Editor’s Note
The MCH Group has officially cancelled Baselworld 2021, which was slated for late January. This follows the earlier postponement of the 2020 edition due to the pandemic, underscoring the ongoing global disruption to major industry events.
The MCH Group, the organizing company of the world’s largest watch and jewelry fair “Baselworld,” has announced the cancellation of “Baselworld 2021,” which was scheduled to be held from January 28 to February 2, 2021. “Baselworld 2021” was intended as a replacement event for “Baselworld 2020,” which was “postponed” from its original schedule of April 30 to May 5 due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Regarding this fair, on April 14, five brands—Rolex, Patek Philippe, Chanel, Chopard, and Tudor—announced their withdrawal. Following this, the LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton group’s brands Tag Heuer, Hublot, and Zenith also announced they would not participate in “Baselworld 2021.” Similarly, LVMH’s brand Bulgari had already declared its departure from the fair in February.
“Baselworld” started in 1917 as an industrial trade fair. With the withdrawal of major brands representing the Swiss core industry of watchmaking, such as Rolex, the fair had effectively collapsed. The official cancellation announcement by the organizing company MCH Group has now clearly drawn a final period to it.
Regarding the future of “Baselworld,” Managing Director Michel Loris-Melikoff stated:
Bernd Stadlwieser, CEO of the MCH Group, said:
However, it remains highly questionable who will pay attention to a “Baselworld” without its major brands.