Die Baselworld bietet die Chance viele unabhängige (independent) Watchmaker kennenzulernen.

Independent watchmakers

Baselworld, Independent Watchmakers

My view of Baselword

This year I made it to Switzerland for Baselworld, one of the most important watch fairs in the world. It’s my first visit to the fair and, as always, my very own take on the spectacle. That means I don’t write about audience numbers, which manufacturers won’t be at Baselworld 2019 and internal watch industry stuff. There are others who provide the latest from the industry with much more effort and insights. It’s also a bit late for Baselworld news now, so I see it more as a travelogue, focusing on things I’ve experienced.

The fair: Baselworld

First of all, it’s not a trade fair like a sanitary, furniture or online marketing fair. That sounds trivial, but it’s fitting. From my media and marketing world, I know of one fair that swallowed up similar sums, Telemesse, which is most comparable in terms of cost. But not the exhibits. It is more of a temple of homage, partly a show-off event, but partly art and craft. And the exhibits are something very special, because I am sure that no exhibit will be under 4,000 euros. The sky’s the limit.
Inhorgenta in Munich is also a watch fair with jewellery companies, but not comparable.

The Académie Horlogère des Créateurs Indépendants – AHCI – independent Watchmakers.

We enter the hall and first head for the AHCI stand https://www.ahci.ch/. You can spend half a day here and be amazed. Handmade unique pieces by watchmakers in the circle of the Académie Horlogère des Créateurs Indépendants. Members and aspirants are all watchmakers of Haute Horlogerie, the high art of watchmaking. Each watchmaker, like some of his movements, is unique. The members of the AHCI can confidently be called Haute Horlogeurs. Literally translated, Académie Horlogère des Créateurs Indépendants means Academy of Watchmaking of Independent Watchmakers. Sounds cumbersome, but in English the independent watchmakers are called independent Watchmakers. The pictures in the gallery are entirely of AHCI watchmakers and their works.

Part 2: Big brands and challenges of Baselworld
Part 3: All my pictures and a video of the fair