Due to the latest developments of the COVID=19 coronavirus and it’s worldwide spread, both editions of the Watches & Wonders (formerly known as SIHH) and Baselworld will not be held for 2020. Fondation de la Horologerie’s Horologerie’s (FHH) duty as the main organiser of Watches and wonders is to see the potential risks that international events could entail.
For FHH to protect the health and well-being of all the guests, partners, press, and teams in attendance, the Watches & Wonders event on April 25th to 29th 2020 will be canceled until next year. This is further re-iterated with the ban of large-scale public and private events held in Switzerland, being issued on February 28th by the Swiss Federal and Cantol authorities.
Baselworld, which was to be held from April 30th to May 5th, 2020, have also taken the hard decision to cancel the event. Managing Director of Baselworld, Michel Loris-Melikoff stated that: “This decision has been more difficult given all the positives that have been achieved through listening and dialogue over the last few months. This resulted in new concepts and new solutions that have attracted exhibitors to return and new ones to sign on. We registered encouraging growth in all sectors; watchmaking, jewellery, the gemstone and pearl trade, as well as in the technical branch.”
Baselworld, however, will not be canceled all-together but instead postponed till January 2021. The reason for this being that by delaying the event for early January, the industry and all of Baselworld’s customers will not lose a full year, while at the same time reset the calendar for the show being at the start of the year. By doing this, the presentation of new products, trends and order taking can be done along with the rollover of the new year.
To help the brands that were to take part of Baselworld 2020, the Group CEO of MCH, Bernd Stadlwieser has stated: “In the coming weeks, we will be presenting a new digital service that is essential and useful to our entire community. We trust this will meet the needs of the brands that have become even more important in these difficult and turbulent times.”
