machinery. Most recently, an entire pavilion has been dedicated to the production and designs produced in China and other Asian countries, whose presence is being felt around the jewelry and watch world.
This show is gigantic and taking in even just some of the sights, on a practical level, truly takes a minimum of several long days. Think of it as a Smithsonian on a somewhat smaller scale.
While it is a lot of work to see much of what’s being exhibited, it is a labor of love and an experience that if the opportunity comes along, I highly recommend it to any watch enthusiast.
I’ll be bringing back a ton of great information for you from Basel, which we’ll present in the Lines of Time newsletter, so stay tuned.
Last edited on Fri Mar 10th, 2006 01:07 pm by tny795