In the coming days, you?ll be reading quite a bit about Baselworld. What is Baselworld, exactly" Why is it so important" What happens there" Can I go" For the answers to these and more questions, read on. We?ve put together a list of 10 watch-centric FAQs, complete with images taken inside and outside the main hall, so you’ll have all the basic facts about the huge show that gets under way this week.   

1. What is Baselworld" 
Baselworld, sometimes called the Basel Fair, is the world?s largest watch-and-jewelry trade show. For 2018, the show runs March 22 to March 27, and as you might guess, it’s in Basel, Switzerland.
The exterior of the recently renovated main building, known as Hall 1.
2. How big is the show" In previous years, the show occupied about 1.5 million square feet in several buildings, though it is smaller (and shorter in duration) in 2018. Traditionally, more than 7,000 truckloads of material and goods weighing tens of thousands of tons are delivered from all over the world, with upwards of 20,000 workers taking six weeks to set everything up. This year, about 600 – 700 companies will exhibit at the show ? down half from around 1,400 in 2015. In the past, as many as 120,000 guests and 3,600 journalists have attended.

Guests head for the main entrance to Hall 1.

3. Why is Baselworld important" Baselworld is where many of the world?s top watch and jewelry manufacturers launch their new collections...