It was only a day ago that the watch world was reacting to the cancellation of Watches & Wonders Geneva (formerly SIHH), as a result of the increasing spread of the Coronavirus, and wondering if Baselworld would suffer the same fate in 2020. Overnight, the answer was given, as Baselworld announced that it would be “postponed” until January 2021 due to an official ban by the Swiss authorities on large-scale public events. This is not a surprising decision by Baselworld management, but still a significant one in the context of the challenges the fair has faced in recent years, as well as the uninterrupted hosting of the event since 1917. “We deeply regret having had to postpone the event as planned due to the coronavirus, in full consideration of the needs of the watch and jewellery industry to be able to benefit from the platform to develop their business,” the Managing Director of Baselworld, Michel Loris-Melikoff, said. “This decision has been all the more difficult in view of all the positives that have been achieved through listening and dialogue over the last few months, which resulted in new concepts and new solutions, that have attracted exhibitors to return and new ones…
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