The organisers of the annual Baselworld watch fair, which was cancelled the past two years due to the pandemic, have again postponed the 2022 spring edition.
The relaunch of Baselworld, the world’s largest and oldest watch and jewellery trade fair “needs more time”, the MCH Group said in a statement on Friday. It was due to take place in the Swiss city of Basel from March 31 to April 4, physically and online.
The current Covid-19 situation has again played a major role.
“It is particularly difficult to launch a new concept for a new target segment due to the renewed aggravation of the Covid situation and the associated uncertainty among customers,” MCH Group said.
Their decision follows experience gained from a Baselworld pop up event at the Geneva Watch Days fair, which took place from August 30 to September 3, and after intensive discussions with manufacturers and retailers.
MCH Group said that due to the cancellation of Baselworld 2022, Managing Director Michel Loris-Melikoff had decided to leave the company and take on a new challenge. He has been in charge of the fair since 2018.
Before the pandemic, Swiss watchmakers held two big watch fairs annually, the SIHH in Geneva and Baselworld. Both fairs were cancelled in 2021 due to the pandemic, but the SIHH, rebaptised Watches & Wonders, took place online.
In recent months Baselworld lost several major exhibitors to Watches & Wonders, including Rolex, Patek Philippe, Chanel, Chopard, Tudor, Hublot, Zenith, TAG Heuer, Grand Seiko and Oris. Watches and Wonders Geneva will take place from March 30 to April 5, 2022.
Source: Swiss Info
