Today, TAG Heuer became the latest Swiss watch manufacturer to temporarily halt production at its workshops due to concerns over the ongoing worldwide health crisis brought about by the COVID-19 coronavirus. Here’s a chronological look at how the pandemic has impacted the watch industry thus far this year.
February 3: The Swatch Group announces it will be canceling its “Time to Move” event, scheduled to be held in Zurich on March 4-6, during which prestige brands Breguet, Blancpain, Glashütte Original, Jaquet Droz, and Harry Winston were set to launch their 2020 releases.
February 4: Baselworld’s event organizers announce they are “analyzing and observing the situation” regarding the virus’s impact on travel and events. Baselworld has been postponed until January 2021.
February 11: Bulgari pulls out of the 2020 Baselworld show, scheduled from April 30 to May 5, citing “growing traveling uncertainties of international visitors.”
February 12: Grand Seiko, which had already withdrawn from Baselworld, cancels its Summit event in Tokyo, in which it planned to unveil models celebrating the Grand Seiko model’s 60th anniversary. This event was also set for the first week of March.
February 20: Baselworld managing director Michel Loris-Melikoff declares that “Baselworld 2020 is on track; we are planning the coming show as intended.”
February 24: Citizen Watch Co. announces its exit from Baselworld 2020 due to c...