05 June 2019 |
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Welcome to the new Baselworld!

by Constantin Bacheș, Basel, Switzerland

2019 was the first year of the new era of the largest and longevously salon dedicated to watches and jewelry around the world. As a result of the decline in the number of exhibitors, I witnessed a changed architecture that personally led me to the exclusivity found at SIHH. Baselworld promised to change and kept its word. And as a result, it seemed that the exposed brands felt better and the stands transmitted a relaxed feeling. Following the trend in Geneva, Basel reconfirmed the return to the classical values of watchmaking, with a list of launches rich in “vintage” models , starting from the shapes, colors and materials that were trendy in the 1970s.

The story of the largest event dedicated to watches and jewelry in the world began in 1917 as a small part of the Schweizer Mustermesse Basel exhibition of Swiss products. At that time, only 29 exhibitors, including Tissot and Longines, were present in the clocks and jewelery section. With the emergence of the Federation Horologere, the Swiss watch industry takes shape and in 1926 receives a dedicated hall. Another 5 years and the foundations of the watches exhibition are laid in the same place where today is the main hall of the salon.
In 1932, Patek Philippe decides to expose for the first time, and two years later TAG Heuer joins. Rolex appears in Basel in 1939 and, already in the 1950s, the event becomes the most important moment of the horology industry. Here all the notable events take place, like the revolution of quartz watches or the launch of the first plastic watch produced in series – the legendary swatch. Since 1972, the salon opens to exhibitors from the rest of the world, and since 1986 it has become the world reference for watches and jewelery. Since 2003, the name Baselworld is introduced and in 2007 the number of visitors exceeds the landmark of 100,000 people.