rolex, tudor, patek philippe, chanel & chopard will not participate in baselworld

rolex, patek philippe, tudor, and chopard — four major industry players — have announced that they are pulling out of baselworld, the largest watch and jewelry trade show organized each spring in switzerland. due to the COVID-19 crisis, the show has been postponed until next year, the same as some product releases by the aforementioned brands. what is enthralling though, is the fact that the watch brands are working with the fondation de la haute horlogerie (FHH) to create a new event.

images courtesy of baselworld

rolex made the announcement and according to its CEO jean-frederic dufour: ‘we have taken part in baselworld since 1939. unfortunately, given the way the event has evolved and the recent decisions made by MCH group, and in spite of the great attachment we had to this watch show, we have decided to withdraw. following discussions initiated by rolex, it seemed only natural to create a new event with partners that share our vision and our endless, unwavering support for the swiss watchmaking sector. this will allow us to present our new watches in line with our needs and expectations, to join forces and better defend the interests of the industry.’

as stated by thierry stern, president of patek philippe, ‘the decision to leave baselworld was not an easy one to take for me, being the fourth generation of the stern family to participate to this traditional yearly event. … we constantly have to adapt ourselves, question what we do, since what was right yesterday may not necessarily be valid today. today patek philippe is not in line with baselworld’s vision anymore, there have been too many discussions and unsolved problems, trust is no longer present. we need to answer the legitimate needs of our retailers, the clients and the press from around the world. they have to be able to discover the new models from swiss watchmakers each year, at one time, in one place, and this in the most professional manner possible. that is why, following several discussions with rolex and in agreement with other participating brands, we have decided to create, all together, a unique event in geneva, representative of our savoir-faire.’

in an official statement, the MCH group, the organizer of baselworld, said it was surprised with the announcements made by the companies: ‘it is with great surprise and equally great regret that the MCH group takes note of the cancellation of major exhibitors at baselworld. the new date for the unavoidable postponement of baselworld 2020 was defined jointly with leading exhibitors. the objective was to find the earliest and best possible date for the industry following the COVID -19 related measures. the companies now “migrating” – including rolex – spoke out in favor of a postponement to january 2021. they are also represented on the exhibitors’ committee, where the future vision of baselworld has been discussed on several occasions and has met with a positive response, as was also evidenced by countless individual discussions. the intention to move to geneva has never been mentioned. the MCH group must therefore conclude that the relevant plans have been in preparation for some time and that the discussions concerning the financial arrangements for the cancellation of baselworld 2020 are now being put forward as an argument.’