Editor’s Note
This week, Baselworld opens its doors, bringing together the global watch industry. As the premier event for showcasing horological innovation and craftsmanship, it remains the essential gathering for brands, collectors, and enthusiasts alike.
Baselworld, the major annual watch and jewelry event, opens this week in Basel, with nearly 1,500 exhibitors showcasing increasingly complex and rare timepieces. Approximately 100,000 visitors and 3,500 journalists are expected to attend this event, which opens to the press on Wednesday and to the public on Thursday, and is considered “the grand conclave of watchmaking.”
Exhibitors will display models for all tastes and price points, ranging from small sports watches accessible to all budgets to the finest Swiss mechanical watchmaking, with pieces whose price can exceed one million Swiss francs (over 800,000 euros, 1.1 million dollars). The show this year hosts several of the profession’s top brands, such as Omega, Breguet, and Blancpain, the prestigious brands of the Swatch Group, or those of independent groups like Patek Philippe, Rolex, or Chopard.
Hublot, one of the brands of the French luxury giant LVMH, will exhibit a watch whose dial is made of osmium crystal, a new material close to platinum and one of the rarest in the world, the brand told AFP. Prestigious brands are multiplying innovations to offer collectors models not found on every wrist. The Geneva jeweler Shawish, for example, will present a chocolate egg containing one of its luxury watches to commemorate the Easter holidays.
Three months before the start of the World Cup in Brazil, football will be present at the show. The Swiss watchmaker Jeanrichard, which has just signed a partnership agreement with the British club Arsenal, will bring French footballer Robert Pirès to unveil the limited editions created for the London club.
The Basel show is one of the most important events of the year for the watchmaking sector, alongside the one held in Geneva in January. At Baselworld, retailers typically place the majority of their annual orders. Furthermore, the event is closely followed by financial analysts, who attend to gauge the pulse of the luxury sector.
In 2013, Swiss watch exports totaled 21.8 billion Swiss francs (17.9 billion euros), setting a new record in absolute value. However, the growth rate of these exports has slowed sharply and was 1.9% last year, compared to 10.9% in 2012. Swiss watchmakers, particularly in the prestige watch sector, have been heavily impacted by the market downturn in China, one of the most important in the world, following the adoption of anti-corruption measures that prohibit extravagant gifts.