A Mass Exodus and a New Beginning: Rolex, Patek Philippe, Others Leave Baselworld, Unite for Geneva Show
The most chaotic and disruptive year in the watch industry in recent memory just got a little more so this morning, with the announcement that power players Rolex, Patek Philippe, Tudor, Chanel, and Chopard are exiting the Baselworld trade fair, re-scheduled to January 2021 after the 2020 exhibition was cancelled due to the worldwide pandemic. Additionally, the departing brands announced that they will take part in a newly formed event, in cooperation with the Foundation de la Haute Horlogerie (FHH), in April 2021.
Rolex Booth at Baselworld 2019
The move apparently follows months of behind-the-scenes conflict between the exhibiting watch brands and the MCH, organizers of the Baselworld show. In a joint statement to the press, the watch manufacturers said, “This departure follows a number of unilateral decisions made without consultation by Baselworld management, including the postponement of the watch show until January 2021, as well as its inability to meet the brands’ needs and expectations.”
The as-yet-unnamed new exhibition will, according to the statement, be “linked” to Watches & Wonders 2021 ? the watch salon formerly known as SIHH, organized by the FHH and long considered a competitor to the older, more established Baselworld show ? and will take place in the same venue, Geneva’s Palexpo exhibition hall.
SIHH 2019
“We have taken part in Baselworld since 1939,” says Rolex CEO Jean-Frederic Dufour. &...
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