News This year’s edition of the World Watch and Jewellery Show was eagerly anticipated. After three years of conversion work, the hall complex renovated by the MCH Group revealed its new face, along with most exhibitors’ stands.
The 3,600-plus journalists from all over the world gathered impatiently on Wednesday 24 April at the end of the press conference marking the opening of the «new Baselworld». The crowd followed the Basel percussion group «Top Secret Drum Corps» which, drums ringing out, celebrated the official inauguration. The enormous blue curtain in the Show’s colours came down to reveal the entrance to the new Hall 1, North entrance.
The new complex comprises four different halls and the Palace, but as before it is hall 1, i.e. the North entrance, which makes the biggest impression and catches every eye. The LVMH group welcomed visitors as they crossed the threshold, with TAG Heuer, Zenith, Bulgari and Hublot lining the main aisle. Jean-Claude Biver admitted spending 3.3 million francs on the new Hublot stand, which he expects to make back over a period of ten years. Zenith, for its part, is proud to be the oldest watch brand to exhibit at Baselworld and made its 90th appearance at the Show this year. Present for the first time in the main hall, Bulgari opened for business in a stand shaped like a coiled snake, an allusion to one of its legendary collections, the Serpenti. Within this space, an 82 metre staircase led to the main office which was in fact the reptile’s head. As in previous years, Rolex made a huge impression thanks to the size and majesty of its new stand. With a surface area increased by 40% - 1,230 square metres extending over three floors – this hushed enclave included a 40-seater restaurant and was a haven of tranquillity for visitors despite the surrounding hubbub. The roll-call continued with the entire Swatch Group family, in which every brand presented a larger exhibition space than last year. The Breguet and Blancpain stands offered luxurious and discreet comfort to visitors.
As in the past, Breitling captivated visitors with an immense aquarium which dominated the entrance to its stand. Even bigger than before, with around 4,300 fish of eight different kinds swimming in 17,000 litres of water, it created a truly magical spectacle. With a floor space of 960 square metres on three floors, Raymond Weil recreated its beloved world of music by presenting a towering model of the front part of a violin.
An extensive floral space decorated the main entrance to the upper floor. Here Hermès occupied pole position with a very nature-oriented stand consisting of 624 wooden slats, flat and curved, which interlaced to form an exterior latticework. A ribbon of 167 plants forming a green raised passageway ran the length of the pavilion. Rising up like metallic flowers, display cabinets filled with the latest creations were dotted around the stand’s perimeter and entrance. At Citizen, visitors couldn’t fail to be fascinated by the 50,000 bottom plates of watch movements running on wires. This play of movement and light lent a surrealist air to the stand – called «Frozen Time» – which was designed by the Japanese architect Tsuyoshi Tane.
Also the product of Japanese inspiration, the Swarovski space bordering the central light well of hall 1 bedazzled visitors with its 250,000 reflective mirrors symbolising the brand’s crystals. 22,800 lamps lit up at random intervals to create an impression of continuous flamboyance.
At Baselworld for the first time, the Swatch brand occupied the entire south entrance of hall 1. To celebrate its 30th anniversary, a retrospective exhibition revealed to visitors the Swatch heritage composed of more than 5,000 watches, each with its childhood memories!
Not all major brands innovated this year however since Patek Philippe is reserving the surprise of its new stand for 2014, to coincide with its 175th anniversary.
Readers will need no reminding that this new hall complex, comprising an exhibition space of 141,000 square metres, was designed by the Basel architectural practice Herzog & de Meuron. The MCH Group invested 430 million francs in the project. More than 200 construction firms contributed to its completion and more than 1,000 people were working on the site at certain times. The figures speak for themselves: 43,000 cubic metres of concrete, 6,800 tonnes of steel and 820 kilometres of electrical wiring were used. The high point of this stupendous project is the City Lounge, a covered area enhanced by an impressive light well which marks not only the entrance to the halls, but also serves as a foyer and meeting place for the public.
In 1917, Baselworld’s forerunner the Swiss Samples Fair was born, which even then had a department dedicated specially to watches and jewellery. Following the growth of these two sectors, a separate department was devoted to them from 1931. In 1973, the first European Watch and Jewellery Fair (FEHB) was held in Basel. It has consistently grown in stature and was renamed Baselworld as of 2004.
May 13, 2013
