Attending BaselWorld is a unique experience. It’s something many of us do year after year with enthusiasm and great expectations, so I suppose by definition that makes ‘unique’ the wrong word to use for the world’s largest international watch and jewellery event. And yet it is unique. Where else can you find nearly 2,000 exhibitors metaphorically vying, in the most elegant and imposing manner, to relieve 100,000 would-be buyers from around the world of their hard-earned cash? This year, nearly 600 watch exhibitors cornered 61.7 per cent of the show’s overall square metres and how well most of them utilized it. As a regular visitor, one could be forgiven for being a little blasé about BaselWorld, but if you make a conscious effort of actually taking a critical look at the extraordinary efforts the brands have made to attract custom in recent years, it’s a real eye-opener and a far cry from the days when the smell of grilled schublig sausages and French fries permeated onto the stands whilst the sales people tried to sell their hyper-expensive timepieces.

The Hall of Dreams
Nowadays, walking through the Hall of Dreams, along the so-called Champs Elysées or Millionaires Row as some of us tend to think of it, you see everything from the understated opulence of Patek Philippe, Rolex and Chopard, to the dense block of fifteen brands under the Swatch Group’s umbrella - most of which have relatively unimaginative displays, the only exception being Blancpain which deserves a mention for its architectural originality. Off to the right of Swatch Square TAG Heuer’s stunning illuminated architectural colossus stands in stark contrast and on the opposing side of the Hall you can join the myriad of admirers craning their necks upwards as they follow the never-ending meandering of tropical fish in Breitling’s imposing aquarium that sits above its reception area. Further along the aisle Chanel captures passers-by with a gigantic reproduction of the J12 while Frederique Constant and Alpina have a more subdued, business-like booth that enjoys a steady stream of visitors. Close to them, Bell & Ross highlight their arresting timepieces in showcase displays set into the brand’s instantly recognizable black booth. Across the aisle from there we find the sumptuous, casual elegance of Century, where browsing is almost as sensual an experience as Anna Kournikova touching your wrist as she corrects your backhand.

The Hall of Desires
The first floor of Hall 1, the so-called Hall of Desires, has now become as important a venue as the Hall of Dreams and here you discover a whole series of eye-catching, two-tier stands such as De Grisogono, Hermès, Harry Winston, De Witt, Guess, Nautica, Oakley, etc., all beckoning would-be buyers with stunning stands and impressive displays. Amongst the glitz, glamour and grandeur of these exhibitors, there’s one stand that literally takes your breath away and leaves you at a total loss for words … not for its bravura or dazzling display, but for its pure, unadulterated tastelessness: Juicy Couture. With window displays that defy classification, it has to take the prize for BaselWorld’s blot on the landscape, the ultimate in bad taste, a garish eyesore in what is otherwise a palace of luxury. It was the most undesirable monstrosity in a desirable location. I don’t know if the brand sells popcorn, armour or ladies tights, but to quote Rhett Butler in Gone with the Wind, “Frankly, my dear, I don’t give a damn!”
If you enjoy a little humour in your architectural browsing, the Nomos stand was this year’s winner. To avoid visitors using the outside staircase on the stand, or as rumour had it to show disdain about being obliged to have a two-tier stand, Nomos constructed an external staircase designed to give the impression that disaster had struck at the eleventh-hour. Whatever the origins of the concept, it brought a smile to many a passing visitor as they carefully studied the broken flight of steps that led to a dead end on the upper floor.

The Hall of Inspirations
Across the road in Hall 4, the Hall of Inspirations, there is a special ambience where the décor is uniformly stylish and the visitor is far from the madding crowd of Hall 1. Here you can peacefully browse and window-shop without being jostled by crowds of bustling buyers, pram-pushing parents and pamphlet harvesting pupils from the local schools.
With comfortable settees and armchairs scattered in the spacious aisles where you can take the weight off your much abused appendages we call feet, you can catch up with not only your thoughts, but also surreptitiously scrutinize which of the independent watch companies exhibiting here are making the most of the important investment required to participate at BaselWorld.
Back on your feet you can stroll unhurriedly around the thirty-five stands and enjoy seeing the latest collections from a whole host of interesting brands such as Franc Vila, Marvin, Ateliers DeMonaco, Hautlence, Ventura, Pilo and Ice Link. The most surprising sight however, was an imposing modern black Steinway grand piano that took up almost all of the space on one stand. I waited a while to see if someone would regale me with a private recital, but it wasn’t until I passed by out of curiosity for the third time that I managed to meet up with the pianist who doubled as the man behind the niche collection of Steinway Watches. But more of that later.

BaselWorld’s DNA
With 2010 off to what we can optimistically refer to as a ‘reasonable start’ and the panic and recession of 2009 behind us, a little stocktaking might be in order. For a start, 2009 was not as bad as everybody expected and if we’re honest, the official figures for the year were at the level of 2006, which just happened to be a record year for the watch industry.
Clearly the economic recession had its effects and none more so than on many of the smaller independent companies that produce limited numbers of timepieces designed to have a mouth-watering effect on the specialist watch retailers and aficionados of the atypical.
Sadly, but inevitably, some of the smaller watchmakers have fallen by the wayside, yet despite the harbingers of gloom, many have restructured their workshops to be not only more self-sufficient in their production techniques, but also to meet the needs of a more demanding and conversant clientele. Nevertheless, and it is an important nevertheless, new names regularly appear on the list of exhibitors because despite the 22.3 per cent slump in the Swiss watch industry’s 2009 export figures, independent watchmakers who have skimped and saved for years to train as watchmakers endeavour to reveal their prowess and perhaps one day join the elite club of world-renowned names. And despite the emergence of new exhibition venues, the most effective location continues to be BaselWorld because of its international reputation.
Of course, budgets are obviously restricted for any of the new kids on the block, however, both the Hall of Emotions (5.1) and the Hall of Inspirations (4.1) offer smaller, more economic stands with potentially the same international exposure as the big boys in Hall 1.
René Kamm, the CEO of the MCH Group, the organizer of BaselWorld, took time out to show me the impressive scale model of the new ‘Exhibition Centre Basel’ that will be completed in 2013 at a cost of 430 million Swiss francs.
I broached the subject of the conflicting dates of the SIHH and BaselWorld and asked if , as some people claimed, there was a move afoot to change the BaselWorld dates to be more inline with the Geneva event.
“BaselWorld was always scheduled as a springtime event and it will remain so, ”René Kamm emphasized. “Although Basel owns the fair, it’s the industry that tells us what and when to hold it. In January the retailers are not ready to analyse their needs so soon after the holiday sales and the Chinese New Year in February and the Easter holidays have an influence on the dates.
“What you have to remember is that we represent the industry and the DNA of BaselWorld is the brands. It is a ‘must’ for our exhibitors, so please don’t expect us to follow the SIHH calendar!”
The 1,915 exhibitors that attend BaselWorld can’t all be wrong and they clearly carry more weight with their opinions than the nineteen brands that participate at the SIHH. End of story.

A very personal selection
As the so-called ‘Roving Editor’ of Europa Star, I did just that that again this year, meandering throughout BaselWorld, stopping wherever I thought I might discover something of interest and conferring with people in the know. Of course this means visiting the brands where you know you’ll find a timepiece of note and, hopefully, if they have the time, meeting up with the people behind its creation.

Century
I’m not quite sure as to why, but it seems that one of the very first visits I make at BaselWorld every year is to Century and this year Nathalie Kottelat and Andrea von Allmen did a double act to reveal this year’s bag of goodies. Time and time again, Century has created unique timepieces with their hand-facetted cases of sapphire and once again the brand has come up trumps, this time with its Venus model.
Venus is shell-shaped pendant watch in 18 carat white gold set with 161 diamonds (0.58 carats) and a magnificent hand-cut and polished black Century sapphire with a remarkable 130 facets. The dial of the timepiece is set with another 190 diamonds (0.45 carats) and it hangs resplendently from an 80 centimetre long 18 carat white gold ‘Prince of Wales’ chain. The watch has a quartz movement.
The contrast between the white gold, diamonds and the black sapphire creates a stunning array of mirrored light and when the shell opens to reveal it’s concealed timepiece, ablaze with diamonds, the result is breathtaking. This creation is a jewel amongst jewels and a confirmation and celebration of the creative talent chez Century.

PRIME TIME EGOS CHRONOGRAPH DAY & DATE VENUS by Century

The Century concept using facetted sapphires lends itself to ladies’ watches and this year there were some eye-catching timepieces in the brand’s Couture and Grace Collections. However, the male of the species wasn’t forgotten. The Elegance watch is made from a 48-facetted sapphire with an anthracite, white or black dial and is equipped with an automatic mechanical movement that simply offers hours, minutes, seconds and date. It’s a perfect example of how pure lines and minimalism combine to express elegance.
The pièce de résistance for men is the Prime Time Egos Chronograph Day & Date – not only quite a mouthful, but also a superb wrist-full. A dodecagonal black sapphire with 12 facets, a black dial highlighted by an oversized red ‘eight’ and a black alligator strap offer the wearer the ultimate chronographic chic. The photograph tells the complete story.

Bell & Ross
A diagonal stroll across the aisle took me to Bell & Ross where the Instrument BR01-92 was attracting a lot of attention (see Europa Star 2/2010) – as was the brand’s Instrument BR03-92 Military Ceramic. This watch, as Bell & Ross explain, ‘celebrates the art of military camouflage’, but it was designed for use by pilots in the cockpit of their fighter jets.
Robust in a khaki-coloured mat ceramic case, there is a meaningful contrast with the luminous hands and the tinted, anti-glare glass that makes the watch highly legible both day and night. There are hours, minutes, seconds and date functions from an automatic ETA 2892 mechanical movement. The dial is black and the hands, numerals and indices have a photoluminescent coating. The strap is either rubber or an ultra-resistant synthetic fabric and the 42 mm watch is water-resistant to 100 metres.

INSTRUMENT BR03-92 MILITARY CERAMIC VINTAGE BR 123 & 126 CARBON by Bell & Ross

In its Vintage Collection, Bell & Ross have combined the styling of its old Vintage timepieces with the ‘look’ of the BR Collection to create a new series called the Vintage BR 123 & 126 Carbon. Here there is a move away from the tough looking square cases to the more elegant rounded case. The Vintage 123 has classic hours, minutes and seconds functions via an ETA 2895 automatic mechanical movement and the Vintage 126 is a two-counter (60-seconds and 30-minute) chronograph using an automatic mechanical ETA 2894 movement.
The 41 mm stainless steel watches have an elegant ‘vacuum carbon’ black finish with a galvanic mat black dial. The numbers, hands and indices are covered with a sand-coloured photoluminescent coating and there is an anti-glare sapphire. Water-resistant to 100 metres, the watch is completed with a natural-coloured light-brown leather strap.
This natural evolution of the Vintage Collection underlines the Bell & Ross philosophy of giving priority to readability whilst not overlooking the obvious demands of modern design. Winners all!

• Part 1 of 3 – Innovations, intentions and interrogations
• Part 2 of 3 - Hall one and beyond
• Part 3 of 3 – Brands to mention

Source: Europa Star June - July 2010 Magazine Issue