If you?ve been following the recent watch industry upheaval that has centered around Baselworld over the last few months, today?s news likely won’t come as much of a shock. It was announced today that the 2021 Baselworld show, which had been scheduled to begin January 28 of next year, has been canceled. This comes after a steady stream of brands exiting the fair over the last two years, the Covid-19 related postponement of the 2020 show, and tentpole brands Rolex, Tudor, Patek Philippe, and others dramatically cutting ties with Baselworld to start a new show of their own in Geneva.
Following the walkout of Rolex, Tudor, Patek, Chanel, and Chopard (which we covered in a podcast here), the LVMH brands followed suit, leaving Baselworld in a situation where the fair?s key exhibitors would all be absent from the next show. At this point, it seemed to be not a matter of ?if? but ?when? the MCH Group, Baselworld?s parent company, would make the decision to cancel the event outright.
In a statement released by the MCH Group announcing the cancellation of the 2021 show, Michel Loris-Melikoff, Managing Director of Baselworld, seems to leave the door open for the show to somehow regroup and return, potentially in a different format, at a later date. “Together with the exhibitors and visitors, we are working intensively on clarifying and discussing the requirements and options for new platforms,” he said. “We will be taking a decision on possible fol...