Elizabeth Doerr was (and remains) one of Baselworld’s staunchest supporters. For purely selfish reasons, of course: the fact that practically everything was in one location made her life as a watch journalist so much easier. Here she reflects on why she misses Baselworld and why Watches and Wonders isn’t enough to maintain balanced journalism.
With the two big Swiss fairs’ very existences hanging in the precipice thanks to past mistakes and the global pandemic COVID-19, and with no inkling of a clear way forward, Elizabeth Doerr looks at the turbulent first three months of 2020 and shares how brand managers are reacting to the ‘new normal.’
The news broke like a hurricane on the morning of February 27, 2020: Watches & Wonders (formerly SIHH) has been canceled for 2020. In the words of Hublot CEO Ricardo Guadalupe, “The future of the fairs is already [hanging] in the balance – to cancel them [this year] is really bad news for them, and for Baselworld in particular.” Read on for more of his opinion.
As Joshua Munchow looks back over 2019, he is reminded what an exciting year it has been in the world of watches – from changes to the major fairs and exhibitions to corporate acquisitions and right on down to surprising launches from brands. There was definitely enough to keep us on our toes.
As SIHH rebrands to become Watches & Wonders Geneva, it becomes apparent that the trade fairs are morphing into something new and perhaps unexpected. Elizabeth Doerr takes a look at the latest from SIHH and Baselworld.
What is the most precious element of any watch brand? Its manufacture? Its skilled employees? Its brand ambassadors? Its boutiques? Martin Green thinks that it’s none of those, because the most important asset of a brand is its so-called DNA. Here he explains how brands better used their heritage at the 2018 SIHH.
What is the most precious element of any watch brand? Its manufacture? Its skilled employees? Its brand ambassadors? Its boutiques? Martin Green thinks that it’s none of those, because the most important asset of a brand is its so-called DNA. Here he explains how brands better used their DNA at the 2018 edition of the SIHH.
Łukasz Doskocz’s story “Top 5 Value-For-Money Watches At SIHH 2018” landed in the top ten most read posts of 2018, so he thought it a good idea to pick these watches out at SIHH again – and happily the 2019 edition of the fair did not disappoint with some great new relatively affordable timepieces.
Join our Quill & Pad round table discussion where we reveal what we did and didn’t like at the 2019 SIHH (Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie). Erotic “hot horologie” and bonbons included along with the most honest opinions you’re bound to find.
Over these last five years – and indeed since Elizabeth has been writing about watches! – the large fairs and exhibitions have played central roles in seeing any year’s crop of new timepieces. At the moment, the position of the fairs seems to be in some jeopardy, but for now it’s business as usual for the media. Here are a few highlights from five years of Quill & Pad at the SIHH.