BaselWorld: An Escapade For Your Senses

pingtsai offers a vivid account of the BaselWorld experience, likening it to a sensory overload akin to Disneyland for watch enthusiasts. This article provides practical insights and a behind-the-scenes look at the scale and competitive nature of watch brand presentations at this premier industry event.

Every year when February and March roll around and we are just settling into the new year, the buzz begins brewing among watch fans and industry regulars. For 2016, while most people were head-deep in March Madness, Irish beer festivals and the never-ending drama of American politics, watch enthusiasts had a different mental destination. What new watches will they have at BaselWorld? This year didn't disappoint for the most part but if you've never been and you're already thinking ahead to next year, it's never too early to start planning now. 

So what’s it like to attend BaselWorld? If you ever went to Disneyland as a kid and can remember what it was like, then you’ll know the feeling to some extent. BaselWorld is like a big party for your senses. Imagine a million probes firing away at your sensory nerves all at once! Your motor functions are a little discombobulated but only because they can’t decide where to go first. You want to explore everything but you know that chances are you will miss something. By the end of the day, your eyes will feel like they ran a marathon and your feet aren’t too far behind.

Booths to Boast About

Just like with many other conventions, BaselWorld is a bit of a pageant between the big brands and small brands. Every year, it seems as though watch and jewelry brands are constantly trying to out-build each other. The logic being that the bigger, better, most impressive and attractive booth will be the brand that generates the most media buzz and publicity. The top ones may have the jaw-dropping, larger-than-life stands (some brands practically have their own buildings) but sometimes the smaller independent names will actually have more impressive and interesting watches.

 Image: Ornatus-Mundi

Elbowing for the optimal booth locations can be quite competitive among companies. According to Dave Rodgerson, senior management consultant of retail strategy and change at IBM Canada, Toronto, “With major events like this, the competition for next year begins before this year’s event has ended.” Apparently, booth locations are determined by a selection process that is very much like the NFL draft and the brands that sponsored more in previous years will be higher up in the pick order.   

Image: Jocke

It's a formidable challenge for brands to have a new booth design, new watches and a fresh concept every year. It all comes at a sizable expense, amounting to millions for the bigger brands. Are you wondering who got the biggest most prominent booth? Well only a “crowned” king would be most fitting to take that honor.

There is no mistaking however, that the stands will be the first thing that catch your attention. This is not some measly table and tent like structure you’d find at a local fair. These are multi-level, multi-room, architecturally- and designer-conceptualized galleries. With the halls that house more well-known brands, it almost feels like walking through an upscale mall until you marvel in disbelief that the structures are temporary, placed only for the duration of the watch fair. And then it becomes rather heartbreaking that the beautiful architectural displays will be dismantled after just a week.  

After you’ve finished rolling your neck around and gawking at all the illuminated logos and familiar names, you’ll then remember the watches and that they were the main reason that brought you here in the first place. You will see many brands that you’ve never heard of and a range of watches from across every spectrum from classic or sporty to artistically hand-crafted and over-the-top. There’s something for everyone. BaselWorld plays host to over 2000 watch, jewelry and gem exhibitors from over 45 countries. With such a thorough representation of the global watch and jewelry business, it’s where companies need to be if they want to be noticed.      

Image: Xilos Temporary Architecture on Behance

“As the microcosm of the watch and jewelry industry, Baselworld is the focal point of the industry, where all players of the industry showcase their creations and innovations. The show attracts everyone from designers and purchasers, to the global press and consumers who wish to feel the pulse of this fascinating world, be inspired and share in this amazing experience” exclaims the BaselWorld website.

Image: Ornatus-Mundi

Most importantly, you will see the “new” watches from your favorite brands that you were hoping to see. There will be incredible pieces that you’ll want to try on and get that wrist shot to show everyone in a PuristSPro post. Unlike a shopping mall however, you will quickly realize that you’ll do a lot of seeing and not so much touching, unless you are prepared to buy inventory stock loads of watches or you’re a member of the press. In some cases, if you have a personal contact, like many PuristS have, you just might get lucky and get a chance to model that one limited piece that everyone’s been talking about. For others, you might have to settle for some quick shots through a glass display case while muscling some space from the 99 other watch geeks crowded right around you.

Image: Jocke

One of the coolest things about going to a watch show is getting the chance to see watchmakers and technicians live in action. Often their skilled handy-work will be on display front and center as spectators look on attentively, completely mesmerized by the show. If there is an opportunity to ask questions, definitely do so as learning about a watch from a watchmaker is very different than learning about it from a salesperson.   

Novelty Takes the Cake

Now that the dust has kind of settled and media outlets, marketing experts and retail heads have had a chance to spread the word to their respective audiences, the watch-buying public is starting to get more and more excited about all the new releases. Brands carefully control these timed announcements with embargos which restrict when the public can be notified of these new watches. It’s like planning a surprise birthday party where the press release and information holders are the culprit. You are the celebratory target. The biggest challenge, of course, is keeping everyone from spilling the beans before the big day.

Image: foversta

All this “party” planning is because companies know that novelty keeps a brand alive. Stirring up anticipation and buzz in just the right amount and quantity is practically an artform in itself. Forums like PuristSPro.com are a valuable aid in this aspect often fostering organic discussion which spreads the word as well as the expanding excitement that goes along with it. Brands must balance the carefully-conducted strategies of continuing to produce watches that reflect the essence of the brand, as well as issuing new ones that have more promotional value. Newness is refreshing and exciting and there’s no other place where you’ll find more of it than BaselWorld. 

There’s nothing like novelty to stir the complacent senses. Watch complacency is the body’s self-defense mechanism against redundancy and conformity where those things would mean a slow demise to innovation, activity and life’s vibrancy. Like an antibiotic drug that’s lost its potency, so are the numbed taste buds of the seasoned watch-lover’s subconscious. There comes a point when any new stirring of the emotions is unduly welcomed whether it’s good or bad or an expression of appeal or distaste. Even if you don’t like some of the newly released watches, you’ll still want to see them, know what they are and cast your personal judgment.

The novelty is what keeps BaselWorld interesting and exciting year after year, especially for true watch connoisseurs. Every die-hard watch fanatic deserves the chance to go, if only for once during their lifetime. You can even make it a regular excursion, if you don’t mind crowds. For the first-timer, BaselWorld is nothing short of a jackpot in arousing all your senses, a rare moment of revitalization because you decide to fully indulge in self-interest. As an adult it becomes more and more difficult to get excited about things, about anything. Very few things are novel anymore. That’s why when you get an opportunity to submerse yourself in an environment that breeds novel things, surely you should not deny that to yourself.

Image: Jocke

A Few Tips Couldn’t Hurt

Comfortable shoes are a must. Make sure you get a good night’s sleep the day before, although this can be quite difficult for jet-lagged international attendees. If you have to, chug an energy drink and get an early start. BaselWorld is open to the public so the earlier the better if you don’t want a ton of people in all your pictures.

Don’t forget your camera as you will want to take pictures of just about everything, for memory sake, to share with friends and family and without a doubt to share on PuristSPro as well. If you don’t have a digital SLR, your mobile phone camera should do just fine and is much easier to carry around.

Always have a bottle of water with you. Although BaselWorld does well with exciting your senses, it does equally well with sucking them dry, literally. There’s something about walking long hallways under bright lights that makes your throat feel as dry as the Mojave Desert.

Exploring BaselWorld requires a bit of a plan. Go on the website a few days before your trip and find the locations of the booths that you want to visit. Come up with a loose itinerary for how to best navigate the stands throughout each hall. One recommendation is to visit all the big popular brands first to get them out of the way, brands like Rolex, Girard Perregaux, Patek Philippe, Ulysse Nardin, Breguet, Omega, Seiko etc. These brands are must sees therefore visiting them first saves you from the worry later on of missing one. After that you are free to explore the more obscure brands. Save the AHCI and independents for last. It could very likely be the best part of your trip. Often independent watchmakers will man their own booths and you may get a very rare chance to talk to them, ask them questions or listen in on their stories. Don’t forget that selfie with Kari, Vianney, Max and others. 

Image: Elliot55

Image: Don Corson

Image: Don Corson

Image: foversta

Image: foversta

BaselWorld can be an onslaught on your senses; to enjoy yourself, make sure you bring your own sense of childhood wonder and awe. Always keep an open mind. Appreciate the workmanship, craft and ingenuity, even when you’re standing in front of the ugliest watch you’ve ever laid eyes on.  

If you’re wondering whether you should go to BaselWorld, just know that it will likely be one of the highlights of your watch passion and journey to date. You will come back with an expanded appreciation of this crazy little hobby that has brought so many of us together. Making the decision to go to BaselWorld is not the hard part however. The hard part is deciding which watch to wear once you do go. 

*Additional note: It's not too soon to be looking for a hotel for next year's show...