Baselworld: What Went Wrong?

Patek Philippe, Chopard, Chanel, Rolex and Tudor announced last week that they would be departing to create a new show alongside the Foundation of Haute Horology Watches and Wonders show in Geneva LVMH-owned labels Zenith, Tag Heuer, Hublot, and Bulgari followed with announced plans to leave the show These departures follow an initial exit by Swatch Watch Group in 2018, which owns over 15 luxury watch brands, and various independent departures such as Hermes soon after.

Reports said the reason behind the departures was a disagreement about the rescheduling of the show doutbreak for January 2021 without consulting the major exhibitors about the timing and the percentage of money being held by the show after the postponement Their distributors had already placed the majority of watch buys during January market but requested a sneak peek at additional styles to be shown at Baselworld in advance to meet their quotas "The pressure to attend was high as if you didn't show up, it must mean there is something wrong with your business," he said.

Several industry sources say the show management lacks customer relation skills and has been fairly unapologetic about general complaints. . Source